Catriona Ward, the acclaimed author behind The Last House on Needless Street, returns with Night and Day in Misery, a haunting and deeply emotional short story that explores grief, guilt, and the ghosts of the past. As part of The Shivers Collection, this chilling tale proves that horror does not always rely on monsters or blood it can live quietly inside the human heart.
The story follows Stella, a grieving mother who returns to the Rustic Inn and Suites in Missouri. Eight years earlier, her husband and young son died in a tragic accident while staying in Room 17. Now, on the anniversary of their deaths, Stella checks into the same room hoping to feel close to them once more. But as the night deepens, her attempt at connection takes a dark and unsettling turn. The line between dream and reality blurs, and Stella begins to sense that something or someone is reaching out to her from the other side.
Ward’s writing is both poetic and devastating. The prose moves like a fever dream, pulling readers into the foggy despair of Stella’s mind. The atmosphere is thick with sadness, and even the smallest details a flickering light, the hum of a motel air conditioner, the scent of damp linen carry a sense of unease. What begins as a quiet meditation on loss slowly transforms into something far more unnerving.
Unlike traditional horror filled with jump scares, Night and Day in Misery delivers a more emotional kind of terror. The true horror here is not the supernatural, but the suffocating weight of grief and the desperate need to hold on to the past. Still, Ward’s touch of the uncanny ensures the story lingers with readers long after it ends.
Critics and readers have had divided reactions, and understandably so. Some, like TheConnieFox, found it more sorrowful than frightening a tragic reflection of love and loss rather than a full-fledged horror story. Others, such as LTJ, praised it as one of the most powerful and emotional entries in The Shivers Collection, awarding it a perfect score for its intensity and psychological depth. Even readers who found it less original, like Vicki Herbert, agreed that it’s a tightly written story with clear pacing and a satisfying narrative flow.
Thematically, Night and Day in Misery explores alcoholism, domestic conflict, and the corrosive nature of guilt. These heavy topics make it a difficult but rewarding read. In just 35 pages, Ward crafts a story that feels complete, tragic, and eerily familiar to anyone who has ever lost someone they love. Her mastery of atmosphere and emotion is unmistakable.
This is not a story to read for thrills it is one to feel. Catriona Ward invites readers to sit with their sorrow, to look at the shadows cast by memory, and to find meaning in the ache of longing. It’s both heart-wrenching and beautiful, a ghost story in the truest sense.
If you’re a fan of literary horror that blends emotion with the supernatural, Night and Day in Misery deserves a place on your reading list.
Read it for yourself and experience a night you won’t soon forget: Buy Night and Day in Misery on Amazon
