The Unusual Possession of Alastair Stubb

The premise of this book sounded so promising: Theodore Stubbs, an entomologist who is also a master hypnotist who is lusting after his daughter-in-law who has just returned from a sanatorium where she spend two months after losing her son.

I just couldn't get into the story. I found no flow in the writing and it was a constant struggle for me to focus on the story. The idea of the book was so interesting and I love the cover. But I just couldn't find myself enjoying the story. I spent most of the time reading fighting to stay focused on the story, but the dialog and the descriptions just didn't appeal to me. It got a little better when the story moved 13 years forward in time. But, I felt that towards the end the book slipped back to being uninteresting for me.

It was just not for me. Apparently I'm part of the minority that just didn't like the book. But if you like a quirky story is this perhaps something for you. I probably just wasn't the right reader for this kind of book.

This was a horror novel. But i would think this is more of a suspense though a big part of it is horror. The one thing that caught my eye at rhe end was my attention waned at times again and again the story always brought my attention back to it everytime. I do feel that it was a little drawn out that i would liked. Otherwisei would rcommend and probably present it to my younger cousins. They would like it.

Suspense at its best! A curious and intriguing story that captures you till the very end.

The Unusual Possession of Alastair Stubb is a dark, twisted, horror story that will make you doubt your own sanity!

The Unusual Possession Of Alastair Stubb is an enjoyable gothic horror centred around the slightly scary Stubb's family. The author creates a wonderfully dark haunting atmosphere for this book which stays throughout. The story is set at the turn of the last century and the writing, names and descriptions solidly place it there. There's plenty of weirdness about the book, so if you like something a little different then this could be a read for you.

The book is in two parts and in the first part we meet Eleanor being released from the The Grinding Sanatorium for the Delusional. She has been mentally unstable after the death of her stillborn son Alastair and is now back in the care of her husband William Stubb. They live in his father Theodore’s manor house in the village of Muchmarsh. Old Theodore is a conniving and lecherous once being an actor and experienced in the art of hypnosis. Everything about the manor is unnerving from the family to the house-staff, the house itself and the chapel through the garden.

Things in the manor soon become chaotic as Theodore turns his advances to his daughter-in-law Eleanor. He hypnotises, assaults her and leaves her pregnant without her memory of the events. When William finds what his father has done he and Eleanor plan a terrible revenge. What occurs after leaves them all, especially the fragile Eleanor, in a frightful state.

The second part of the book begins thirteen years later and centres on Alastair Stubb, who is Eleanor’s son from her rape by Theodore. The boy and William Stubb live together and when Alastair starts asking where his mother is, it’s the beginning of his unravelling. He begins to lose control as he gradually becomes possessed by the spirit of Theodore, talking and acting unlike himself. The finale of the book tumbles into madness becoming a thrilling and frightening horror show. Dark and at times shocking the book contains some lovely writing and has a great gothic feel to it. I can recommend this to you and it’s well worth a read if unusual is what you require. (NetGalley ARC Received)

Eleanor has been sent to the Grinding Sanatorium for the Delusional after losing her child. She cannot believe he’s dead and sees him in shadows everywhere. When she is finally “cured”, she is sent home to her husband and father-in-law, Theodore. Theodore is a creepy entomologist and also a hypnotist who gets others to do his every bidding. In this way, he molests and impregnates his daughter-in-law. But Eleanor and her husband get their revenge. Thirteen years later, Alastair Stubbs and his father live alone in the big old mansion, and the boy is beginning to ask questions, about his mother and about the strange things he sees and hears in the mansion. This is a creepy old fashioned tale of murder and possession

This was a darkly abstract gothic tale with meandering pathways and a grotesque cast of characters. Sometimes it meandered a little too much, but always the paths would converge to bring the plot back together. It is an odd novel, and one that I would recommend for those readers who are looking for something a little more off the beaten path. It was an interesting read, but not one that I enjoyed the entire process of reading. It left me with a strange taste in my mouth, and a mind that wouldn't stop trying to make sense of the chaos.

David John Griffin’s novel, The Unusual Possession of Alastair Stubb, is a curiously constructed tale of revenge. For the first several chapters, I wasn’t sure where the story was going to take me. Characters are introduced rapidly, so rapidly it’s hard to tell who the protagonist is at first. Then the plot picks up its pace. The setting is deeply sinister and there’s more than a hint that something supernatural and dangerous is at work. Even though I’ve finished, I’m still not quite sure what I think of this book.

The Unusual Possession of Alastair Stubb is divided into two distinct halves. The first half tells the story of Alastair’s parents, Eleanor and William. William is an unemployed coffin maker. Eleanor has only recently been released from an asylum—and she was only released because she lied about the hallucinations she was still having. Having no other options, the Stubbs live with William’s father, Theodore in his manor house. It doesn’t take long for us to learn that Theodore is far from benevolent. He uses hypnosis to abuse the women in his house. William and Eleanor cobble together a plan to kill Theodore after he rapes and impregnates Eleanor.

The first half of the book concludes on a harrowing day and night. Theodore vanishes after William tries to kill him twice. Eleanor also disappears, after giving birth to Alastair and suffering a terrible mental breakdown. The second half of the novel picks up thirteen years later in an abrupt shift of pace. And, while the events of the first half of the book can all be explained away rationally, the supernatural elements intensify in the latter half. In the second half, something seeks revenge on the people who tried to kill Theodore Stubb. The second half, for me, was much more disturbing than than the first half.

The writing style of The Unusual Possession of Alastair Stubb is striking—even bewildering at times. It reads like a demented fairy tale. We never really get to know any of the characters. The plot flies by and things just happen to the mostly hapless characters. The omniscient narrator’s perspective shifts between characters without warning, so it can be very hard to keep track of events unless one reads very, very carefully. The effect of it all made me feel as confused as poor, mad Eleanor when I tried to read as quickly as I normally do.

I just can’t make up my mind about whether I like this book or not, mostly because of the strange, shapeshifting writing style.

I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.

This book is everything a horror fan could want - suspenseful and creepy in a way that leaves the reader feeling they have witnessed something utterly unholy in a fresh, unique way. In short, this is the future of suspense and horror.

I picked this book up on the suggestion of NetGalley and the publisher and I wasn't sure what to expect. The book is broken into two parts, and I'll admit, I enjoyed the second half much more than the first.

While the entire book is written in beautiful imagery and the prose lends itself to the readers imagination beautifully. I had no trouble picturing the characters throughout the entire book, and I really enjoyed how even the secondary characters were completely filled in with no large holes. The use of bugs and insects throughout the book tied both halves together in a most interesting way, and Queenie/Eleanor's character fascinated me.

Theodore's character disgusted me, but I'm pretty sure that was the entire point. The way he manipulated not only his son and daughter-in-law, but also his household staff was like a trainwreck I couldn't look away from.

I will say that my guess is the reason I liked the second half of this book better is that it gave closure of some sort to the actions in the first half. In it's weird "where are they now" way of completing the story, it gave itself to introducing plot twists that I had NOT seem coming.

I definitely liked this book and gave it a solid 3-3.5 rating. While it's not for everyone, I'm glad I stuck it out and would recommend it to anyone looking for an interesting, albeit a little off-beat, mystery and suspense novel. I'll definitely be reading more from the author!

Although the writing in Alastair Stubb was a bit of work to get used to (after reading several fantasy novels, the style change was jarring), this was a fun read. It crept up on me - I spent the first handful of chapters worried I wouldn't be able to stick with it, and the last of the book was spent not wanting to put it down.

I was drawn to this book by the amazing gothic cover of butterflies, moths and bugs and the amazing font inside further enhances the gothic atmosphere. The Stubbs are indeed a very strange family – when I say strange, I mean stark raving bonkers. I wasn’t sure what was going on or who was who for most of the book, but that’s not to say I didn’t enjoy it. I certainly enjoyed the second part of the book more when Alastair appeared.

There’s a murder, or is there? Where is the body? There’s a pregnancy – but who is the father? I loved the play on words of the title as Alastair’s possession is two-fold - he is given a most unusual possession by a crazy lady but is also possessed by the spirit of Theodore. There are also some splendidly named characters in the book that added to the craziness, my favourite being Mr Fishcake.

This book really reminded me of a Tim Burton film; it’s dark and wacky but it’s not everybody’s cup of tea. Unusual, quirky and a little bit whacky, it’s a book to read beside the fire on a cold winter’s night with a little glass of port and then let your imagination run away with the Stubbs.

I received this e-book from the publisher, Urbane Publications, via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This one was not for me and I have tried to read it a few times but haven't been able to stick to it. Would recommend checking out some goodreads reviews though as this is a hit with many people

A Gothic novel of the finest calibre will have you enthralled and leave you wanting more.Look forward to reading more from this Author