Costs of Living: A Whisper House Press Anthology
Steve Capone
Whisper House Press (September 1, 2025)
Reviewed by Christina Persaud
What is the cost of living in America today?
According to CBS News, the rate of homelessness rose 18% from the previous year in 2024, setting a new record. The average price of goods and services across the country peaked at staggering new heights in 2022 (source: U.S. Bureau of Labor and Statistics). Today, there is still little reprieve in sight.
Costs of Living: A Whisper House Press Anthology edited by Steve Capone could not have come at a better time.
In this debut collection of short stories from Whisper House Press, the horror of uncompromising HOAs and demanding landlords is just the tip of the escalating socio-economic crisis in America.
The book is divided into four sections: ‘The Suburbs,’ ‘City Life,’ ‘Out in the Sticks,’ and ‘Alone.’ With thirty-five stories to tote, rest assured there is something for everyone.
While I devoured every bit of this anthology, I could barely look away from Decorations by J.D. Simpson, which reminded me of an X-Files episode I’d seen. In this suburban nightmare, an HOA’s strange obsession with Halloween is tested when a new family moves in. The Geese of Bronson Boulevard by Tyler John Kasishke is a story from ‘The Suburbs’ that laid goose eggs in the darkest parts of my brain. Without giving too much away (I encourage readers to savor every morsel of this tale), one line sums it up well – “To live in such luxury, peace comes at a cost.”
In ‘City Life,’ The Customer Is Always Wrong by Tiffany Michelle Brown teases readers with a story about a waitress who must bend to the will of an impossible-to-please customer, something which many working in the service industry can relate. Andrew Kozma’s Hanging Meat on the Bones brought to mind Detriot’s derelict homes and how getting rid of the old to make way for the new is never without consequence.
Being ‘Out in the Sticks’ can easily conjure up the idea that no one can hear you scream. I’m Not From Here by J.M. Bask is a nightmarish dream of Black Mirror proportions, while Mother’s Day by Vanessa Reid tugged at my heartstrings and will undoubtedly leave you teary-eyed, too.
The final section, ‘Alone,’ is, to many, the scariest place of all. Impact by John Mahoney asks readers to question their morality and whether we truly know what we would do for those we love. And finally, G. Gormley’s The God of Three-Four-Twelve brings the collection to a close with an ancient god on a playground and a terrifying lesson many of us would fail.
Costs of Living is a riveting horror anthology that speaks to our sense of security and comfort. What are you paying for the life you live? What would you pay to continue living? Today? Tomorrow? For better or for worse?
Costs of Living, edited by Steve Capone Jr., is published by Whisper House Press and will be available anywhere books are sold.
Sources:
“U.S. homelessness surged a record 18% in 2024.” CBS News, Dec 27, 2024. https://www.cbsnews.com/video/u-s-homelessness-surged-a-record-18-in-2024/
“Consumer prices up 9.1 percent over the year ended June 2022, largest increase in 40 years.” U.S. Bureau of Labor and Statistics, July 18, 2022. https://www.bls.gov/opub/ted/2022/consumer-prices-up-9-1-percent-over-the-year-ended-june-2022-largest-increase-in-40-years.htm
