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3.16 AVERAGE
3.16 AVERAGE
I was really nervous about reading this book. William Gay is, with out a doubt, my favorite author of the 21st century, and this book is the first of his manuscripts to be released after his death in 2012. The three novels and short story collection he released in his short career are all masterpieces, very polished, very poetic, and very compelling. The prospect of reading what is, despite what his agent and publishers have claimed, an unfinished novel was a bit unsettling to me. Gay's previous works are so pristine and magical that I really didn't want to see what the work looks like before it met his final approval, lest it somehow tarnish his legacy in my eyes. And though the novel is definitely unfinished, it is still worth a read for Gay's fans, though I'd hesitate to recommend it to a reader who has never read any of his work.
At it's core, this is a ghost story. It's very creepy at times, but as far as the narrative goes, too many things are left unfinished. We get brief glimpses of characters that I can only imagine Gay had a much bigger role intended for had he survived to finish the story (i.e. Swaw's grandson, or the old lady wandering through the woods when the Binder's first move in to the Beal estate). A lot of loose ends were left untied, and the lore and mythos that Gay inserts feel awkward and unnecessary, as they never get to reach their conclusion. Overall, the haunted house story is a bit unsatisfying, and frankly, quite a mess given it's unfinished nature.
The other narrative going on in this book, on the other hand, was what really drew me in. Aside from a standard ghost story, this novel is also a bit of a metafiction, as it is also about a novelist trying to write a novel. It's in these moments where I was able to draw the most pleasure as I felt that it offered us a glimpse into Gay's own process. There are some great moments where Gay discusses the fugue state that accompanies writing, the acuteness of vision that the writer receives, and the nuts and bolts of the process. These moments really grabbed me, because as I've stated, I really admire Gay's work, and it was wonderful to get some insight into what made him tick.
As always, Gay's prose is beautiful, and the book is worth a read just to savor the language that he so deftly uses. I just wish that this was a finished piece, because it had the potential to really be something special. The beginning of the novel (the 1785 flashback, Binder's moving to the new house, and the 1933 flashback) is some of the best writing Gay has given us, but after that, the story really falls a part.
I rated this 3 stars mainly because I'm a fan of Gay. If I hadn't been familiar with his work, though, I would have probably given it a two, solely for the beauty of the prose.
At it's core, this is a ghost story. It's very creepy at times, but as far as the narrative goes, too many things are left unfinished. We get brief glimpses of characters that I can only imagine Gay had a much bigger role intended for had he survived to finish the story (i.e. Swaw's grandson, or the old lady wandering through the woods when the Binder's first move in to the Beal estate). A lot of loose ends were left untied, and the lore and mythos that Gay inserts feel awkward and unnecessary, as they never get to reach their conclusion. Overall, the haunted house story is a bit unsatisfying, and frankly, quite a mess given it's unfinished nature.
The other narrative going on in this book, on the other hand, was what really drew me in. Aside from a standard ghost story, this novel is also a bit of a metafiction, as it is also about a novelist trying to write a novel. It's in these moments where I was able to draw the most pleasure as I felt that it offered us a glimpse into Gay's own process. There are some great moments where Gay discusses the fugue state that accompanies writing, the acuteness of vision that the writer receives, and the nuts and bolts of the process. These moments really grabbed me, because as I've stated, I really admire Gay's work, and it was wonderful to get some insight into what made him tick.
As always, Gay's prose is beautiful, and the book is worth a read just to savor the language that he so deftly uses. I just wish that this was a finished piece, because it had the potential to really be something special. The beginning of the novel (the 1785 flashback, Binder's moving to the new house, and the 1933 flashback) is some of the best writing Gay has given us, but after that, the story really falls a part.
I rated this 3 stars mainly because I'm a fan of Gay. If I hadn't been familiar with his work, though, I would have probably given it a two, solely for the beauty of the prose.
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence
I loved the start, and the middle, but was disappointed by the ending, if we could call it that. It seems that he hasn't been finished, maybe because the ending was predictable?
What I loved most: the language, which made me slow down in reading it to savour every sentence; the descriptions, because of the language, and the evil touches that pop up when you don't necessarily expect it.
What I did not love: the characters...or like another reader put it, the only character, Binder, the writer, who shows up to be a selfish and unlikable person.
All in all, a good ghost story, which needs a proper finish. I am going to read more by this author, as it is clear that this book is not representative of his work.
What I loved most: the language, which made me slow down in reading it to savour every sentence; the descriptions, because of the language, and the evil touches that pop up when you don't necessarily expect it.
What I did not love: the characters...or like another reader put it, the only character, Binder, the writer, who shows up to be a selfish and unlikable person.
All in all, a good ghost story, which needs a proper finish. I am going to read more by this author, as it is clear that this book is not representative of his work.
Definitely not "the most terrifying novel you'll read this year". When I read horror, I expect a brilliant story that actually scares me and this just didn't live up to my expectations, to the point I started to skim read the last batch of pages.
The cornfield seemed darker toward its center. Light entered at the rows’ end, ran like liquid down the middles, getting shallower and shallower. There seemed at the convergence of the rows some mass of shadows light could not defray.
William Gay takes a crack at the Bell Witch legend in this novella that was published posthumously. As with any work published without the direct involvement of the author there are plenty of questions about this story. Was this a work in progress? Was it finished but Gay didn't like it for some reason? Did he ever intend to publish the story? Unless something is discovered in his papers we will never know. It certainly seems unfinished, there are many threads hanging at the conclusion of the story and the ending is abrupt. This would be the logical interpretation of the work. I do admit to taking a "weird fiction" view of the story. What I enjoy about weird fiction are the unanswered questions, the plot mysteries that keep forcing their way back in to my thinking, the threads left dangling. So I think I ended up enjoying this more than most.
After the unexpected success of his first book, a young author struggles to come up with a second and decides to move his family onto the property where the Bell Witch hauntings took place. Needless to say, the family gets more than they bargained for:
He found himself waiting, staring intently at the doorway of the toolshed, a rectangle of Cimmerian darkness that seemed beyond darkness, darkness multiplied by itself, and he was thinking, Something is going to happen. He sensed a change in the air.
He felt watched. He turned. Some faint noise, perhaps a whisper of wind in the dry cornstalks. A black dog watched him stoically from the edge of the cornfield. An enormous dog, high-shouldered and lean, standing cold and still as ice.
Hunkered there in the darkness, he felt before himself a door, madness already raising the hand to knock. Madness sniffing at his tracks like an unwanted dog. Madness would escort him the rest of the way there, clutching at him and whispering adulterous secrets in his ear.
I really enjoyed this story but your mileage may vary.
8/10
William Gay takes a crack at the Bell Witch legend in this novella that was published posthumously. As with any work published without the direct involvement of the author there are plenty of questions about this story. Was this a work in progress? Was it finished but Gay didn't like it for some reason? Did he ever intend to publish the story? Unless something is discovered in his papers we will never know. It certainly seems unfinished, there are many threads hanging at the conclusion of the story and the ending is abrupt. This would be the logical interpretation of the work. I do admit to taking a "weird fiction" view of the story. What I enjoy about weird fiction are the unanswered questions, the plot mysteries that keep forcing their way back in to my thinking, the threads left dangling. So I think I ended up enjoying this more than most.
After the unexpected success of his first book, a young author struggles to come up with a second and decides to move his family onto the property where the Bell Witch hauntings took place. Needless to say, the family gets more than they bargained for:
He found himself waiting, staring intently at the doorway of the toolshed, a rectangle of Cimmerian darkness that seemed beyond darkness, darkness multiplied by itself, and he was thinking, Something is going to happen. He sensed a change in the air.
He felt watched. He turned. Some faint noise, perhaps a whisper of wind in the dry cornstalks. A black dog watched him stoically from the edge of the cornfield. An enormous dog, high-shouldered and lean, standing cold and still as ice.
Hunkered there in the darkness, he felt before himself a door, madness already raising the hand to knock. Madness sniffing at his tracks like an unwanted dog. Madness would escort him the rest of the way there, clutching at him and whispering adulterous secrets in his ear.
I really enjoyed this story but your mileage may vary.
8/10
William Gay's play on The Shining steeped in the Bell Witch stories from my childhood? Loved this, even if a version with obviously more to go. So glad to get a chance to read more William Gay after thinking it was all over. Also Tom Franklin's intro made my heart swell.
Little Sister Death is William Gay’s posthumously published attempt at writing a ghost story, and while it is definitely worth reading, and can be interpreted as a complete story if you try hard, what it seems more likely to be in an unfinished novel that was published as his last (or next to last if rumors are true) writings without the benefit a final edit or shaping. As such, it is a bit difficult to properly review, since as a complete vision it appears so…incomplete. Nevertheless, as with anything Gay wrote, his work here is a pleasure to read, even a luxury, so that, however fragmentary Little Sister Death seems in theme and plot, it is a fine, atmospheric story that any lover of good writing will appreciate.
Gay’s book is the story of a young author with writer’s block who, when urged by his publisher to try his hand at a horror story in order to sell some books and make some money, decides to excavate the Tennessee legend of the Bell Witch and use its narrative as the basis for a ghost story. The author, David Binder, disrupts the life of his wife and child by moving them into the very house in the Tennessee woods where the horrors of the Beale Haunting have supposedly played out over the preceding 200 years. From here, Gay devotes extended sections of the book to recounting the hauntings and manifestations of the supernatural that occurred at particular intervals, especially the years 1785 and 1933. While these sections are more straightforward in their recounting of events, they are also more satisfying as they give more concrete details as to historical events that occurred.
The sections of the book that deal directly with Binder and his family are more atmospheric and ambiguous, but also where Gay shines as a writer, for it is in these passages that the real beauty of the author’s writing takes wing. Also, he obliquely references past events in their present day echoes, deftly creating an eerie feeling of déjà vu that give the reader some real frissons of unease; we know more of the visitations than some characters may, so that the appearance of certain objects or individuals signal the presence of the supernatural, malevolent force.
There is absolutely no question that Little Sister Death is in some ways Gay’s homage to Stephen King’s The Shining. The inclusion of certain symbols and scenarios are just too obvious to not be intentional, and it is known that Gay and King were mutually admiring of each other. Both novels feature writers whose creativity has lapsed, who take a chance moving their family to an isolated, purportedly haunted house as a last ditch attempt to regain control of their careers and lives. The symbolic presence of bees/wasps, the historical tales of men killing their families at the house (Grady with a roque mallet, Owen Swaw with an axe), a menacing dog in Gay’s story that echoes the hedge animals of King’s, all point to a deliberate attempt on the author’s part to place his writing in context with King’s classic haunted house tale.
But in the novel’s supposed (one hates to attribute intention when the author cannot defend himself) denouement, Gay seems to be going for a horror both existential and internal, instead of reaching for the grand battle against an elemental supernatural force. While the perfunctory nature of the book’s ending leaves the true focus questionable, Gay appears to be setting his protagonist up as either an unwitting victim of demonic possession, a more complicit collaborator, or simply an ordinary man who comes to a horrific, yet mundane realization: he no longer loves his wife. Yet, after such a build-up of supernatural tropes and events, can this really have been the resolution that the author intended. Without access to his notes and other writings about this edition, we may never know. Nevertheless, there is enough of a story here to entertain and intrigue, and regardless of its state of completion, Gay’s Little Sister Death is an essential addition to his body of work.
Gay’s book is the story of a young author with writer’s block who, when urged by his publisher to try his hand at a horror story in order to sell some books and make some money, decides to excavate the Tennessee legend of the Bell Witch and use its narrative as the basis for a ghost story. The author, David Binder, disrupts the life of his wife and child by moving them into the very house in the Tennessee woods where the horrors of the Beale Haunting have supposedly played out over the preceding 200 years. From here, Gay devotes extended sections of the book to recounting the hauntings and manifestations of the supernatural that occurred at particular intervals, especially the years 1785 and 1933. While these sections are more straightforward in their recounting of events, they are also more satisfying as they give more concrete details as to historical events that occurred.
The sections of the book that deal directly with Binder and his family are more atmospheric and ambiguous, but also where Gay shines as a writer, for it is in these passages that the real beauty of the author’s writing takes wing. Also, he obliquely references past events in their present day echoes, deftly creating an eerie feeling of déjà vu that give the reader some real frissons of unease; we know more of the visitations than some characters may, so that the appearance of certain objects or individuals signal the presence of the supernatural, malevolent force.
There is absolutely no question that Little Sister Death is in some ways Gay’s homage to Stephen King’s The Shining. The inclusion of certain symbols and scenarios are just too obvious to not be intentional, and it is known that Gay and King were mutually admiring of each other. Both novels feature writers whose creativity has lapsed, who take a chance moving their family to an isolated, purportedly haunted house as a last ditch attempt to regain control of their careers and lives. The symbolic presence of bees/wasps, the historical tales of men killing their families at the house (Grady with a roque mallet, Owen Swaw with an axe), a menacing dog in Gay’s story that echoes the hedge animals of King’s, all point to a deliberate attempt on the author’s part to place his writing in context with King’s classic haunted house tale.
But in the novel’s supposed (one hates to attribute intention when the author cannot defend himself) denouement, Gay seems to be going for a horror both existential and internal, instead of reaching for the grand battle against an elemental supernatural force. While the perfunctory nature of the book’s ending leaves the true focus questionable, Gay appears to be setting his protagonist up as either an unwitting victim of demonic possession, a more complicit collaborator, or simply an ordinary man who comes to a horrific, yet mundane realization: he no longer loves his wife. Yet, after such a build-up of supernatural tropes and events, can this really have been the resolution that the author intended. Without access to his notes and other writings about this edition, we may never know. Nevertheless, there is enough of a story here to entertain and intrigue, and regardless of its state of completion, Gay’s Little Sister Death is an essential addition to his body of work.
William Gay just can’t do wrong by me. Especially not when he writes ghost stories like this one. (The kind of William Gay ghost story I knew I always wanted.)