Dress of White Silk by Richard Matheson

Quiet is here and all in me.

Finally, a short-story by Richard Matheson that isn't terrible and the first one to receive four-stars from yours truly. This is probably my favorite story in the collection so far, although that is not really saying much considering the majority of them have been disappointing or a complete waste of time.

Dress of White Silk makes for a great companion piece to Born of Man and Woman, both featuring a young unnamed first-person narrator and utilizing an experimental writing style with spelling mistakes and incorrect syntax. In both cases, the short staccato like sentences along with bad grammar and punctuation effectively evokes a sense of childlike innocence as well as the narrator's lack of schooling. The  limited point of view creates a wonderfully creepy atmosphere. 

This is a clever horror story full of ambiguity and part of the fun is trying to unravel the mystery surrounding the young girl's obsession with her deceased mother's white silk dress. Without giving too much away, there are enough clues to suggest that there might be elements of the supernatural at work here. Pay attention to any descriptions of the dress, the portrait of the mother and the final few lines. Once the potential truth has been discovered, the story comes full circle. Themes of grief, the loss of childhood innocence and loneliness take on greater meaning as they become more emotionally resonant within the context of the hidden narrative framework.

Clocking in at only five pages, Matheson's highly compressed plot finally delivers a satisfying ending that is more nuanced, ambiguous, complex. This was a fun ride and highly enjoyable.