Lamella

Halper’s wonderfully weird debut novella is a powerhouse of intrigue and artistry. Disenchanted community college professor Mel Lane faces pushback after accusing his student Carl Jones of plagiarism, leading to a bureaucratic nightmare as he defends his judgment to his dean. In the midst of this upheaval, he arrives home to the surreal circumstance of his girlfriend, who goes unnamed, caring for a monstrous child that Mel’s never seen before as though it is their own. The child, Lamella, is covered in gaping holes and ages rapidly—and Mel’s girlfriend expects Mel to love her unconditionally. Halper manages to encapsulate both what it is to live in fear of bureaucratic persecution and what it means to face the uncanny in one’s own home. The ending takes a bit of untangling, but readers won’t mind having to visit this tale more than once to work out its intricacies. Clearly influenced by David Lynch’s Eraserhead, this blurs domestic, psychological, and body horror to excellent effect. Halper is sure to win some fans. (Mar.)