The Yellow Wallpaper and Other Stories

wow... a master class in how to concisely illustrate a grotesquely beautiful character descent in just slightly above 50 pages.

the unnamed narrator begins the story in an optimistic tone, having moved into a beautiful house rented for 3 months by her husband, a physician. it's not explicitly stated, but there are hints to say that she's been prescribed a “rest cure” which was apparently a thing from the late 19th century (when this novella was written) to cure some “slight hysterical tendencies” and a “nervous condition” after the birth of her child. the idea isn't as relaxing as just lounging around a resort. she's basically made to keep to her room and not do anything for herself, so she can only stare at the yellow wallpaper in her room day and night, and which eventually becomes the focal point of her mental unravelling.

this was just the right amount of creepy and sad, and was beautifully written to top it all off, and just goes to show that you don't need page count to deliver an impactful and memorable story.