The Hospice (2016) by Robert Aickman (Gideon Coe's A Ghost Story for Christmas)

[@maryhoyt2609]

One of my favorite stories from one of my favorite books! Very well done, thank-you so much for posting this!!!

[@tzaph67]

I rather enjoyed it too.

[@mrbulldog7]

Good but didn't understand the ending

[@mysteriousmagpie]

Don't worry! I don't think you're supposed to..!

[@tzaph67]

It was definitely odd. I rather think that Maybury died (as a result of some injury he attributed to a ‘cat’ biting or scratching him.) I think the fact that he had to travel with the coffin when he left very suggestive of him having died, despite the red herring of getting out at the bus stop.

[@jwsuicides8095]

@@tzaph67 Thanks for that. The ending just annoyed me!

[@dylanwolf]

Gideo Roe is reading TOO quickly. Put some atmosphere into it. Utterly stupid background music. Very poor 2/10. Aickman story ruined.

[@mysteriousmagpie]

And you're not reading at all, 'cos that's not me.

[@dylanwolf]

@@mysteriousmagpie My deepest apologies. Naturally my comment was directed to the narrator and producer. I will amend my comment from "you" to "Gideo Roe" accordingly.

[@sandramclaughlin3943]

He said 'Mayberry' way too much and the constant background music was so irritating. I could only manage to listen for about 10 minutes.

[@louisbrugnoni7639]

And there was too much talking and the sun was in my eyes! Lol

[@louisbrugnoni7639]

Mayberry really liked it! ❤️

[@tzaph67]

I thought the constant repetition of the name was meant to add to the odd off-kilter atmosphere.

[@2msvalkyrie529]

I don't " get " Aickmann . I didn't feel uneasy . His style is simply irritating and the hype around him is ludicrous. Think : H C Anderson. The Emperor's New Clothes..

[@dylanwolf]

Nonsense, Aickmann was a brilliant writer.

[@yohei72]

No accounting for taste, which is personal and subjective. If you’re confident in yours, you’d do better to just express it without implying that people who feel differently are faking it or foolish or mistaken. There are almost no writers in any fiction genre I enjoy more.

[@2msvalkyrie529]

If Aickman is " brilliant " which word describes Proust....?

[@2msvalkyrie529]

I'm not " implying " that their judgement is wrong / misguided / mistaken etc I'm stating it quite openly . Aickman fans reaction to that only confirm my thoughts that we are dealing with a " cult " writer . Quite how / why he achieved that status is another mystery...?