One Night Two Souls Went Walking: A Novel by Ellen Cooney
This was such a beautiful, poignant story, the kind of novel that makes you wonder how permeable the line between each of us really is — or if there is even a line.
The story revolves around a nurse and her encounters with patients, coworkers — and possibly a few specters who linger in the halls of this hospital. Time and space aren’t boundaries in this story, not in the typical way narratives run. There are moments when this reader wasn’t entirely sure of what or who was real, but the thing was: it didn’t matter — and I think that was the point.
It’s hard to put this novel into a category, perhaps I shouldn’t, but readers who enjoy literary fiction, pondering life experiences, and paranormal encounters are likely to find it enjoyable.
Cooney’s style and prose was, as with her other novels. impeccably paced, succinctly evocative, perfect. There’s nothing else to say on that point, really. I cannot get enough of Cooney and have several other of her novels on my TBR.
The Dead Don’t Speak is an entertaining read, especially for a late-night goosebump. At 75 pages, it makes for a fun-creepy bedtime story, something to cuddle down into the blankets with to scare the heebiejeebies out of you as you drift off — if you can afterwards!
The story focuses on a young man who has committed a serious and fatal crime, the victim of which begins to haunt him.
The novella unfolds as nearly all dialogue, which makes for a very quick read. That said, the depth of the characters remains somewhat shallow, and at times it is difficult to distinguish who said what, as the protagonist and their tormenter often share a similar voice. Olson’s prose is fairly well done, but the novella as a whole lacks a depth I expect from horror of this gothic-style, reflective genre.
What lingers afterwards is how wonderfully creepy this novel is. Readers will find These Things Linger a fantastic combination of paranormal horror and literary fiction. It is a tale of a haunting, but Franklin’s delivery and the depth of his characters make this a unique ghost story. Franklin unspools the terror in a fashion reminiscent of contemporary gothic literature, The Hacienda by Isabel Cañas or Silver Nitrate by Silvia Moreno-Garcia, except that the protagonist is male.
Alex is a young man on the edge of his future. He is starting a new career and building a prosperous, fulfilling life with his fiancé, Raychel and their soon-to-born child. He abandons a past and a world that he no longer belongs to, but then a family crisis forces him to confront those he has left behind. The novel immerses the reader in the trauma of its protagonist, framing the horror as deeply personal and intimate. Readers of classic gothic horror and literary fiction will appreciate the reflexivity and character-based approach Franklin takes; indeed, the unraveling of Alex’s sanity is what makes These Things Linger so successful as a horror novel.
Story aside, the novel is well-crafted. Franklin’s prose invokes more than just imagery, it builds an affect of fear, successfully persuading this reader to keep reading well into the night. Despite an occasional clichéd metaphor or turn of phrase, Franklin’s authorial voice is clear, confident, and distinct. Independently published novels often suffer from fractured writing, fuzzy characters, or clipped stories; but, These Things Linger does not. Alex, Lacey, Raychel, Uncle Matty, and Buzz are fully tangible characters. The novel’s tempo is swift (here is where it diverges from the typical gothic horror); the pace at which the secrets of Alex’s life are revealed to the reader produces a compulsion to read on.
These Things Linger deserves a spot in your To Be Read List. If it is already on your TBR, it ought to be moved up in the queue.
It’s cute. And cozy. And there is a mystery lurking in this suburban-y, bougie town. Antiques and Drinks delivers on its promise. For readers who enjoy light mystery with a bit of cheeky humor, this novel will be a delight.
The novel revolves around a middle-aged woman, alone and without family, who runs an antique shop in a tourist town. A set of plates is brought on to be put on consignment, but the owner of the plates rescinds the deal. The plates are not as they seem. They are enchanted and the results are fatal. This is how the mystery — and the fantasy — begins.
I did not enjoy it as much as I hoped to. However, I think this is more about myself as a reader, than the merits or demerits of the novel itself.
On that note, a few things which lessened my enjoyment of it. First, I could not get a full sense of place or person through the dialogue or exposition; the novel failed to flesh out the physical environment of the town, the store itself, and the atmosphere of the place. Similarly, the characters did not come to life for me; they were unique, but did not become tangible in a way that would bring me into their world. Second, there were elements of the story that felt like reaching, or seemed to me to be so outrageous as to feel like farce.
On a more positive note: the novel is amusing and the twists of its mystery are unexpected and — perhaps because of their absurdity — compel the reader to keep going, if only to see what on earth could happen next. Another factor in its favor: Bellinger writes well. The expectation here is not for literary prose, but the prose is clear and thoughtful. It is perfect for a cozy mystery.
This is not your average haunted house story. It is your better than average haunted house story. Readers of literary fiction will absolutely love this spin on the haunted house trope for its deep character development and character-focused orientation.
The novel is simple enough in its premise: a couple invite pandemonium into their house when they have a television crew for a “ghost hunter” style show come to their home to document their haunting. The events take place around this misfit cast of producers, camera operators, show staffers, the homeowners, and the carious psychics they call on to flesh out the dramatics of the show. It is the interplay of their individual needs, desires (met and unmet) that form the basis for this novel. Underlying all this is the omnipresent question: Is the haunting real? Or a figment of everyone’s desires? Every actor here has a vested interest in the reality of this haunting, leading the reader on a pursuit for the truth and an authenticity which may be impossible to find. This is, after all, the premise of such television shows.
Fussner’s prose was also an incredible appeal; it is literary in its language, its unfolding. Fussner’s choice of words draws a performative veil over the novel, intriguing this reader at least. I was hooked from start to finish.
Night Side of the River: Stories by Jeanette Winterson
I thoroughly enjoyed this collection of ghostly tales, but then, I may be biased; I’m a sucker for a good haunting. Of course, I did have my favorites.
I especially enjoyed “A Fur Coat”, “App-Arition” and “The Spare Room”, primarily because the haunted in these stories isn’t necessarily the living, but the dead haunting themselves or one another. Indeed, that was the attraction for me in Winterson’s tales: they challenged the concept of haunting, yet remained authentic to the trope of the traditional ghost story. Readers shouldn’t expect to be thrown into a new genre here; this is not speculative horror, but tried-and-true revised into immersive stories.
And, of course, the revelations in these stories are more about the living than the dead, which is ultimately the mark of a good short story.
The collection as a whole is fantastic, and follows through on this tightrope balance between showing the reader something novel and satisfying their hankering and expectations of the “ghost story” trope. In some stories, Winterson brings in an element of the contemporary through technology and devices we use today, in other cases, it is the characters’ quotidian lives in the present — marred somehow with an encounter with death and the dead — that makes it clear to the reader there is an anachronistic meeting of time here.
Winterson’s writing is superb, well-suited to the genre of the short story form. With few words wasted on exposition and an emphasis on characters’ thoughts, Winterson quickly immerses the reader in the story. It is everything a reader wants from this short form.
Halloween has passed, but Winter is upon us; put this on your list for this year’s gloomy, deathly season.
If you’re looking for a creeping, eerie read for the wintry months to come, Freshwater Fire must be on your to-be-read list. Forget Halloween, with its flashy, trashy gore, Mullins’ slim novella, with its sparse and evocative prose, and its fog-shrouded terror, brings out of the deepest of our fears as the decay of winter descends. This is a book to curl up to with candle light when the storm takes out the electricity. Or… maybe, that might just send you over the edge into madness. Read at your own risk, right?
I took this risk on this novella. I usually hesitate to spend money or time on independently published fiction; the gamble so often doesn’t pay off. But Mullins is a talented writer. With very few words, Freshwater Fire summons the smell of decay and manifests humanity’s darkest fears: that we are not alone in this world and worse, we are not as invincible as we would like to believe. Mullins builds a devastating sense of futility that the reader cannot shake off. This is a classic gothic horror.
The tale revolves around a lighthouse and its new keepers, sailors who quickly find the isolation of their task is more than a mental exercise in surviving entrapment. Their fears are more than simply psychological, they are real and monstrous. For readers who enjoy mythology, paranormal elements, and psychological thrillers, Freshwater Fire will deliver a satisfying reward.
The story aside, Mullins’ characters are fleshy, their dialogue and fear is palpable. Their reactions to their circumstances are more than plausible, revealing Mullins’ deep understanding of the human psyche and the lengths we will go, not only to survive but must do to overcome our fears. Terrifying as this novella is, it is also inspiring.
I look forward to Mullins’ other novels! They are on my wish list!
Absolutely chilling and brilliantly written. This book made me stay up all night for all the right reasons. It also made me afraid of my own house – and for a horror novel, that’s killing it!
I won a paperback copy from a Facebook Group giveaway, and was thrilled because I am so ready for the spooky October season. (It’s my first spooky October read!) It arrived via Amazon; and a little later, some goodies also arrived from the author (a bookmark and cards depicting the scary characters from the novel).
The Suffering is a new adult horror revolving around the haunting of a group of housemates. Kyle, Pete, Lance, Tad, and Cass are the university students and friends who reside at Brackenby House, a Victorian mansion where the rent is cheap — and where a century ago a famed psychic and a group of would-be occultists performed a séance. That demonic summoning resulted in a terrible bloodbath; all the occupants of the house at the time, save one, perished in inexplicable ways. The gory history of the house was never more than a joke to the young friends, until one Halloween, they decided to perform their own séance.
I will leave the reader to discover the awful consequences.
The haunted house story is not the novel’s only appeal, classic as it is. Mars’ writing and nuanced character development are what makes The Suffering truly shine. The pacing of the book is swift; the story unravels like a horror film. Often, with only a short sentence, Mars sent shivers across my skin. The economy of her words works well to build suspense and dread. She forces the reader to fill in the unsaid darkness with the most evil things.
The characters are also well-crafted. They are unique and yet recognizable, wholly likable, and realistic. The genre so often (sadly) produces puppet-like characters, stereotypes who feel (to this reader) more like ghosts than human. But Mars successfully avoids this; these young friends react as you or I might in the same situations — and in their effort to survive their hauntings — connect with the reader as much as they do to each other, through compassion, friendship, honesty, and fear. Very quickly, this reader found herself bonded to the unfortunate residents of the house.
Readers should also know that the book is spicy in some parts. The romantic aspects of the novel add to the storyline. The language also is suited to an adult audience; this is not a juvenile horror novel, though there is nothing in the novel that would warrant an R rating.
MJ Mars has earned a fan in this reader. I look forward to their other stories and novels!
I came across this novel in a Facebook group I’m in, and — I’ll be honest — the cover caught my eye. I know, I know, we aren’t supposed to judge a book by its cover, but dang, it is appealing. The book itself did not disappoint either! For readers looking for some Halloween horror (it is that season again), Cadaverous will deliver.
For readers who enjoy the tongue in cheek style of Grady Hendrix (and their novel, We Sold Our Souls), paranormal and demonic elements, or novels about heavy metal, rock, or music in general, Cadaverous will appeal. Music is a central theme. Bower’s novel is also, like Hendrix’s, an intellectual horror, the sort premised on what is said and unsaid, leaving the reader to organically grasp the creepiness of the story. It is horror of the outlandish and yet-could-be-totally-believable type, with a decent dose of gore and paranormal spookiness.
The novel begins in epistolary style, as the remnants of a research project gone awry. The novel is delivered mostly in this format, as a blog belonging to its main character, Gaige Penrod, a musician in a band. The story revolves around Gaige and his desire to achieve fame, fortune, and prestige through his music, and his interactions with a groupie named Lisa. The reader is never quite sure what happens to Gaige, or how trustworthy Lisa is — until we reach the end. Cadaverous is a mystery as well, up to the very end, and it leaves the reader with a tantalizing and creepy “what if….”
The novel’s characters are young; this is a young adult fiction, best suited for and written with the young person in mind. It’s an appropriate horror for a young audience, though there are mentions and references to sex, romance, and similar themes. The characters are well developed, though readers should know this is not a character-centric novel; plot propels the story.
Bower’s prose fits a YA audience and the story is straightforward and simple, though with a good share of twists befitting a horror/mystery. The language is accessible, easy to follow; and overall, the novel is well-written with a flowing pace.
Not my usual cup of tea, but this Young Adult bildungsroman/fantasy/horror did keep me on the edge of my reading chair! Beyond the Trees is novel about a pair of brothers, the younger is our protagonist and narrator, around whom the novel revolves.
The novel opens with Caden and Ansel Murphy, young men surviving high school and all the angst that time and space engenders. Caden struggles to belong; Ansel does not. Living in a small town rife with prejudices of all kinds, but especially against queerness, the younger brother wrestles with identity as a gay man. Renna successfully weaves in social commentary and lessons about inclusion into the story; what is means to be a man, what manhood looks like, “should” or “could” look like, expectations and realities. Ansel embodies the idealized version of manhood, finding it easier to settle into this cultural environment. But the events of the novel reverse the brothers’ roles, and in doing so, challenge the norms of manhood.
One night, Ansel goes missing. The cause is unclear. There are rumors of paranormal phenomena. In the course of recovering Ansel, Caden finds himself in a strange place, one that seems like it could not exist, a fantasy land. As grounded in reality as the novel is, much of it takes place in this fantasy location, the narrative arc of this part of the story mimicking the classic Hero’s Journey. This is the land beyond the trees.
The story is simple, but the undercurrent of social and cultural commentary complicates it in a very appealing way. Additionally, Renna’s smooth prose, swift propulsion of the story, and fleshed-out characters renders a well-crafted novel.
Dr JoAnn LoSavio 