"57 Reasons for the Slate Quarry Suicides" is a 2013 horror short story by Sam J. Miller. It was first published in Nightmare.
Synopsis Jared is a teenage boy who lists the reasons why he mind-controlled a group of bullies into committing mass suicide.
After discovering that he has the ability to make other living creatures mimic his own actions, Jared revealed his power to his best friend, Anchal. They were inspired to take revenge against Jared's six swim team mates, who frequently harass Jared for being gay, by luring them to the local slate quarries and killing them.
Reception "57 Reasons for the Slate Quarry Suicides" won the 2013 Shirley Jackson Award.2013 Award Winners, at ShirleyJacksonAwards.org; published July 2014; retrieved August 11, 2020
Tangent Online praised the story, and considered it to be "steeped in unmet yearnings and thwarted rage".Nightmare #15, December 2013, reviewed by Lillian Csernica, at Tangent Online; published November 30, 2013; retrieved August 11, 2020
Background
Miller has stated that the story is "about how privilege warps people’s relationships, and can turn people into monsters",Author Spotlight: Sam J. Miller, by Erika Holt, in Nightmare; published December 2013; retrieved August 11, 2020 and emphasized that "(t)he real reason for [Jared's actions] isn't one of the 57 that Jared lists."Charles Tan Interviews Sam J. Miller, at ShirleyJacksonAwards.org; published July 11, 2014; retrieved August 11, 2020
References
External links Text of the story, at Nightmare