Member Review
Review by
MANAB K, Reviewer
The Story
The story begins with the twins Tim and Abi, who are unlike other teenagers of their age. They are voracious readers and have a keen interest in the occult.
Living in a London suburb in the 70s with wit as good as their's, Tim and Abi are usually bored. So they decide to fake a ghost photograph in their favorite place, their home attic.
Not content with just that, they decide to prank a friend at school, and that's the tipping point of our story. Janice Tupp, the girl who they showed the image and told a made-up backstory, has a fit during a class, leading the twins to reveal her the truth.
The story is sad after that for the first part, and it somehow transitions into a Shirley Jackson styled ghost hunt in Yarling, a victorian era manor in the countryside of Suffolk.
My Review
Simply put, I loved this book. And given the fact that this is a debut novel, I'd say the author has done an exemplary job in creating tension and a sense of foreboding.
I loved how the scenes ended without becoming tedious. The entire story was very well-paced.
But I couldn't help but notice that the story looks more like two different ones rather than just the one. The first part of it deals more with the general teenage horrors of the 70's suburbia like bullying, drugs, etc. However, suddenly after tragedy strikes the Smiths, Tim, unable to cope with the events, becomes a shadow of his past self.
After his therapist decides to prove him wrong about the supernatural that seems to be haunting Tim, the story moves to its second half that is a complete contrast to the first part.
The second half of it mostly feels like a coming of age novel dealing with teenage emotions, and of course, a spooky ghost haunting the manor they are staying.
I would have loved to read a little bit more about the characters involved in the second part of the novel. The ending was the best part of the story, which will leave you both spooked and also a bit thoughtful about how reliable the entire narration was from Tim's perspective.
As final thoughts, I will keep an eye out for future endeavors from Will Maclean.
Thanks to NetGalley, Random House UK, Cornerstone for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
The story begins with the twins Tim and Abi, who are unlike other teenagers of their age. They are voracious readers and have a keen interest in the occult.
Living in a London suburb in the 70s with wit as good as their's, Tim and Abi are usually bored. So they decide to fake a ghost photograph in their favorite place, their home attic.
Not content with just that, they decide to prank a friend at school, and that's the tipping point of our story. Janice Tupp, the girl who they showed the image and told a made-up backstory, has a fit during a class, leading the twins to reveal her the truth.
The story is sad after that for the first part, and it somehow transitions into a Shirley Jackson styled ghost hunt in Yarling, a victorian era manor in the countryside of Suffolk.
My Review
Simply put, I loved this book. And given the fact that this is a debut novel, I'd say the author has done an exemplary job in creating tension and a sense of foreboding.
I loved how the scenes ended without becoming tedious. The entire story was very well-paced.
But I couldn't help but notice that the story looks more like two different ones rather than just the one. The first part of it deals more with the general teenage horrors of the 70's suburbia like bullying, drugs, etc. However, suddenly after tragedy strikes the Smiths, Tim, unable to cope with the events, becomes a shadow of his past self.
After his therapist decides to prove him wrong about the supernatural that seems to be haunting Tim, the story moves to its second half that is a complete contrast to the first part.
The second half of it mostly feels like a coming of age novel dealing with teenage emotions, and of course, a spooky ghost haunting the manor they are staying.
I would have loved to read a little bit more about the characters involved in the second part of the novel. The ending was the best part of the story, which will leave you both spooked and also a bit thoughtful about how reliable the entire narration was from Tim's perspective.
As final thoughts, I will keep an eye out for future endeavors from Will Maclean.
Thanks to NetGalley, Random House UK, Cornerstone for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
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