Review: Who’s There? by Dimas Rio

Author Dimas Rio delivers a gut-twisting gathering of slow-burning horror in a new collection Who’s There? Taking readers into the traditions and mindset of Indonesia, these stories vary widely in their subject matter and characters, but they’re bound together through terror, skillful narration, and the collective fear of the unexplained.

Authors with a firm grasp on horror know how to imbue every page with creeping dread, coupled with the delicious instability of an untrustworthy narrator and the promise of a grim demise. The titular story is perhaps the strongest in the collection, but the others are also striking in their own way.

“At Dusk” is a short and seemingly innocent parable with a nasty twist ending that sends shivers racing, showing that Rio doesn’t need much real estate to spin a memorable tale. “The Wandering” is a chill-inducing story of ghosts and voices from beyond the grave, haunting a night shift security guard who is already wracked by guilt and desperation – imagine being toyed with by a ghost who knew exactly who you were, and was hungry for revenge.

“The Voice Canal” is a tender break in the midst of terror, and artfully explores the pain and confusion of losing a loved one, and has more of an allegorical feel than the other stories. Set in a slightly nostalgic past of dial-up internet, this story about faulty connections is actually about the indomitable bonds that we form with those we love. Finally, “The Forest Protector” closes this collection with wisdom and heavy symbolism, as well as brutality and traumatic subject matter. Domestic abuse and the countless wounds it can leave are ripe ground for the darkly creative story Rio weaves throughout this final piece.

Despite their notable differences, there is a common voice between these tales – cautionary and compassionate in one moment, spiteful and revelatory in the next. This vacillation makes these stories hum with life, unpredictable and keeping readers on their toes. The writing dances on the knife-edge of casual storytelling and dark foreshadowing, keeping the reader alert with every hint of a shadow in the narration. From lighthearted moments of laughter to feeling as though something was “crashing through the hidden cavities of his soul, where creatures like anxiety, shame and fear resided,” Rio never lets the persistent tension ease too far.

On a technical level, there is some room for improvement, specifically in smaller nuances of the writing. The story arcs, character profiles, settings, and twists are all satisfying and solid, but the dialogue often feels abrupt and functional, rather than organic or spontaneous. The internal monologuing is generally strong, especially in “The Wandering,” but it can be too explicit at other points, undercutting the suspense that readers create for themselves when they are given the space to read between the lines. Otherwise, there are few editing or grammatical mistakes, and the order of the stories is chosen very well.

Overall, the small stumbles in the prose are minor, and pale in comparison to the exquisite storytelling on display throughout this original and powerful collection.