A Human Stain by Kelly Robson

A Human Stain by Kelly Robson
Publisher: Tor Books
Genre: Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Horror, Historical
Length: Short Story (40 pages)
Rating: 3 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

“A Human Stain” by Kelly Robson is a disturbing horror novelette about a British expatriate at loose ends who is hired by her friend to temporarily care for his young, orphaned nephew in a remote castle-like structure in Germany.

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This was one of the creepiest things I’ve read in ages. It was creepy to think of Helen, the protagonist, living in a crumbling mansion with a child who kept doing alarming things and other staff members who refused to confirm or deny anything about why the boy behaved that way or whether his actions were a sign of something even more horrifying from his past.

What this story needed more than anything was a much more detailed description of the secrets that Herr Lambrecht and the people he employed at the mansion were keeping from Helen. This was by far the most important part of the plot, so I was surprised by how it was handled once she realized there was something very odd about her young charge. I was intrigued by what was shared, but I had enough trouble putting all of the pieces together that I didn’t feel justified in giving this book the higher score I’d originally thought it deserved.

Helen was a likeable main character whom I desperately hoped would be okay once she realized exactly how much danger she was in. I marvelled at all of the hints about her past that poked through as she adjusted to her strange new home and job. It was the sort of position that wouldn’t appeal to most tutors or nannies, so it was nice to know why she was so in need of a job that she overlooked red flags more observant and less desperate employees would have picked up on early on.

If you love the horror genre, give A Human Stain a try.