Ginette B. (Niteowl7) reviewed on 11/9/2006 + 242 more book reviews

I find Peter Straub one of the most literate horror writers around and because of that special niche in horror that he occupies, he's one of my favorite authors. In this book, "Julia", Straub lets the horror build up instead of hitting the reader over the head with it. His timing is impeccable. The characters in this book really come to life; I felt like I knew all of them, especially Julia and Magnus, the husband she's running away from. The basic plot is a woman, Julia, haunted by the death of her young daughter, Kate, who also becomes haunted by the evil child ghost in the house she rents. Meanwhile, Magnus' sister Lily, who adores Magnus, plots against Julia so she can eventually have Magnus to herself. But this is done so subtly it took awhile before I realized Lily's own negative intentions towards Julia. In fact, Lily doesn't become Julia's foil until she sees Julia descending in what she thinks is madness and therefore is no longer a good influence as a wife for Magnus. The real evil is the ghost child who actually lived in the house that Julia has rented. Little by little, this child invades the house and eventually invades Julia's psyche. Out of her own guilt about Kate's death, Julia is passive before the malevolent spirit's evil assault, descending into a terrified state of mind filled with madness, some sexual perversion and a house that's falling apart. I couldn't put this book down and fortunately it wasn't a very long book though I would have liked a "happier" ending with a victorious Julia. But that's often what horror is all about.

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