Their Fragile Male Egos
Angel Van Atta
Independently Published. 2026
ISBN-13: 979-8190092097
Ebook, 113 ppg.
In a time where girls and women are still fighting for their rights, including reproductive rights, as well as struggling to have a voice in the judicial system, reading stories of girls and women getting their revenge and obtaining their own sense of freedom is encouraging. Sometimes we don't get the ending we want or feel we deserve, but it's the fight that matters. In the horror short story collection Their Fragile Male Egos by Angel Van Atta, there are many such stories. Stories of girls and women breaking free of oppression or getting revenge on their abuser that spark hope and allow female readers the sense of satisfaction that another woman in their shoes got the kind of justice the legal system failed to provide, even if it only happens in fiction.
This collection of stories starts off with a heartbreaking story told from the point-of-view of a rape victim buried alive. While reading this story may make some people feel sad for this character, it angered this reader. Especially since I read it soon after I learned that a group of men at Cornell University got away with gang-raping a female student. That said, read this story if you wish, but know that all of the excuses rapists use to justify their crimes are in it: “I was asking for it.” “It wasn’t his fault, he told me as I begged for him to stop. He couldn’t control himself, and I was so beautiful.” “I should have never been on this trail, in these woods. Especially wearing what I was.” It’s all bullshit, of course, but that’s the kind of thinking that the misogynistic society we live in clings to when a rapist is never punished for their crime.
Well, there are many who are never punished for their crimes. Some of them are. And some of them are punished in ways that only the victim can ensure happens. That’s why I loved the story “Penny” so much. The rapists going on with their lives, laughing with their friends and acting like nothing happened, while their victims are forced to live with that nightmare and suffer with the pain of what was done to them. Until, one day, they decide that they just won’t accept that anymore. I loved the ending of the story especially.
The story “Abigail” is another really good one. It unfolds slowly. We kind of understand what happened to Abigail’s mother, but the author grants us the ability to see it for ourselves. The worst part about it is young Abigail witnessing part of it. This adds to the trauma she grows up with and, as an adult, she has to know what is in that one room her father forbade her to go into. And as she goes into it, she sees a mattress on the floor and a blanket. The same blanket her mother used to cuddle her up in and sing to her. Abbie begins to sing that song, but as she says each line, something that is on that mattress even still comes to life:
“You are my sunshine,” was that her mother’s voice? Calling through the years?
“My only sunshine,” or was it hers, slipping through her own lips?
“You make me happy,” and was there something moving there, in the corner behind where the mattress lay?
“When skies are gray,” and was the room getting colder? Could she see her breath beginning to puff up in the air around her? Swirling in her phone’s half bright light? (Page 55)
What happens after Abbie finishes the song is even more chilling. It’s the climax before the very satisfying ending.
The story “Sammie” was also another great read. It was dark and chilling. Part of the story is told from the POV of a 13-month-old girl named Samantha, and I imagine it must have been quite a challenge for the author to write those parts of the story. This story has child murder in it, which was hard to read, so readers be aware of this trigger warning in the book.
I LOVED the micro “Suzy” and, yay! There is a cake recipe after this story! I am definitely going to try it soon.
The story “Betty” was also chilling. Atta is an excellent writer, skilled at capturing emotions with just the right words. For example, you can really feel the terror that Betty is experiencing as she and her children hide from “bad men” who broke into her home:
“Time for Betty seemed to slow as a frozen fist of anxiety slid down her throat, catching her breath inside her lungs and slipping its icy grasp around her heart. Chilly whisps ran up inside her mind and down her spine and to the tips of each and every finger and toe.” (Page 92)
It’s such a gripping story and it left a very strong impression at the end.
All of the stories in this book are amazing. They were chilling, suspenseful, and, in many cases, had me on the edge of my seat and holding my breath as I continued reading to find out what happened next. I enjoyed reading every story in this book and I know it is certainly one that I will come back to reread on occasion.
There are stories of women breaking free of oppression in this book, but for some women in the story, they do not get a happy ending. In some cases, the only freedom they achieve is through death, and in a way, being able to make that choice is their one act of rebellion against their oppressor. Overall, the women and girls in these stories refuse to submit to a life of oppression, abuse and scarcity. They may tolerate it for a while, but they get to a point where they finally have the strength to fight back.
Their Fragile Male Egos is a collection of horror stories of both girls and women thrown into a horrific nightmare that seems to have no escape. Most of the female characters in these stories are strong and refuse to be silenced, refuse to continue to suffer, and refuse to allow men to have power over them. Though the men in the stories certainly try to have that power. But, no, these females take back their power, or find it in some way, to get the kind of freedom they know is waiting for them.
While there’s not always a happy ending in some of the stories and while there are many horrifying things that happen along the way, the women and girls in these stories know that if they only hold on and continue fighting, they will be free. It’s the getting there they have to survive, no matter what it takes.
Five stars
Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
