Killing Stella by Marlen Haushofer
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Killing Stella is a subtle Domestic Horror story, originally published in the late-1950s, which has recently been translated into English for the 1st-time.
I was intrigued by the premise and always enjoy exploring more Classic Horror stories. This is a novella, coming in at around 88-pages, and was very easy to get through.
The story is written in a sort of confessional-style, with our protagonist, Anna, relaying the tragic events that befell her family after she and her husband, Richard, took in an acquaintance’s teenage daughter, Stella.
I found this interesting and easily readable, though I wish it would have delved even deeper into the events that surrounded Stella staying with Richard and Anna.
It is very stream of consciousness, as again, you are reading this as a bit of a confessional from Anna. In fact, at the very end, she comments how she had been writing for 2-hours. It was like she needed to purge the events, and the subsequent guilt, from her body.
While I appreciated the topics explored by Haushofer, and I’m sure this was a bit risque at the time it was written because of those topics, I’m not sure how well it holds up in the modern Domestic Horror landscape.
I think this will be enjoyed most by Readers who enjoy the Classics, and also who enjoy more psychologically-focused, quietly-told, Horror stories.
At the end of the day, I’m glad I picked this up. I’m happy it was translated and that I got to experience it. I think it’s important to explore and appreciate the roots of Horror, my favorite genre.