The Black Cat - H.P. Lovecraft

An intensely bleak and dark short story written by the Godfather of horror Lovecraft himself. This is one of those stories which while reading you may ask what kind of a man writes these stories. Although when one thinks about he comes to the realization that every person born under the sun, unless they are foolishly naïve, have these dark thoughts. It's just that we don't write them down or even dare to contemplate them. We hide from them and play pretend with them. This was my first introduction to Lovecraft and what I have understood is, Lovecraft doesn't shy away from addressing his demons.

The story which is written in autobiographical fashion (although I hope none of it is biographical or real) , is about a man who was known for love and compassion slowly turns and commits most egregious acts, which by his words is all due to a cat, a black cat. His descend into darkness is partially due to alcohol. With each day passing he grows more and more irritable, he starts committing spousal and animal abuse that too in an unrepentant fashion. Superstition about the black cats being witches in disguise is also addressed in the book.

Overall a Good Read. But it is dark.

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The Death of Ivan Ilych - Leo Tolstoy

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