The Art of the Domestic Grotesque: An Interview with Caleb J. Ross in the newest issue of Surreal Grotesque

I’m honored to have been able to spout off a bit for the newest issue of Surreal Grotesque magazine.

Here’s a taste:

Your work doesn’t really resemble a genre in any way, which is nice, although people try to pigeonhole certain writers as being Chuck Palahniuk-esque or in the vein of “urban noir”. If you had to describe your writing style of work to someone who has never read you before, how would you describe your writing?

I use the term Domestic Grotesque a lot, which basically means family dynamic meets visceral irrationality. The best example I can think of—though this book came out after I coined the term Domestic Grotesque—is Matt Bell’s Cataclysm Baby. A lot of Brian Evenson’s work would also fit. I love the imagery I can get away with when I write the grotesque, and I love the inherent tension when dealing with a family and their inborn troubles.

I’m not against being compared or pigeonholed. In a way, it’s validating to know that I, as an author, belong to something greater than myself. Wow, that sentence makes me seem like my own anti-hero.

Head over to the Surreal Grotesque Issuu site to read the rest of the interview. Stick around for an interview with Richard Thomas and work from Chris Deal among others. You won’t be sorry.