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3.8 AVERAGE
3.8 AVERAGE
slow-paced
Very simple in plot yet full of atmospheric dread. I love a good small town horror and The Auctioneer did not disappoint.
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This is being marketed as horror but it's really a psychological thriller. Not what I was expecting at all. And that "rustic dialect" was just grating.
dark
emotional
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
I REALLY wanted to like this book but halfway through it become a slog and I had to force myself to finish and the ending was not statisfying at all. I felt like I was just walking in a circle reading the second half of this book, I adored the first half but it severely dropped off
dark
sad
tense
dark
tense
medium-paced
Banger!!!
Samson’s writing is so vivid and timeless. Beautifully paced, once The Auctioneer had me in its clutches it didn’t let go!!
Samson’s writing is so vivid and timeless. Beautifully paced, once The Auctioneer had me in its clutches it didn’t let go!!
I seem to be among the minority on this book. I didn't enjoy it like so many did. I felt there was too much repetition. There was potential to feel emotionally invested in John and Mim, but they were kept at arms length. I kept reading because it seemed like it was going somewhere, but it never did.
This book was a slow burn, both literally and figuratively. And upon finishing it, I can see that the style was intentional. To me, this is a horror story about gentrification, how it slowly creeps into a community, gives unelected and unchecked power to the perpetrators, and eventually drags down the people who are powerless to stop it in the end (when they could have stopped it more easily in the beginning, if they had recognized it's coming). It feels like a pretty genius way of tackling the topic and the plot slowly builds and builds, and as you watch it unfold you find yourself saying: now it’s got to stop, that’s too far, no more! It almost feels like a colonial message as well: that those with ancestral ties to the land and landscape were tricked out of it by those aiming for progress (and their own greed). “When your life turns into a lie, the first person you need to deceive is yourself. After that, the rest unravels easy.”
I found myself frustrated for the characters, especially for Mim, who not only felt trapped by the threats of the Auctioneer, but also by the confines of her marriage; she couldn’t do what she felt she needed to in order to keep her family safe because of the stubbornness of her husband.
The afterward in the newest re-publication written by Samson’s husband is charming and also draws a current political parallel, comparing what happens in her novel (written in the 1970s) to the Trump administration. How a smooth talking, convincing crook fooled an entire village into thinking that he was acting in their own best interests, only to have them live in fear, alter their way of life, and turn them violent in the end: “Whatever I’ve done, you’ve let me do.”
As the story began, I didn’t think I liked the book, but upon finishing and reflecting, I can see the allegorical brilliance (despite the, at times, repetitive, slow narrative) and am so sad that we didn’t get to see anything more come from Samson (as she died from cancer soon after finishing this book).
I found myself frustrated for the characters, especially for Mim, who not only felt trapped by the threats of the Auctioneer, but also by the confines of her marriage; she couldn’t do what she felt she needed to in order to keep her family safe because of the stubbornness of her husband.
The afterward in the newest re-publication written by Samson’s husband is charming and also draws a current political parallel, comparing what happens in her novel (written in the 1970s) to the Trump administration. How a smooth talking, convincing crook fooled an entire village into thinking that he was acting in their own best interests, only to have them live in fear, alter their way of life, and turn them violent in the end: “Whatever I’ve done, you’ve let me do.”
As the story began, I didn’t think I liked the book, but upon finishing and reflecting, I can see the allegorical brilliance (despite the, at times, repetitive, slow narrative) and am so sad that we didn’t get to see anything more come from Samson (as she died from cancer soon after finishing this book).
This I read for Tombolo Book store Horror book club. The only horror was people allowing themselves to be bullied by a scoundrel. The Characters are not “wise in the ways of the world”, thus too trusting of the new guy. Too much of the story was ridiculous; the ending not particularly satisfying. Cannot recommend.