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allimmiller's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
xojyyx's review against another edition
2.0
Second William Gay book for me. I loved Twilight but this was dreadful.
keirahelena_'s review against another edition
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Violence, Rape, and Incest
andrew61's review against another edition
3.0
A few years ago I discovered Twilight by William Gay in the library and found a writer who created a story that I found unsettling and brilliantly told.
This is my 2nd by the author but the introduction explains that this was published posthumously having been found in his papers. It was equally unsettling as an author decides after his successful 1st novel can't be repeated to try his hand a horror. Inspired by The Bell witch legend he returns to tenessee with his wife and teenage daughter to rent a haunted farmhouse and it's land for 6 months.
The inevitable disturbing events had me checking the door was locked and the steady descent of the hero to madness reminded me of the shining.
The story however ends abruptly and I suspect that there was more to be told but it remained unfinished.
In the edition I read there is an introduction which lovingly describes William gay by his friend and I look forward to finding more of his novels.
This is my 2nd by the author but the introduction explains that this was published posthumously having been found in his papers. It was equally unsettling as an author decides after his successful 1st novel can't be repeated to try his hand a horror. Inspired by The Bell witch legend he returns to tenessee with his wife and teenage daughter to rent a haunted farmhouse and it's land for 6 months.
The inevitable disturbing events had me checking the door was locked and the steady descent of the hero to madness reminded me of the shining.
The story however ends abruptly and I suspect that there was more to be told but it remained unfinished.
In the edition I read there is an introduction which lovingly describes William gay by his friend and I look forward to finding more of his novels.
amyjen's review against another edition
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
2.0
myweereads's review against another edition
5.0
“Binder, in his youth, had always been interested in the supernatural, had felt some deep and nameless affinity for the questions that did not have any answers.”
Little Sister Death by William Gay is about a successful writer who is suffering from writers block and so decides to write about a tale of a haunting which he remember from his childhood. He takes his wife and child and moves into Beale Farm which is renowned for unexplainable events and sightings for many years. As he stays there he begins to experience the haunts that await him.
Reading this book after The Haunting Of Hill House was perfectly timed. The premise is similar in that our protagonist David Binder is drawn to a famous place which has been plagued by the supernatural for decades. His perception of what he is experiencing is written in a very unsettling way. The inspiration of this story is taken from the 19th century Bell witch haunting in Tennessee.
I loved the writing in this story. Being my first read by William Gay I was new to how he structured his novels and in this one it is done cleverly which in turn elevates the horror in the book. In my edition there is an introduction to the life of William Gay which is an excellent insight into the late author’s method to his writing.
This was definitely a surprising and disturbing read. If you liked Hill House then you should also give this one a try.
Little Sister Death by William Gay is about a successful writer who is suffering from writers block and so decides to write about a tale of a haunting which he remember from his childhood. He takes his wife and child and moves into Beale Farm which is renowned for unexplainable events and sightings for many years. As he stays there he begins to experience the haunts that await him.
Reading this book after The Haunting Of Hill House was perfectly timed. The premise is similar in that our protagonist David Binder is drawn to a famous place which has been plagued by the supernatural for decades. His perception of what he is experiencing is written in a very unsettling way. The inspiration of this story is taken from the 19th century Bell witch haunting in Tennessee.
I loved the writing in this story. Being my first read by William Gay I was new to how he structured his novels and in this one it is done cleverly which in turn elevates the horror in the book. In my edition there is an introduction to the life of William Gay which is an excellent insight into the late author’s method to his writing.
This was definitely a surprising and disturbing read. If you liked Hill House then you should also give this one a try.
jant8's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
5.0
tdwightdavis's review against another edition
4.0
The Bell Witch was probably the first ghost story I ever heard. Growing up in Nashville, she was the go-to scary story. A local haunting that literally everyone I knew believed was at least somewhat real. I remember my older sister telling my that my grandmother’s house was really close to the house where the Bell Witch haunting took place, and that because it was so close to the house it was likely that she would haunt my grandmother’s house too. I had to spend the night once when I was 10 and I didn’t sleep all night, convinced I was hearing taunting voices and laughing.
Little Sister Death is William Gay’s spin on the Bell Witch haunting. A writer born in East Tennessee but now living in Chicago has modest success among the literary elite with his first novel but can’t seem to recapture that creative spark to write a second novel and is thus struggling financially. In order to make ends meet, he agrees to write a cheap paperback thriller that will sell well so that he can make some money. Fascinated by a haunting in Tennessee, he moves into the supposedly haunted mansion with his wife and daughter in order to research for his novel. Strangeness ensues.
Unfortunately, Gay didn’t complete the novel before his death, and that’s clear towards the end. The last 20 pages or so feel super rushed and disparate, and there’s really no ending. But it really speaks to how amazing of a writer Gay was that even his unfinished manuscript is so much more suspenseful, entertaining, and well-written than a lot of fully formed novel. The man was a once-in-a-generation talent who died far too soon. I was engrossed by this novel. I couldn’t put it down. There were parts that legitimately terrified me, and as someone who loves horror that is no easy feat. But Gay imbues this ghost story with his typical literary brilliance. This book is like if Stephen King had the writing ability of Faulkner with a good bit of Flannery O’Connor sprinkled in. It’s just such a shame that the last bit was so much weaker than the rest of the book, and that there’s no real resolution. I would love to know what Gay had in mind to wrap up this amazing story.
The book includes two essays as well. The first essay, written by Tom Franklin, one of Gay’s few friends, details what William Gay was like. It’s a moving and intimate portrait of a reclusive and simple man who also happened to be a brilliant writer. It’s well worth reading if you’re a massive Gay fan as I am. The second essay comes at the end of the novel and is a non-fiction piece about the real Bell Witch, the inspiration for this story. It includes Gay’s reflections about the story and the truth or myth surrounding the haunting, as well as his own firsthand experience in the cave on Bell’s property where the Witch still supposedly resides today. This was the first non-fiction piece I’ve read by Gay and it turns out he’s just as talented and brilliant at that as he is with fiction. It’s truly a massive loss that he died with so little finished work.
Little Sister Death is William Gay’s spin on the Bell Witch haunting. A writer born in East Tennessee but now living in Chicago has modest success among the literary elite with his first novel but can’t seem to recapture that creative spark to write a second novel and is thus struggling financially. In order to make ends meet, he agrees to write a cheap paperback thriller that will sell well so that he can make some money. Fascinated by a haunting in Tennessee, he moves into the supposedly haunted mansion with his wife and daughter in order to research for his novel. Strangeness ensues.
Unfortunately, Gay didn’t complete the novel before his death, and that’s clear towards the end. The last 20 pages or so feel super rushed and disparate, and there’s really no ending. But it really speaks to how amazing of a writer Gay was that even his unfinished manuscript is so much more suspenseful, entertaining, and well-written than a lot of fully formed novel. The man was a once-in-a-generation talent who died far too soon. I was engrossed by this novel. I couldn’t put it down. There were parts that legitimately terrified me, and as someone who loves horror that is no easy feat. But Gay imbues this ghost story with his typical literary brilliance. This book is like if Stephen King had the writing ability of Faulkner with a good bit of Flannery O’Connor sprinkled in. It’s just such a shame that the last bit was so much weaker than the rest of the book, and that there’s no real resolution. I would love to know what Gay had in mind to wrap up this amazing story.
The book includes two essays as well. The first essay, written by Tom Franklin, one of Gay’s few friends, details what William Gay was like. It’s a moving and intimate portrait of a reclusive and simple man who also happened to be a brilliant writer. It’s well worth reading if you’re a massive Gay fan as I am. The second essay comes at the end of the novel and is a non-fiction piece about the real Bell Witch, the inspiration for this story. It includes Gay’s reflections about the story and the truth or myth surrounding the haunting, as well as his own firsthand experience in the cave on Bell’s property where the Witch still supposedly resides today. This was the first non-fiction piece I’ve read by Gay and it turns out he’s just as talented and brilliant at that as he is with fiction. It’s truly a massive loss that he died with so little finished work.