A beautiful example of turning the idea of haunting sideways, where the ghost isn’t necessarily someone who has died, but a version of ourselves that has become almost invisible inside our own life.
I love this piece for the way it expands what we mean by a ghost. We are not only haunted by people who have disappeared from our lives. Sometimes we are haunted by the people we have been.
“The Husband Stitch” moves between contemporary life, fairy tale, horror, folklore, urban legend, sexuality, the body, and the stories women inherit about what they're supposed to give away.
Nox isn't simply a book you read. It is an object. That’s why you would need the physical version of this masterpiece.
Carson originally made it by hand, assembling the fragments of her brother's life into a kind of scrapbook. The published version preserves that experience: a long accordion-folded work tucked inside a box, something you physically unfold, handle, examine, and piece together as you move through it. It is truly a work of art. Read it here.