Come Closer by Sara Gran

Come Closer
by Sara Gran
Hardcover, 168 pages
July 1, 2003, Soho Press
5 stars

"What we think is impossible happens all the time."

It starts with a simple tapping in the apartment, explained away as a drippy pipe, or perhaps a mouse. An urge to start smoking again and more frequent bickering with her husband. Amanda, a successful young architect, feels a vague sense of unease at the changes in her life. As time passes, Amanda refuses to accept the improbable cause for these changes, with horrifying results.

I initially chose this book to host for my book club with more than a little trepidation. While I love a good horror story, especially the tale of "creeping dread" you expect from Alfred Hitchcock or Shirley Jackson, it's not everyone's cup of tea.  Frequently just saying a book is "horror" is enough to send potential readers running.  This book,  however, provided some interesting discussion about whether the narrator was suffering from some sort of supernatural possession or if she was having a mental breakdown.  While it still may not be for everyone,  if you're choosing a book for a club with somewhat eclectic taste, this could be a great option that's just a bit off the beaten path. 

At 169 pages, it's a short book, and Gran's writing is so clean and succinct that it feels even faster. The sparse writing creates a breakneck pace that causes a sense of panic for the reader, who cannot stop racing toward the same terrifying end as the protagonist. The ambiguity in the story is one of the novel's best qualities and is what draws the reader in. Is the overshadowing of Amanda's will and her seduction the result of insanity or something more supernatural - and does it matter?  The terror Amanda feels is palpable and Gran easily transfers this terror to the reader through prose that is both subtle and hypnotizing.

This is a truly horrifying story that is not about cheap scares and gory scenes but rather a literary approach to an easily dismissed and often unappreciated genre.

What to Drink: A good stiff vodka tonic is probably in order here. You'll need it to stave off the urge to check behind the door and in that dark corner across the room.

Backlist Bump: For a book with an unreliable protagonist who may or may not be going crazy, read The Shining by Stephen King. Jack Torrence's descent into madness is either his alcoholism getting the better of him during a bad case of cabin fever or it's the result of ghostly influences. Either way, don't read it after dark.

Security by Gina Wohlsdorf

Security
by Gina Wohlsdorf
Hardcover, 288 pages
June 14, 2016, Alegonquin
5 stars

"The best security is invisible security. The best safety is safety that one's object of protection doesn't know about."

Security is really best described as a slasher film in book form and it hits all the right notes in that regard. It follows Tessa, the hotel manager at Manderly Resort, the newest, flashiest, high-profile resort hotel on the Santa Barbara coast. As she oversees the staff in their preparations for Manderly's grand opening the next day a killer is stalking the halls, murdering everyone that crosses his path. All of this is narrated by a mysterious stranger who is watching the bloodbath over the hotel's closed-circuit security system.

Told in a third-person omniscient voice, Security has a different feel that other novels. Because the narrator is telling the reader what happens as they view it on the hotel's incredibly comprehensive security cameras, we not only get a play-by-play of the horror as it happens but also this unknown viewers opinions which are often laced with a bit of dark humor. For example, we get this scene in the kitchen.

"Brian attacked the grease on his hands with a kitchen towel. The towel has red stains on it, most likely cherry coulis. One could not rule out the possibility that it was not cherry coulis."

One of the things that makes this book unique is how the author chooses to show simultaneous action. The pages are split in half, thirds, or quarters with each "scene" playing out in those sections, giving the impression that they're being viewed on side-by-side television screens as they are being relayed to the reader by our mysterious narrator. In any other book this might feel gimmicky but here it's used perfectly (and sparingly) to remind you how the narrator is privy to the events as they unfold. I also have to add that when you slowly start to realize who the narrator is your jaw will drop. It was a stroke of genius I never saw coming.

The characters were both stereotypical in their make-up - the tightly wound girl-boss, the faithful maid, the temperamental French chef, etc. - but incredibly well developed at the same time. The book follows traditional slasher-film rules so much that each death is predictable in a way that doesn't decrease enjoyment of the book. (I actually had fun guessing who would die next!) Despite all of the blood and gore there's a certain playfulness in it's tone that makes it a fun read. It doesn't take itself too seriously and, because of the format, as a reader you're able to join in on that fun. You'll find yourself thinking "NO! Don't open that door!" as you read, just like you would watching it on a screen. It was a total success in that regard.

With nods to Stephen King, Alfred Hitchcock, and of course Daphne du Maurier, this debut - DEBUT! - novel is a gift to horror fans. Security is funny, clever, bloody and tremendously incentive. It certainly isn't going to be for everyone, but if you like slasher films and don't mind a little gore in your life, give this a try.

What to Drink: Pop a bowl of popcorn, grab a giant soda, and settle in to read this book from start to stop. You're not going to want to stop reading and this book almost requires movie theater butter.

Backlist Bump: This book is so unique there's no book I would recommend as similar, but if you want to be familiar with a handful of the many references found in the story, read Stephen King's The Shining, Rebecca du Maurier's Rebecca, and Cornell Woolrich's It Had to Be Murder.

Fast Friday Review: Snowblind by Christopher Golden

Snowblind
by Christopher Golden
Hardcover, 320 pages
St. Martin's Press, January 21, 2014
3.5 stars

Any book that gets blurbed by Stephen King gets immediate attention from me and this book deserved it. Reminiscent of The Mist the concept behind this book is a rather simple one: A giant snowstorm sweeps into the small town of Coventry, people claim to see strange figures in the snow, and people walk into the storm never to be seen again. Fast forward twelve years and another giant storm is headed their way. As they make their preparations the residents of Coventry are haunted by the events of the previous storm and fear the return of whatever evil may accompany it. Sounds good, right?

The book initially takes off at a great pace, introducing characters in the form of short vignettes, describing the storm and the chaos it causes, and is just generally scary. Golden successfully captured the suffocating feel of a snow storm which added to the overall discomfort you experience as a reader. Because the story concept was a familiar one, the focus could be on the characters and their emotional responses to the terrifying circumstances in which they find themselves. The jump forward in time did cause some initial confusion since many of the characters from the opening pages were now in new relationships and...for other reasons that I cannot disclose without spoilers.

All in all this was a very good horror novel. There weren't any flashy gimmicks or twists, just a solid concept and successful execution. It was a fast read for a book over 300 pages, which was good since it wasn't the kind of book you'd want to set aside mid-read. If you like horror that has the feel of early Stephen King and Dean Koontz (Phantoms comes to mind here), give this one a try.

The Loney by Andrew Michael Hurley

The Loney
by Andrew Michael Hurley
Hardcover, 368 pages
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, May 10, 2016
5 stars

The Loney is a desolate stretch of English coastline that is home to the village of Coldbarrow and a house called The Moorings. This is the place that serves to house the pilgrims that come to worship at the local Gothic church and it's shrine. Led by the new parish priest, Father Bernard, our narrator, his mute brother, his parents and a handful of other church faithful arrive, expecting to witness miracles. Instead, they'll wrestle with faith and doubt and what some will witness will haunt them for a lifetime.

********************

"I often thought there was too much time there. That the place was sick with it. Haunted by it. Time didn't leak away as it should. There was nowhere for it to go and no modernity to hurry it along. It collected as the black water did on the marshes and remained and stagnated in the same way."

Not quite horror but more than just a mystery or historical fiction, The Loney is certainly a Gothic something. Filled with descriptions of grey skies and bleak seascapes, the Loney is more than a setting as it becomes almost a character itself. There are suspicions of a priest gone mad, rumors of a suicide, and hints and whispers of witchcraft. The story feels set in a much older time, with only a few cultural references placing it in the 1970s.

The narrative framing is brilliantly done - after the skeleton of an infant washes ashore, the protagonist, "Tonto" Smith, is sharing the memory of this childhood pilgrimage with his therapist thirty years later. Viewing the events through both the lens of childhood memories and the distance of time paints Smith as potentially unreliable. Smith is unsettled and unsure of himself and he passes that emotional unrest onto the reader. Interestingly, the most disturbing elements of the story aren't supernatural, but rather just brief peeks into disquieting aspects of Coldbarrow. Age-old village traditions, a young girl in an unsettling circumstance, and the brutality of nature are just a few things that help to construct an uncomfortable atmosphere.

Religion has weight in this story. The friendships between the pilgrims exist only because of their connection to one another through their faith, which is an old faith, heavy on ritual and resistant to change. The conflict between the Catholicism of the pilgrims and the paganism of the villagers mimics the conflict between the parishioners themselves. Faith is plays an integral role in the way this book is wrapped up - faith is awakened in a character and miracles are performed, but perhaps not in the way the characters would have expected.

I have difficulty believing that this book was a debut. The writing and plot are as near to perfect as I could expect from a novel like this, the pacing is spot on, and the creepiness factor sneaks up on you before you realize what's happening. I look forward to seeing what Hurley writes next.

Backlist Bump: For another Gothic period piece in which the fright comes from sources that are not necessarily supernatural, read The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters.


What to Drink: Despite the pilgrims not drinking themselves, Father Bernard made sure he had some scotch on hand to fortify himself against the cold and the week at The Moorings. I'd follow his example and pour yourself a stiff one.

(Thank you to NetGalley and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.)

The Children's Home

The Children's Home
by Charles Lambert
Hardcover, 210 pages
Scribner, January 5, 2016
2 stars

Morgan Fletcher, heir to a mysterious fortune, lives in seclusion on his family estate, hiding himself away to avoid showing the world his disfigured face, the result of an "accident" in his youth.  One day his housekeeper, Engel, brings him a baby left on their steps, and asks to keep her. This baby is quickly followed by a little boy, and then other children begin to appear. This odd family lives together alone until a doctor must be called. Dr. Crane, the town physician, arrives and soon becomes a beloved part of the household, eventually moving in to take advantage of the extensive medical library that Morgan's grandfather acquired on his travels. Before long, Morgan realizes how strangely the children act, how adult-like, how they all seem to know each other from before they arrived. Morgan is sometimes surprised that he can't hear the children, almost as though they're not there at all.

********************

"I was taken away and left somewhere safe. That's what they thought, anyway."

This is a book with a compelling premise  that just failed to do much for me. Described as "neo-gothic horror" and "perfect for fans of Roald Dahl and Shirley Jackson," it missed all of the creeping dread, the brilliant writing, and the clever plot twists that are the hallmarks of those talented authors. The writing was unremarkable other than to note that it was a bit scattered, jumping around in time and from topic to topic, serving only to confuse an already muddled story. The plot played out like a dark reverse Narnia, with mysterious children arriving in the real world, but even as a fairy tale it falls flat, leaving us no lesson or moral imperative to look to. In the end, the book took a dark turn toward a dystopian view of the world and then abandoned the reader in a confused conclusion. 

On the bright side, this book is closer to a novella than a novel, coming in at 210 pages. The problem this causes is there's just not enough room to explore the characters all that much. Morgan, the protagonist, is the only character the reader walks away feeling as though they really know, and it's only because, as the narrator, Morgan tells you everything that runs through his head, coherent or not. The rest of the characters are one-dimensional. They're creepy, certainly, but none are very compelling.  

This book was a good idea with poor execution. 

My recommended beverage-of-choice for this book would be a steaming mug of hot cocoa. Considering both the luxury cocoa was during WW2 and how easily you can slip a nip of something stronger into it should you share my opinion of this book, it's really the perfect choice. 

The Grownup by Gillian Flynn

The Grownup
by Gillian Flynn
Hardcover, 64 pages
Crown, November 3, 2015
4 stars

An unnamed young woman reading auras at Spiritual Palms is approached by a anxious woman, Susan, asking for her help in clearing evil spirits from her home. Seeing this as an opportunity for some extra income, she agrees to help. After arriving at the eerie Victorian home, she realizes she might be in over her head. After the appearance of a possibly disturbed stepson and strange occurrences that can't be easily explained, she begins to question what's real and what is all in her head.  

                            ********************



"People are dumb. I'll never get over how dumb people are."

The unnamed main character in Flynn's short story is exactly the kind of character you'd expect from the writer of Gone Girl and Dark Places. Having been forced to panhandle on the streets as a young child, the protagonist eventually finds herself answering an ad for a "receptionist" that turns out to be a position as a sex worker in a shady spiritualist shop. After an on-the-job injury she is promoted to "aura reader" while continuing to service some of her regulars. She's like many of Flynn's female protagonists - intelligent, from a less-than-ideal childhood, and, in this case, a con-artist. Even though there wasn't a lot of room for background given the short story format there was a surprising amount of character development. I wish she could be featured in a longer story...I have the feeling her life would make for an interesting read.

While in her new position, a customer, Susan, offers her an opportunity to make some extra money "cleansing" her home. Our main character jumps at the chance, despite having no experience and not actually being psychic. Slamming doors, blood stains on the wall appearing out of nowhere, and strange smells convince her that she's in over her head. With an absentee father, the uneasy relationship between Susan and her stepson Miles comes to the forefront, and our protagonist questions how much of Susan's story is true and how much is the result of a step-family struggling to adjust to their new circumstances.

In the end the story takes a few unexpected twists and turns until finally plopping the reader down in the midst of an unresolved ending, which has gained Flynn criticism from readers looking for a tidy resolution. The ending leaves the reader unsettled, conflicted, and perhaps even a bit frustrated. Some called it a cop-out. I call it the perfect kind of ending. Who wants a melodramatic villain unmasking when you can have an ending that leaves you awake at night, wondering...?