The Gown: A Short Story (with Study Guide)

This story is going to stick with me for a while. If you like her other work, you’ll definitely like it.

E.A. Does it again with her most recent addition to her repertoire of fine art, that seems to challenge the limits of what readers, and society as a whole, can feel about trauma. Something so insignificant to others could be the sole reason for your own darkness, as described rather perfectly by Autumn in 'The Gown'. From the moment I first laid eyes on the text, my mind was hooked, the anticipation increasing as I read, linking my own similar bad experiences whilst inside a medical institution Instantly establishing a connection to the protagonist, as my mind begins to try and decipher every detail of the story, which is quite an exciting part of all of E.A.'s works. She makes you think, makes you feel, and always does it with an artistic finesse, that leaves you wanting to dive right back into the world she has crafted. We get an inside look at what goes on in the mind of a nameless girl, from the moment of trauma to full-blown adulthood. Rising in a slow-moving arc to the zenith of madness. Counting the time, even down to the seconds at some point. Something my mind does when stressed as well, time can grow to be rather maddening when we allow it, which I think helps add to the element of encompassing madness. With a shifting point of view as the story ends, leaving the reader to question whether any of it happened in the 'real world'( if such a thing exists), or whether the girl was mad as believed by those around her. Stemming from the trauma to produce seemingly the onslaught of 'presenting problems' as seen in her life. Let's face it, any medical gown is uncomfortable, too revealing, and downright stripping of your freedom. To take away every piece of an individual's identity to leave them with what? The racing mind. Desperate to understand anything that is happening. Maybe the madness exists all around us and that is why the darkness follows the girl throughout her life?

I really liked this! The study guide was a nice surprise, it helped a lot to understand the bittersweet feelings that came from reading the story.

A thought provoking and haunting story. I think it does a very good job, at least the way I see it, of expressing how vulnerable patients are when they visit the doctor. It’s already an uneven power situation, and then one is forced to disrobe and don a gown that is completely open in the back, and that’s all that protects you from the world; it also shifts the power dynamic even more as the doctor is fully clothed. If you are a patient with a mental illness, it can become even more of an issue, because you already feel like you’re not taken seriously, and it strips away one more layer of protection. It’s also easy for your mind to seize on things that seem insignificant to others but become huge to you. Is what happens with the gown coincidence or real? Does it really matter if the character believes it to be real?I highly recommend this story.

It’s a very short story that’s well written, sets you up and gives you a spin around. It’s like a snack from the banquet that is her novel “The Asylum for Wayward Victorian Girls”. I’d recommend the read to any fan of the author.

The authors prevalent use of clothing-based imagery, while an interesting idea, I find a little tiresome after a while. I would like to see thile symbolism finessed so it doesn't carry the weight of the emotional themes, or to move away from it entirely and see what else she can bring to her stories. But she is very good at illustrating the trauma of living with chronic illness, and the overall affect of the story is poe-esque. Worth a read for sure, especially if you're a fan of her other work. She's always very honest and raw with her work which I admire a lot

I do think this was a good short story but I do feel like if should have waited til there was more to it before being considered a book. I feel that having to pay the $2.99 for the e-book or even $6.99 for the paperback for something this short was a bit ridiculous. That being said the story in itself does cause one to think and question their own thoughts on how to deal with a situation similar. I give it four stars for the story itself but only two for the price and length.

This story made me feel so anxious. I hate wearing hospital gowns my self, and will offer any and all possible excuses to never be undressed, even while in hospital. The description of them lacking modesty, yet being a sign of a proper patient cut into me. I won't lie, the next time I'm forced to wear one, which I sincerely hope will be NEVER, I might just look for that spot.I think the combination of anxiety inducing prose and social commentary on the medical industry is amazing. I won't hesitate to say that this story made me feel so uncomfortable, but that's what a good story does.

I’m sad to report I was really disappointed with this. I really enjoyed 'The Asylum For Wayward Victorian Girls' (hardback 2nd edition) but this just wasn’t for me. Just as the story began to get going... it stopped! The last section in particular felt really rushed. The whole thing could have benefited from a few more pages; perhaps even been a full-length novella? Things don’t necessarily need to have been explained more thoroughly — I actually really liked the ambiguity — but I wish the story had been a bit richer. Characterisation too.Despite a few clunky, overlong sentences that I occasionally found myself tripping over (e.g. “The thin, waxy paper covering the table stuck to the backs of her thighs, crinkling loudly as she attempted to pull the gown more snugly behind her, and she thought how much it was like the paper that the meat was weighed out on and wrapped up inside of at a butcher counter her mother shopped at on Sundays when the chicken was half-price because it was four days old.”), I did find myself gripped and anxiously turning the pages. The atmosphere and creepiness is really quite good, written in the style of the likes of Edgar Allan Poe, Charlotte Perkins Gilman etc. what with the fallible narrator, the building dread, the slow descent into madness over something seemingly innocuous...The 7 pages of study questions (50 in total for a 24 page story!) also felt entirely unnecessary; I’d have much preferred more book. They were also quite pointed and telling, destroying the ambiguity (e.g. “Do you think anything occurred in the main character’s life prior to her first doctor visit that prompted her to react to the gown the way she did?).Not my cup of tea I’m afraid. Two stars for the atmosphere and potential, but 'The Gown' was let down by a lack of editing and being far too short. I really hope Emilie Autumn continues to grow as a writer. I’d love to read more stories from her because I do think she has so much talent (speaking purely about writing here but she is an amazing musician too) and I can’t wait to see what she produces next.

This little story was my first of 2021 and, while I enjoyed it, it was one of those which raises more questions than it answers.It really is a short story and does a good job of portraying mental health (or problems with mental health. )My first exploration into the works of Emilie Autumn and I'm keen to read her novel, The Asylum, now.

Throughly enjoyed this small tie in to her first written work (The asylum for wayward Victoria girls). I really enjoyed how the authors writing style has evolved from the first work. The questions given at the end of the story also provide further thought the themes and ideas presented.

This short story was a quick but not an easy read. I will probably keep analyzing it for a long time - the questions at the end were a genius addition. Emilie Autumn is a multi talented artist and I hope she'll keep publishing written stories as well as music

Bought on a whim after browsing around Facebook and saw it advertised. Very interesting read and a good thought provoker.