Review: The Little Stranger

4 stars. Absolutely wonderful. I can't get enough of Sarah Waters' writing, and she really nailed it with The Little Stranger. First of all, it's right up my alley: a creepy, haunted mansion tale with echoes of Rebecca and Dickens and even Jane Eyre. It's about a doctor who cares for and eventually gets to know a small, formerly wealthy family: Roderick, young soldier injured in the war, Caroline, his sister, and their mother. The family seems nice enough, and the good doctor is completely enamored with their house, Hundreds Hall (good name for a house). But then strange things start happening - unexplained noises, objects being moved, footsteps in the hall - causing each member of the family to unravel in destructive and tragic ways.

Character-wise, Waters stuns. Her protagonists often make well-intentioned but ignorant choices, and the doctor is no different: he demonstrates a very human and very complicated (and very male) lack of self-awareness. I love reading about individuals like that - I rooted for him, I rolled my eyes at him, I was compelled to stick with him until the very end. And the way she writes women (women as products, as victims, under pressure, as strong individuals, capable of great love and great harm) is out of control outstanding. Each character is distinct and charming and gorgeous on paper.

Plot-wise, The Little Stranger is dense, but I wanted more. All of her books are like that - you don't realize you're reading a pageturner because the writing is so detailed and sort of ... steady, and slow. But the heartbeat of this is absolutely addictive. Her pacing is phenomenal.

Theme-wise, insert all the heart-eyed emojis here. The "scares" are few, and very traditional, but they got me. I was sufficiently creeped out. The end gave me chills; I jumped at every noise after putting this down. The ambiguity is absolutely lovely, and left me with a delightful sense of curiosity and wonder. What exactly do we mean when we say "haunted house" ? How do we deal, emotionally, when a house changes around us, falls into disrepair, becomes a source of stress rather than comfort? When the damage creeps inward? Where does that negative energy go? Ugh, I loved it. Henry James, eat your heart out.

Docked a star, per my hard and fast rule, for a UDD (Unnecessary Dog Death). You've been warned.

The Little Stranger on: Amazon | Goodreads

Review: The Hunger

3 stars. Don't get me wrong - this is a fantastic read. I read it in one day and couldn't put it down. It's like a delightfully dark horror movie (and will undoubtedly one day be adapted into a great one). But it isn't perfect, and there were some components I couldn't stand.

The Hunger reminds me of The Terror in the sense that it is a fictional retelling of a tragic moment in history with a supernatural twist. Alma Katsu obviously did her research into the region and the people and the ins and outs of wagon train voyages, but go in aware: she takes a lot of liberties.

She seeks to tell the tale of the doomed Donner Party, who, for those of us NOT obsessed with disturbing shit, attempted to migrate to California in a wagon train and resorted to cannibalism when they became trapped for the winter. It's a fascinating event in itself, demonstrating how humans fail - physically and morally - under harsh, catastrophic conditions.

Katsu explores this theme in her book, in no way replacing the human horror with monster horror. As things get tough, the voyagers get nasty. There are several particular villains here that leap off the page and scared me in ways no zombie ever will.

“Terrible things happened to children—and women—all the time, in their own homes, by people you knew, people you thought you could trust.”

But there are a few things that rubbed me the wrong way.

First, there was an UDD (Unnecessary Dog Death).

Second, there was a surprising amount of sex and romance. It's like in this book's world, an individual couldn't exist without having some sort of fetish, specific desire or deep attraction for someone. I love reading about sexually active women, but it doesn't have to be every single character's THING - their defining characteristic.

Third, the ending felt really weird and rushed and strange. Maybe a little anticlimactic?

Regardless, this is a must read for horror fans. There are some spectacular moments woven into this complex narrative - moments that will stay with me for years. Sure, it gets a little melodramatic, or overwrought, but it's excellent. Very creative, very fun.

The Hunger on: Amazon | Goodreads

Retro Review: The Changeling

When I started this blog, I had been posting reviews on Goodreads for about 6 months. In the interest of having all of my book writing in one place, I will post one of these old reviews every Friday. They weren't written with a blog in mind, so please forgive the lack of summary and off-the-cuff tone.

5 stars. I can't stop thinking about this incredible book. Victor LaValle successfully blended his primary ingredients - the essence of ancient folklore, the threat of modern technology, the emotional chaos of parenthood - into a truly intimate and truly intense fairy tale for adults. It is unsetting and disturbing, told at an invigorating pace with an astonishingly matter-of-fact tone.

The plot is simple: Apollo Kagwa, a rare book dealer and new father, must face demons both literal and metaphorical when his wife kills his baby and disappears. His diligent search for answers takes him down a rabbit hole full of ancient traditions, monsters, offerings, and threats both human and supernatural.

It is ridiculously compelling. There is social commentary and satire and humor and a dramatic climax. The twists and turns aren't exactly unpredictable but they provoke bone-deep shock anyway. LaValle's writing is simple but peppered with meta bombs like, "A bad fairy tale has some simple goddamn moral. A great fairy tale tells the truth." And later, related: "Even if you choose to ignore the truth, the truth still changes you." I admired the moments that felt so reminiscent of fairy tales - I found myself leaning forward, eyes glued to the page, as though listening and waiting and hoping for the "happily ever after."

The book examines huge themes such as racism, fatherhood, technology, greed, loss. LaValle had an agenda, a message, and he cloaked it admirably in horror. Each reader will no doubt draw something different from the complex undertones. To me, I would say, the biggest one, the one I inhaled and absorbed, was this: listen to women. Please, please, please listen to women.

And maybe put a piece of electrical tape over your laptop's camera.

The Changeling on: Amazon | Goodreads

Review: Carrie

5 stars. I can't believe it's taken me so long to read this King - out of all the Kings - but I'm making my way through his repertoire at a slow pace so I can savor his books. Obviously, Carrie is amazing, and I loved it. I read it in one day and the whole time I was just like, yup, classic.

Carrie, of course, is about a teenage girl named Carrie White (the names in this book are really interesting), struggling under the terrifying influence of her intensely religious mother. Bullied and basically ignorant, Carrie attempts to grow and navigate puberty while harboring a remarkable and powerful secret skill. After being targeted by a cruel plot, she goes on an explosive and bloody rampage marking the town forever.

I think it's fairly well-known that this was King's first published novel (the fourth he'd written), and it's full of hints of what's to come. (TBH, I was looking for the hints because I'm obsessed with patterns and recurring motifs.) He plays around with themes he'd continue to explore for the duration of his career; small towns, masculinity, femininity, obsession, religious mania, youth, innocence, sexual awakening, sexual repression, bullying, etc.; in a deft and experimental way that's frankly really genius.

It occurred to me, as I turned the pages of a scene in which a 16-year-old girl gets her period for the first time in a high school locker room and is immediately mocked and pelted with pads and tampons, that King took something very preposterous and made it seem very reasonable and realistic. His attempt to capture the female psyche is so vivid and painful - maybe not right, exactly, but it's very vivid.

Along those lines, I won't attempt to poke at some of the feminist and religious messages in Carrie, but I didn't read this looking for that sort of thing. Carrie is just plain weird, and fascinating, and fun, and funky, and disturbing. It doesn't go quite as deep or as wide as some of his others, but it's distinctly King-ish and worth a read.

I've written before about how reading King is kind of a magical experience: you're like WTF is going on, but you can't stop or look away, and finishing is hugely satisfying until you kind of sit back and think about it and go WTF did I just read?! But that's part of the charm and what makes him so impressive. It's why I keep coming back for more.

Carrie on: Amazon | Goodreads

Review: The Invited

3 stars. This was, honestly, a bit adorable. I like Jennifer McMahon and I'll likely read everything she's written when I'm in the mood, but bless her heart. This is barely, barely horror. It's a great read with an interesting mystery and a satisfying twist - it just doesn't go very deep, or very wide. It's cute. It's light. It's refreshing.

The story starts in the 1920s, when a young single mother named Hattie Breckenridge is hanged for alleged witchcraft. In 2015, Helen and Nate decide to build their dream home on her property. Obviously, things get weird. Helen in particular feels a connection to the history of the land and starts investigating Hattie and her descendants. She becomes acquainted to a youngster in the area, Olive, who is dealing with the disappearance of her mother and has her own connection to Hattie. There are supernatural elements and creepy moments, but it's essentially a thriller.

I did like the creepy stuff: ghosts, seances, a bog, some crimes, the unsettling small town vibes. I liked the albeit superficial exploration of female rage. I enjoyed Helen's relationship with her husband and the way things came together at the end. Calling this "light" doesn't mean I'm calling it simple; there was thought put into the plotting and the characters. Things click into place. I also enjoyed the multiple POVs and the flashbacks - usually I don’t. McMahon is really fantastic and avoiding gimmicky narrative devices.

Two things I couldn't get my head around: the fact that two middle school teachers had the skillset, the strength, and the funds (inheritance or no inheritance) to build a house on their own, and the fact that Olive was supposed to be a mid-teen in high school. Olive seemed younger to me. Stephen King is my benchmark for young voices (he truly is the king!), and this felt a little cliche. And the author clearly did her research on house-building but ... sorry. Couldn't believe it.

I really hesitate to call things Beach Reads because WTF does that even mean? But I could see myself enjoying this with sand between my toes. It's easy entertainment with short chapters and a brisk pace. I'll never not read ghost stories like this; they scratch an itch. This one just didn't scratch very hard.

The Invited on: Amazon | Goodreads

Review: Interview with the Vampire

2019 CHALLENGE: 1 YOU HAVEN'T READ THAT YET?! PER MONTH 05 / 12

3 stars. This is a beautiful, classic vampire tale - very sensual, philosophical and romantic. It's not an effortless read, as the writing is substantial and dense. But it's compelling, in its own way, and gives life to some of the most intriguing, interesting characters in vampire literature. I tried to imagine reading this when it had first debuted - before mopey Brad Pitt - and it struck me how innocently Anne Rice employs the unexpected (the interview concept, a child vampire, a blatant homoerotic flavor) to keep you turning pages. It's pillowy and rock hard at the same time.

Interview with the Vampire is Louis' story: his early life as a mortal in New Orleans, his transition into vampire, the chaotic confusion that followed, and eventually, the unsteady awakening of his immortal identity. He describes in great detail his birth, his clumsy grasps for family (including the shallow, electric Lestat and the cold child vampire Claudia) and his startling and devastating encounter with others of his own kind. It's a bit of an epic, spanning decades and soaring from the tapestry of New Orleans to the sparkly light and deep darkness of Paris.

The central focus of this novel is Louis' internal struggle to reconcile who he is with what he is. He is seduced by Lestat and transformed with little knowledge of what he has become, leaving him with questions and infinite time to contemplate them. He believes killing to be the ultimate sin, and spends most of the novel trying to avoid it or hating himself for it. His conscience - his "passion" - is unique among vampires and they find his self-loathing both strange and attractive. He questions the nature of "evil" and its spiritual, or human, origins. I really enjoyed this exploration; a refreshingly slow take on vampire mythology.

That said, it's a bit ... emo. The way he talks is very melodramatic and a bit annoying - I wanted a break from it after awhile. Louis is straight-up sugar - too rich for me. I wanted more Lestat, more Armand, more Celeste, more PEPPER. And more gay stuff! I know the homoerotic tones are strong here, but they kept talking about love but "not physical love of course," to which I'm like [JOHN CENA VOICE] are you sure about that??! I know it gets less subtle as the series continues, which I applaud. 

So here we are, with the dreaded three stars. I liked it, I wasn't totally blown away, I sort of had to muscle my way through it despite its short length. I'm really into Anne Rice though, I love her rock opera way of writing. That's reflected in the movie adaptation, I think, along with the heavy angst (hence mopey Pitt). Ultimately I'm thrilled to have read this for my reading challenge because it was a MUST. READ. I loved reading it so soon after Dracula. I hope it continues to carve its own pathways within the vampire canon.

Interview with the Vampire on: Amazon | Goodreads

Review: Dracula

2019 CHALLENGE: 1 RE-READ PER MONTH 04 / 12  

5 stars. Hello there! It's been awhile. Several things happened in life this month: 1. reading slump 2. puppy 3. new Kindle, which took awhile to get used to. I'm behind but I'm going with the flow. And the good news is, I really enjoyed re-reading Dracula.I wrote about 4 billion words on it in college but I hadn't read it for FUN since I was maybe ... 12? I was in the mood for something like this: long, eerie, Gothic, old school.

Three things really struck me about Dracula, this time: One - my impression of this book is really tangled with my impression of the Coppola adaptation. I actually love that film, I love the aesthetics and the performances (yes, even Keanu!), but I thought I'd be able to separate from them in reading. Not so, apparently. Which was fine; definitely made the reading experience a little unusual.

Two - this book could use some editing. I see now that The Historian felt so bogged down and slow to me because it pulled from the flavor of the original. There are parts that sing (Harker's experience in the castle; the mountain chase at the end), but there are incredibly slow parts as the characters try to figure out - ON PAPER - what the heck they are dealing with. I care about the vampire, not about his "child-brain" or whatever. I care about his demise, not which river he took to get home.

Three - OH THE MELODRAMA! I kept rolling my eyes at the extreme emotion of it all - the love for Lucy, the love for Mina, the swooning, the practically spiritual way they all worshiped and praised each other. Characters "overcome" left and right. Even for a Victorian novel, there were so many tears and promises and feelings - from men more than women, which is interesting. Obviously there are a ton of ways to interpret the role of women in this book and there are a ton of papers written about that. It's complicated. But I was really taken aback by the amount of detail dedicated to the male characters' seemingly hysterical reactions to everything.

Truly though, this is a masterpiece. It's rich and brilliant and perfect to study. There's so much to unpack about what was feared and admired in Victorian times, and how each character explores and embodies those themes. I'm fascinated by the way mental health and sanity played a part, as well as desire and religion and spirituality and old vs new. So many delicious ingredients!

I'm so happy that my reading challenge took me in this direction. My house has been chewed up by an 8-week old corgi, my new Kindle has Wi-Fi issues, I haven't "felt like reading in awhile" (which means I'm deathly ill, probably), but I really enjoyed sinking into the Carpathian mountains when I could. What can I say? Vampires interest me, and this one is the OG.

Dracula on: Amazon | Goodreads

Review: Ghost Story

2019 CHALLENGE: 1 YOU HAVEN'T READ THAT YET?! PER MONTH 04 / 12

4 stars. As a humble student of horror, I couldn’t give this anything less, but it was hard to get through. Ghost Story is a classic, and therefore it feels like one - long, a bit meandering, successful but due for some editing. I didn't realize what a tribute this would be, full of references to the masters and their masterpieces. Hawthorne, Poe, James, Stoker, King, Bradbury … the gang’s all here!

To go into the plot would definitely unravel the experience prematurely; I suggest going in blind.

But I can’t resist giving some reactions. My thoughts:

Ricky - this adorable, cold-stricken, brave old man, I adore him.
Peter - he snuck up on me in the best way. I’m humbled by him.
The Town of Milburn - I mean Derry - I mean Milburn - I love it when the setting becomes a character.
The Sheriff’s Scene in the Prison with the Bodies - CHILLS.
The Evil with Attitude - YAAAAS!!
The Slow Tugging of Threads - masterful. The sense of dread is so important and wonderful.

I’d recommend this if you like horror tropes, like small towns, multiple points of view, evil blizzards, complicated heroes, an exploration of appearance versus reality through tingly terror. I was really intrigued by the beginning, and although the creative jazz faded a bit by the end, I was still engaged. I still cared. And loved, loved, loved the ending. Fans of King will love this book.

Warning, though: like I said, it’s a bit long - a bit superfluous. And honestly, there’s something about the way women are depicted that makes me uncomfortable. This is a real sausage fest to begin with, but something about it feels old school, in a bad way. The few female characters are either … well … the options aren’t good.

But here we are, at 4 stars, I’m so glad I read this, I feel full and productive and eager for more horror, as always. I SHOULD HAVE READ IT SOONER, but that’s why it was on my 2019 challenge list.

Ghost Story on: Amazon | Goodreads

Review: The Exorcist

"What an excellent day for an exorcism..."

4 stars. I'm such a fan of horror - classic horror included - that opening this felt nothing but delightful, like sliding into a warm bath. Yes, reading one of the most terrifying and violent scary stories in history felt completely pleasant and familiar and warm to me, and yes, I've disturbed myself. 

We all know it - the screenplay was adapted directly from the book. When actress Chris MacNeil's daughter Regan falls ill, she turns to the church in desperation. Two priests - young Father Karras and worldly Father Merrin - must conduct an exorcism to save the little girl. It is a classic tale of good versus evil that culminates in a shocking and brutal conclusion.

I just love this story. The characters, the subject matter, the controversy - it's a fascinating study of what we fear, what we question and what we value. The pace and the plot development is entirely unique, and despite some corny dialogue, I was really impressed with the writing.

Yes, we have all the juicy (literally) details, the filthy language and the moments of true horror and evil. Regan's possession is investigated through a medical, a scientific and a religious lens, without lending any answers that are certain (unlike the movie). But there are moments of true and hopeful wisdom that made even this cold heart catch feelings.

“We mourn the blossoms of May because they are to whither; but we know that May is one day to have its revenge upon November, by the revolution of that solemn circle which never stops---which teaches us in our height of hope, ever to be sober, and in our depth of desolation, never to despair.”

I'm happy to confirm that this book deserves the "icon" status. I consume so much horror and it made me want more! It's truly compelling (get it ... compelling ...). The movie is a masterpiece, and the book adds so many new layers. I'm just a really big fan of this. It's a classic. 

DON'T FUCKING PLAY WITH OUIJA BOARDS.

The Exorcist on: Amazon | Goodreads

Retro Review: It

When I started this blog, I had been posting reviews on Goodreads for about 6 months. In the interest of having all of my book writing in one place, I will post one of these old reviews every Friday. They weren't written with a blog in mind, so please forgive the lack of summary and off-the-cuff tone.

5 stars. This book is a triumph. It tells such a gargantuan, important story. Stephen King has a gift, and I'm so impressed. I have so many observations.

First of all - this story is so, so sad. Heartbreaking. I'm used to horror books and movies killing off characters I barely know or care about; usually they are stupid, ignorant, boring, or all of the above. Getting to know the victims so intimately - their backgrounds, their thoughts - made their deaths feel like punches to the gut. Don't get me wrong, this technique made the story a lot scarier, and I admire how twisted Stephen King is. And I like to be scared. But following an innocent child to his death in the rain was really painful!

It's sad in other ways, too. King illustrates what you might call the gradual tragedy of growing up. He's obvious about it, and it's so accurate it's agonizing to read. We all experience the transition from childhood to adulthood, right? It's universal. And it's often described as gaining something - independence, awareness, knowledge, experience. King choose to focus on what we lose - youth, innocence, a sense of immortality, a sense that we can trust the world, the deep connections built with friends in imaginary worlds. He's so crazy good at capturing childhood and adolescence it was a little agonizing to read. I felt a pit in my stomach and epic amounts of nostalgia.

Secondly - the details are excessive. That's neither here nor there, I guess, not good or bad, but excessive is the only word I can use. I love that King writes so conversationally, and fills his prose with references to pop culture and businesses and brands and everyday observations. It's part of what makes him so unique, and what makes his books so ... full to the brim.

The excess feels extra appropriate in some places, especially when he describes the depth of fear, or writes from the perspective of a young child. But it's a little distracting at times. There are diatribes peppered with parenthetical references. There are experimental attempts to document rapid-fire thoughts and observations. That's his style, I totally get it. But it felt a little laborious in this particular book.

Third - I thought this book was going to be about, you know, a clown.

It's not. This book has every scary thing you could ever imagine tucked between its pages. Yes, there's a clown. There's also a werewolf, a mummy, a leper, a crawling eye, Frankenstein, moving photographs, ghosts, giant birds, epic amounts of sewage, and more. And even scarier - psycopathy, bullying, violence, child molestation, domestic abuse, unusual sex, addiction, and more. A lot more. You've been warned.

Despite that list, I didn't think It was scary, at first, actually at all. But then one morning I was going downstairs to get breakfast, in the dark, and I found myself thinking about what it would be like find a head in my fridge and ... yeah, I got a little jumpy. It earns points for that. I'm not even sure, though, that I'd classify it as a horror book. It's a dramatic tragedy with a, well, with a happy ending, I guess...

I wish I could better describe my impressions of this book. I used the phrase "full to the brim" above and I can't help but think that's a good description. It's just full. Full of thoughts and ideas and characters and feelings and monsters and sadness and children and adults and evil places.

It's unusual, for sure. It's trippy and weird, although it's easier to swallow if you don't question it. It's an incredible piece of writing. That's what's so weird/amazing about Stephen King - you start reading and you're like, wtf am I reading? And then you LOVE IT. And then you close the book and you're like, wtf did I just read?

It on: Amazon | Goodreads