THE DEVIL IN MIA by Jan Miklaszewicz starts with a snapshot of a mundane slice of life but soon turns very sour as a rot creeps in around the edges. Matt and Mia are an ordinary couple who fall foul of a negative force that starts to tear them apart.
Miklaszewicz keeps the focus tight. The nuance of the interaction between the two main characters is so great, and when Mia starts to descend into a blackness that represents so many things, there’s real tragedy in the way Matt tries to hold things together, but with an ever weakening grip, both on the situation, and himself.
Then other characters come in, and with beautifully written dialogue throughout, the story is funny and sardonic, and grotesque. Miklaszewicz is smart in the way he uses rich allegory to shine a light on problems in marital and familial relationships that are prevalent in society.
And it has one of the creepiest prologues I think I’ve ever read. A cracking novella.