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A review by joyceheinen
Sundial by Catriona Ward
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
“Sundial” is a horror-thriller with a psychological edge to it. Family ties play a big rol in this book.
Rob is a school teacher. She is married to Irving and they have two children, Callie and Annie. Rob grew up on the ranch Sundial in the Mojave Desert. Sundial was a dog kennel where experiments with dogs were done by the CIA. The atrocities they witnessed as children shaped Rob and her sister jack into nevertheless troubled individuals. Now Rob herself is experiencing aberrant behavior ins one of the daughters. Her daughter Callie collects animal bones, talks to imaginary figures and seems to bother her younger sister Annie about everything. Mother and daughter wage a silent psychological battle that impacts their entire family. She doesn’t have much use for her husband Irving, either. Irving is one of those types who constantly cheats on her, and he also exhibits quite a few sadistic traits towards Rob. Rob decides to go away with Callie for a while. Back to her childhood home Sundial. She thinks that the past of both herself and Callie may play a role and she wants to come to terms with it.
Catriona Ward has written “Sundial” for the most part from Rob’s perspective. But over the course of the story she allows other characters to speak up as well. This does make it necessary to keep your attention. Ward’s style is intriguing, she is not straightforward. The further you read, the more questions arise. And it’s not until the final page that everything becomes clear. It’s not an easy book to read and it’s really weird. The many flashbacks, the thoughts of the characters, the strange events, everything is strangely intertwined.
“Sundial” is an intriguing book about a complicated family history and evokes many emotions. Amazement, horror, misunderstanding. Surely this really is one dysfunctional family. The atmosphere evoked by the house and the Mojave Desert is almost as if the house itself is also a character. Dark intimidating, yet for Rob the basis of her existence. The early chapters are more psychological, but later on it’s more horror.
Rob is a school teacher. She is married to Irving and they have two children, Callie and Annie. Rob grew up on the ranch Sundial in the Mojave Desert. Sundial was a dog kennel where experiments with dogs were done by the CIA. The atrocities they witnessed as children shaped Rob and her sister jack into nevertheless troubled individuals. Now Rob herself is experiencing aberrant behavior ins one of the daughters. Her daughter Callie collects animal bones, talks to imaginary figures and seems to bother her younger sister Annie about everything. Mother and daughter wage a silent psychological battle that impacts their entire family. She doesn’t have much use for her husband Irving, either. Irving is one of those types who constantly cheats on her, and he also exhibits quite a few sadistic traits towards Rob. Rob decides to go away with Callie for a while. Back to her childhood home Sundial. She thinks that the past of both herself and Callie may play a role and she wants to come to terms with it.
Catriona Ward has written “Sundial” for the most part from Rob’s perspective. But over the course of the story she allows other characters to speak up as well. This does make it necessary to keep your attention. Ward’s style is intriguing, she is not straightforward. The further you read, the more questions arise. And it’s not until the final page that everything becomes clear. It’s not an easy book to read and it’s really weird. The many flashbacks, the thoughts of the characters, the strange events, everything is strangely intertwined.
“Sundial” is an intriguing book about a complicated family history and evokes many emotions. Amazement, horror, misunderstanding. Surely this really is one dysfunctional family. The atmosphere evoked by the house and the Mojave Desert is almost as if the house itself is also a character. Dark intimidating, yet for Rob the basis of her existence. The early chapters are more psychological, but later on it’s more horror.
“Sundial” is a good book, with a lot of depth, but it might be too weird for most people.