Ghost Story | Book Chatter

A Sudden Light
By Garth Stein
(Simon & Schuster, Hardcover, 9781439187036, September 2014, 416pp.)

The Short of It:

It feels so good to pick-up a book and immediately know after just a few pages, that it’s going to be a good story.

The Rest of It:

My “book picker” is finely tuned this year. I’ve read some interesting and fun books and I have to say, that this year seems to be the year for atmospheric reads because I have read so many and used that word so many times to describe what I am reading that I think I may need to come up with a new word.

A Sudden Light, is no exception. Fourteen-year-old Trevor Riddell’s parents are on the outs. His father, Jones Riddell, takes him back to his family’s home which is infamously referred to as Riddell House. Situated on the edge of a forest and overlooking Seattle’s Puget Sound, it’s massive and full of secrets. The Riddells of the past ran a timber company which produced quite a bit of wealth but Jones and his sister Serena want to sell the house and property so they can build their nest eggs elsewhere. Their only problem is convincing the grandfather, who is battling dementia, that selling the property is the right thing to do.

I really enjoyed this book. There is a slight supernatural element, a lot of family history and secrets, hidden rooms and well-drawn characters. The family dynamic is touching and Trevor is such a great kid. They are all so consumed by this house and what it stands for, that they often can’t see the forest for the trees. Pun intended. Nature lovers will find this book especially appealing because there is a conservation thread to the story that is skillfully woven in.

This book is a little different from The Art of Racing in the Rain, Stein’s runaway bestseller, but I really got caught-up in the story and look at that cover!

Source: Sent to me by the publisher via Edelweiss.
Disclosure: This post contains Indiebound affiliate links.

This House is Haunted
By John Boyne
(Other Press, Paperback, 9781590516799, October 2013, 304pp.)

The Short of It:

Lots of spooks to be had with this one.

The Rest of It:

I read this in October and the timing could not have been more perfect. Everyone wants a ghost story to read when October arrives, right? I stumbled around and tried some other books first and they didn’t have enough of a ghostly element to them. This one, I joked about, saying that it had too many ghosts. Well, turns out there is only one main ghost but who’s counting?

London, 1867. Eliza Caine, aged 21, is hired to care for two children, Isabella and her brother, Eustace at their home which goes by the name of Gaudlin Hall. A tragedy took place, a few years before Eliza arrives and she quickly realizes that she is only a number in a very long line of governesses. Several of whom have either died on the property or left. Puzzled by their lack of stamina, Eliza seeks out the other inhabitants of the house as well as the man in charge of the estate in an attempt to find out what really happened to the previous governesses. Eliza’s time at the house is further complicated by the strange happenings and the precocious nature of Isabella herself. But no matter what happens, she feels responsible for the children and refuses to leave.

Now this, is a ghost story! The house is creepy and the children are creepy and everyone in it is touched by ‘creep’ in some way. The story is a tad predictable but I was okay with that. I liked that Eliza wasn’t yet another twit walking across the threshold. She had substance and staying power and her deductions were not the far-fetched kind that a panicky woman makes. If you are the type to believe in ghosts, the story is plausible too which makes it all the more enjoyable.

Now for the not so good. It was a little slow and the ending seemed to come up rather suddenly but as a ghost story and my need/want for ‘creep’ at the time I read it, it fit the bill beautifully. It’s dark and atmospheric and would be good to read by a roaring fire with all of the windows and doors locked.

Source: Sent to me by the publisher via Edelweiss
Disclosure: This post contains Indiebound affiliate links.

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