The Little Stranger was a disturbing book, really well written, as a book like this needs to be if it's to be believable. It was creepy, and possibly a ghost story, although that's certainly open to interpretation.
The book is loaded with psychological suspense. There's very little action on the physical plane (no faces popping out of the wall, car chases, etc.) Just a group of psychologically vulnerable people profoundly affected by something they can't see or truly classify. Is it a ghost? A possession of some kind? Or are they being pushed towards madness and a spiraling decline by malevolent but corporeal forces? Or could it be a form of hysteria or delusion taking hold in a group of people unable to cope with a changing world? The reader isn't sure what the characters really hear and see, and what they just imagine once the paranoia has taken hold.
I found the book hard to pigeonhole - whether to put it in the mystery/suspense category, or the paranormal one. I do know that after I finished it, I went around the house and closed all the windows I had open to the night air.
The book is loaded with psychological suspense. There's very little action on the physical plane (no faces popping out of the wall, car chases, etc.) Just a group of psychologically vulnerable people profoundly affected by something they can't see or truly classify. Is it a ghost? A possession of some kind? Or are they being pushed towards madness and a spiraling decline by malevolent but corporeal forces? Or could it be a form of hysteria or delusion taking hold in a group of people unable to cope with a changing world? The reader isn't sure what the characters really hear and see, and what they just imagine once the paranoia has taken hold.
I found the book hard to pigeonhole - whether to put it in the mystery/suspense category, or the paranormal one. I do know that after I finished it, I went around the house and closed all the windows I had open to the night air.
Helpful Score: 4
Eerie book. Brings to mind Shirley Jacksons "The Haunting of Hell House". Madness,obsession, strange unexplained goings on. While reading this book, you catch an undercurrent of something not quite right, something evil. A very good read for a stormy night, if you don't want to sleep.
Helpful Score: 4
Eh this is the first book by her that I have read and it took me over a month to finish. To me it moved too slow and although I did understand the ending I still didn't like it. There was a great build up but no boom. I don't think I will read any of her other novels.
Helpful Score: 2
Delightfully creepy and gothic. It's been weeks since I finished this and I still find myself wondering if the "haunting" was just a case of mental illness or actual paranormal activity. I couldn't tear myself away from this book. This novel has been compared to the writings of Shirley Jackson, and I agree. If you enjoyed Jackson's "We Have Always Lived in a Castle" or "The Haunting of Hill House" you will enjoy this book.
Helpful Score: 2
I have read all but one of Sarah Waters books and this by far was the worst of the lot. I did not like the ending and the book was overall blah!
