My Rating: 4.5 Spooky stars!!
Book & Author: The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters
Genre: Horror/Thriller/Fiction
I am absolutely spooked! I can’t believe being a horror fan, I took 36 years to read my first horror novel! I must have seen all the horror movies that have been made and yet, I had never picked up a book with a horror story or ghosts in it. I guess I just thought one wouldn’t get the same adrenaline rush and those sudden jumpy moments from a book, as one gets from watching a movie. But I was so wrong and I was so scared while reading this book!
So, in short, the story is about a family living in an old Georgian mansion called Hundreds at Warwickshire, and what happens to them over the course of a period. It is narrated in a third person view of events by one of the central characters of the book, Dr Faraday and the ending is what is the best part about the book, since it makes for a very good book club discussion topic.
I loved the eerie set up and the description of the place, and the Hundreds mansion in itself. I also enjoyed the confusion around what was really happening- was it supernatural or something more physical and real? I like concepts like this- something similar to the ending of the movies – Inception and Shutter Island- they keep you thinking long after the book or the movie has ended. I do agree that the ending was a little open ended, and that sometimes is frustrating because sometimes as a reader you want the author or the book to give you the answers in the end. But if you wait long enough, the mystery is enjoyable, since the author has given the reader a free reign on what he or she would like the ending to be.
I couldn’t relate much to the characters in the book, and sometimes I was even annoyed by all of them. I think I liked Gyp, the dog the most..lol! And Dr Faraday completely got on my nerves! I do want to be able to discuss him a little more, but I can’t do that here, without giving away too much. So maybe, that will be done with friends over email or chat later on:)
I liked the story and the tense moments of the book and the overall spookiness of Hundreds. I would recommend it for a horror read and if you want something exciting and scary to discuss about in your book club- mainly regarding the conclusion of the story. Have you read this book? What were your thoughts on it?
P.S.: I was so scared reading this book, that I actually never read it at night, alone! lol
Starry Eyed Enigma 