Joyce Carol Oates is the mistress of the lingering human nature yarn, the disturbing yet delightful, the dark yet real. In her latest installment of short stories, she does not disappoint.

Dear Husband, is a collection of stories about family and relationships, the ties that bind humans together whether they wish to be or not.

The first tale, “Panic,” is sure to resonate with mothers everywhere—as well as husbands who believe their wives are completely different people post-childbirth. “Vigilante” depicts the unsettling way a son shows his love for his mother. “Special” takes on a relationship rarely explored—that of a sister and her “special,” autistic older sister.

“The Glazers” mixes some science fiction in with the familiar darkness of family secret-keeping; “The Blind Man’s Sighted Daughters” provides a glimpse of just how a deteriorating parent can unhinge the most put-together child.

The book ends with the title story, a letter from a mother who has murdered her own children and written her husband a letter describing why—and how God has instructed her to do so.

Taut, chilling and gripping as ever, Oates’s latest collection is not to be missed. Whether you’ve been a fan since Blonde or you’re a new reader, these fourteen bites of fiction will go down in a satisfying gulp.