We're approaching the end of this powerful (and newly reprinted) Egaeus anthology, and what do we find but another ST veteran? 'House of Sand' is a doubly interesting title, as the previous tale (see below or somewhere) featured sand rather prominently. There the resemblance between the tales ends, however.
The story concerns a young woman who always felt she was destined for greater things than her somewhat dull and childless marriage. She is invited to a house party in the rather grand mansion of her boss. There is an odd moment at the beginning of the story as she (apparently) miscounts the guests. The chit-chat of a social gathering is shot through with strange asides and peculiar omissions, and the woman gets lost amid rooms that seem to shift and change. A séance is held, and there are hints that the whole setup is the product of someone else's deep yearning for a life they could never truly lead.
All in all, it's an interesting story that leaves an enigmatic taste in the mind. There are hints of Shirley Jackson and Priestley's time plays about the way events supposedly separated by decades seem to collapse in on themselves. It is a haunted house tale, but arguably the house is in a sense a ghost.
Another compelling story in a book that is notably free of fillers.
(Just to note, as I have before, that I received a pdf of this book from one of the contributors.)
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