Ending in Ashes is a collection of neo-Gothic stories that explore the classic genre through a raw and salacious lens. Spanning across time, from the Salem Witch Trials to the Covid-19 pandemic, Rebecca Jones-Howe stays true to traditional Gothic themes as she boldly explores human depravity and how it relates to the experience of womanhood. A serial killer succumbs to justice in the 17th century. A reclusive village woman is institutionalized, only to find her best self in the confines of her room. A newly-married couple finds their happily-ever-after in a heart-shaped tub in the Poconos. Two trauma survivors meet in a winter village and embark on an affair that blurs reality itself. Ending in Ashes is a tome of modern horrors waiting to be uncovered, each tale functioning as a warning that some tropes truly stand the test of time.
