SYNOPSIS:
Ghosts have always walked there. Now they’re not alone… In the depths of Edinburgh, an evil presence is released. Hannah and her colleagues are tour guides who lead their visitors along the spooky, derelict Henderson Close, thrilling them with tales of spectres and murder. For Hannah it is her dream job, but not for long. Who is the mysterious figure that disappears around a corner? What is happening in the old print shop? And who is the little girl with no face? The legends of Henderson Close are becoming all too real. The Auld De’il is out – and even the spirits are afraid. This is an odd review to write, because for about 80% of it I loved and adored it and it was an easy five-star rating: ghosts! Unique, incredibly detailed setting! Accidental time travel! Reincarnation! And then came the graphic rape/murder of two prostitutes (who were naturally never mentioned again, because what purpose do sex workers serve in a horror narrative but props in a Jack-the-Ripper homage?) and the entire thing kinda fell apart for me from there. And the reveal for the main whodunnit had some implications I didn't care for. That said, I will absolutely read Cavendish again- the idea behind the novel is fantastic and I loved her descriptive writing. Endings are hard to stick, especially with as many mysteries as she had going by the end. ((I did look up a couple of short documentaries on The Real Mary King's Close after finishing the book. Instant claustrophobia. Brrrrrr)) Quotes/Lines: ((spoilers below!)) -- 'They couldn't understand why she did this. Helping those too feckless, in their eyes, to help themselves.' I love you, ma'am. Also you need better friends. -- 'On cue, a corner of the room lit up gloomily to reveal a lifelike waxwork of a sickly looking woman, her face frozen in an agony of childbirth. She wore a filthy greying shift streaked with 'blood' and lay on one side, on the straw mattress Hannah had just described. The light shut off.' I don't know. A history tour of the Close sounds fascinating but something like that...there's a line between "times were dangerous and shouldn't be romanticized" and sensationalism. -- 'Mairead rummaged in the side pocket of her dress. "Damn. I've left my keys down there." Don't go alone! -- "I'll get changed and pop down for them. Won't take a sec." Dammit, Mairead, I liked you -- "This isn't funny. No one is supposed to be down here. Show yourself. This instant." "I don't think you'd like that." .......nope -- "Come on, Beth, you're making a spectacle of yourself." "Sir, I'm sure if your wife doesn't want to come down here, she doesn't have to. She can always wait for you upstairs." "No," he retorted. "I paid good money for these tickets." Now why didn't the ghost eat him? So fickle, I swear. -- "We've had a request from a group of paranormal investigators based in Leith. They want to do an all night vigil." This will end well -- OOOOOH, reincarnation? -- Ailsa is pissing me off, with the 'I'm worried, too, perhaps more since I've known the missing girl longer' and 'if she saw something (which Mairead told her she had; it's not like she'd made a huge habit of this before). -- "The little girl in the mist. She has no face." Yep, that'd be the rest of my life spent on a wide-open beach in Hawaii. No more claustrophobic alleyways, ever -- "Alone," Scott said. "It wants you to come alone." "No chance!" Atta girl, Hannah. You'd know how to survive a horror movie. -- 'Sorry about the letter, but I thought it was best this way. It must be a huge shock for you and this way we can avoid a scene and maintain our dignity.' You mean this way you won't have to face direct repercussions, you ass. (admitting to years of cheating and then breaking up with her in a letter? If the book had ended with Hannah tying you to a stake in the Close for the ghosts, I don't think I'd have blamed her) -- YAY using 'Romany' instead of the slur -- I'm thinking something is up with Ailsa (I mean, aside from her generally being a jerk) -- I am well and truly baffled by wtf is going on here. -- At least Mairead remembers things like involuntary committals to asylums and what medicine was generally like back then. -- I love Miss Carmichael offering to repair and clean Isobel's doll. ((well, technically, I'm sure her servant/maid is going to do most of the actual work, but still)) -- So Robbie does go with her! But he wasn't mentioned at the beginning flashback. Ohhh, what happens to the poor kid? Please don't tell me his parents made that horribly hard decision to let him leave home so early to get a better education only for him to have an accident in the supposedly-safer New Town. -- Yeah I'm just gonna skim over the rape/murders, thanks. Also, where the hell are their ghosts? They have just as much motivation to get rid of this creep as Miss Carmichael does, if not more (at least most of her killers were caught; I doubt their murders were much investigated at all). If we're going to veer toward Jack the Ripper style killings of sex workers mixed with the supernatural, can I for once please get the ghosts of his victims teaming up to kick his ass? -- 'Only the pressure of their hands on hers told Hannah the others were still there.' *waiting for the 'whose hand was I holding' Haunting of Hill House reference* -- Yep. <3 -- "I vote we go to the pub, sink a couple and try and come up with some sort of plan." I like the way you think, George. -- The psychics here have both been super helpful. "Oh noooo, this is bad! You are in such trouble. Can't help though, bye!" "...thanks?" -- I love that Murdoch Maclean is starting to get used to weirdly-dressed strangers popping into his shop. -- "You'll be safe there. As long as you take your medication and attend your appointments." I swear if this turns into some 'it's all in your head' nonsense... -- 'but even he couldn't be in two places at once'. You are currently fighting a murderous demon and traveling back and forth in time from an old newspaper shop. -- seriously what is up with Ailsa -- "Ye'll pass on our thanks to Miss Carmichael and ye'll tell her we'll manage fine from now on. Say goodbye to yer ma now. Ye'll no' be seeing her again." ... "Yer faither's right, Robbie. Ye're not one of us now." Oh, kiddo. :( (well, not exactly a kid anymore, given that he's in university, but that'd still be rough) -- 'Damn Miss Carmichael and her do-gooding ways! Damn Kirsten! Damn them both to hell!' Are...are we really going in this direction? -- We are. -- 'Finally, her mind cleared and she had her answers. All the ones that mattered anyhow.' CARE TO CLUE ME IN? Because-- *deep breath* What was Ailsa; cult member or possessed all along or killed and taken over sometime during the book? What was the random reference to Mairead needing to 'take her medication'? Why was Mairead's mother there and her house lived in for some people and then boarded up and empty for others? Why those brutal sexual violence scenes from Bain's pov if he's just a red herring? (not that I much care to read stuff like that anyway, but it seems especially unnecessary when that's the only role the women played in the narrative) What was going on with Isobel? Why did they have to stay in the pentagram? I wouldn't think they can protect the lines and keep the spirit contained from inside the thing. -- The one thing that is plain and clear is that Robbie had Miss Carmichael killed, and I honestly can't stand that ending, because he was an adult. Told to stay away by his parents because he didn't belong in Old Town anymore, but also rejected by the girl he liked because he didn't come from wealth? Yeah, that's tough, but there are lots of Fish Out Of Water narratives without the subject murdering people. Miss Carmichael, our main pov to the past, being murdered by someone she tried to help just comes across as an endorsement of the quote at the beginning-- that if she'd just stayed where she 'belonged' and left Robbie in Old Town, she'd still be alive. And I'm sure that's not what was intended. This book has a bunch of 4 and 5 star reviews; it's obviously not what most other people took from the text. This might just be a 'me' thing, which is partly while I'll be giving Cavendish another shot.
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SYNOPSIS:
The year is 1988. High school sophomores Abby and Gretchen have been best friends since fourth grade. But after an evening of skinny-dipping goes disastrously wrong, Gretchen begins to act…different. She’s moody. She’s irritable. And bizarre incidents keep happening whenever she’s nearby. Abby’s investigation leads her to some startling discoveries—and by the time their story reaches its terrifying conclusion, the fate of Abby and Gretchen will be determined by a single question: Is their friendship powerful enough to beat the devil? This review took a bit longer than I expected because I had to take an Intensity Break (I was *not* expecting a book with a Top 80s Hits playlist at the front to go quite this hard). I'm not exaggerating when I say I found this to be scarier than The Exorcist. At least in that one, the adults realize something is deeply wrong and find the best people they can to help. Here, it's just one terrified kid who knows the truth. Brrrr. (on a related note, I wanted pretty much every adult in this book to eat glass) Reactions I wrote while reading (spoilers ahead): -- I'm pretty sure I own all the songs in the chapter titles. 😄 I love the playlist and the yearbook quotes are so spot-on and equally parts nostalgic and cringey. -- 'For Abby, "friend" is a word whose sharp corners have been worn smooth by overuse. "I'm friends with the guys in IT," she might say, or "I'm meeting some friends after work." But she remembers when the word 'friend' could draw blood.' Just beautiful, and so accurate. -- "That's the day of my birthday party." "Oh, right. But you can move that." Whenever the demon arrives, I want it to eat Mrs. Link. -- Abby, sweetheart, I wish I could hug you. ((I wrote this about ten pages in, but upon finishing the book, just assume it is always my mindset)) -- "Abby's invitation was first," she said, eyes blazing. "So you're the rude one. And she's not a liar. I saw it." I would officially die for you Gretchen -- 'The la-di-da part of Mt. Pleasant where all the houses were dignified and either overlooked the water or had enormous yards, and if anyone saw a black person walking down the street who wasn't Mr. Little, they would pull their Volvo over and ask if he was lost.' ...yow. I am ALL for nostalgia that doesn't indulge in rose-colored glasses. -- 'One of her rules was that Gretchen could only have six magazines and five books at a time.' okay only a demon could ever be scarier than *that* -- 'an eternal process of self-classification' is my new favorite description of the teenage years -- Of course Gretchen's parents are Reagan Republicans -- Oh *hell* no her parents need to disappear -- "I'm going to kill her," she whispered. Then she wiped her nose and looked up at Abby. "Don't ever tell I said that." I fully support you and will provide an alibi, go right ahead and kill that abusive creep. -- I adore the little extras throughout: the newspaper article, the postcards... -- Weird Al mention! <3 -- Oh man, those tense, short, hurtful teenage fights. -- Dearly But Not Queerly. Ah, early 'no homo' slang, how I do not miss you. -- The 'she didn't have to help, but she *could*' section is so lovely. -- I want to believe the whole "Satan is your Roommate" pamphlet is fake for the book, but after seeing Chick Tracts, I just don't know. -- Riley needs to die horribly -- Shop smart. Shop S-Mart! -- Ah, AIDS jokes. Thank you 80s -- "Cool beans," Gretchen said. "Let's go fry my brains." I LOVE THIS KID -- Glee doing her homework while she's waiting for acid to kick in is pretty much me at any party ever -- okay Gretchen never mind providing an alibi I'll just go ahead and kill your parents *for* you HOW DARE THEY -- "No matter what happens," she said. "I'll never hurt you." i'm mildly freaking out -- 'Margaret talked in a way that made Abby feel helpless. Everything was the way Margaret said it was, and if you didn't agree you were a moron. Arguing was useless.' I've had friends like that. -- "I'm not an idiot. I know what drugs are. If you're really her friend, get her to stop." Yes, that's so very useful, what an amazing and caring teacher you are -- my heart just *hurts* for Abby's mom -- I am cringing so damn hard at Abby trying to explain to Gretchen's asshole parents what happened -- "You were doing drugs?" I KNEW IT I *knew* that was what you jackasses would hone in on -- "You two don't care about her. You just want to control her. You hit Gretchen! All you care about is that she doesn't embarrass you!" They're going to make your life hell for this, but you're spot-on, kid -- "I'll save you, Gretchen," Abby swore to herself. "They can't stop me from saving you." You should *not* be in this position alone. -- Oh yeah Slave Day isn't horrifying at ALL -- "Don't leave me alone," Gretchen begged. "I can't do this on my own. I can't fight it by myself. I'm sorry for what I did, but he makes me. He's always whispering in my hear, telling me what to do, making me hurt people. He wants me to be all alone, with no one left but him. I'm sorry, Abby. I'm so, so sorry." Just run my heart straight through the wringer why don't you -- oh god no the demon's fully in control now and i might cry -- Margaret that is not safe -- 'not me not me help me not me' So this is me NEVER SLEEPING AGAIN. -- omfg the urban legends being passed around along with the D&D rumors -- oh my damn Abby's mom I adore you -- ...okay I adore you a little less support your kid in private not just in front of the principal -- Oh, Glee. :( -- that scene where they find out exactly what's wrong with Margaret JESUS CHRIST body horror nightmares for all time -- okay no i am not reading the section with Max I know he dies I don't need to actually see the words -- I love that the exorcist just told her to 'stay frosty' -- "Hot damn!" he shouted. "We got ourselves a demon!" omfg Brother Lemon you NERD. ((also wtfffff, were you not sure *before* you did all that?!?)) -- 'The door swung open and Abby turned to see Brother Lemon approaching the bed. In one hand was a steaming teakettle. In the other was the funnel.' oh shit -- "I will mortify the flesh until she gives up the demon," Brother Lemon shouted. "I'm not screwing up again!" UM -- I know you have no idea what you're doing but do NOT run off and leave this child all alone to deal with this aaaaaaand you just did -- well there's a song I'll never be able to listen to again without getting the shakes -- I know this whole scene is creepy but 'old and dried up and thirty' made me snicker -- "And I'm just a stupid little girl!" Abby shouted back. "But I will not stop because you have my best friend and I am coming for her! Do you hear me? I am coming for her and there is nothing you can do, because I will not stop, I will never stop, I will never give up because I want my friend back!" Don't mind me, just over here sobbing. -- ohhhhhh she's using their past as something holy to fight the demon and my heart cannot handle this my *girls* -- "I love you dearly and I love you queerly and no demon is bigger than this!" **crying** -- 'And then the exorcist saved her life.' ohhhhhhhh. -- "You always drove me everywhere," Gretchen said. "I figured it was time to return the favor." GRETCHEN I could not have asked for a better ending. Poignant and bittersweet, it's beautiful and it fits perfectly. Hendrix is officially on my short list of "buy their book the minute it comes out". |
A WORLD WITH A BLUER SUNMy reviews are set up a little like live-tweets: I write down lines I like/impressions as I read, and then transcribe. Reviews will contain spoilers, but I'll give a warning before they start. Archives
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