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A review by micksland
The Red Tree by Caitlín R. Kiernan
3.0
3.5/5 stars
NOTE: Whoever chose this particular cover should be fired; it has precious little to do with the story. The protagonist is a 44 year old woman, and the cover makes this book seem like a paranormal romance. There is nothing wrong with having a middle-aged woman on a book cover, and there is no need to add sex appeal to a book that is clearly not a romance. End rant.
This is a very serviceable literary horror story, presented as diary entries from a struggling author who may or may not be losing her mind after she moves into a haunted house. Rife with allusions to classic artwork and literature, Kiernan lampshades our protagonist’s own lack of literary success with plentiful quotes from better-known authors. I loved the way in which the protagonist’s diary entries, short story, and various manuscript excerpts were combined to make this epistolary novel: layers upon layers of narration and secondhand tales which combine to create a sense of unreality and confusion.
I was not a fan of the slow pace; the novel would have been much scarier without the first one third in which nothing truly happens. Additionally, our protagonist is thoroughly (and intentionally) unlikable and self-destructive, which may be a turn-off for some readers. Overall, I think that “The Red Tree” added some literary flair to an often poorly-written genre, and will be keeping Caitlin Kiernan on my list for whenever I need a good scare in the future.
NOTE: Whoever chose this particular cover should be fired; it has precious little to do with the story. The protagonist is a 44 year old woman, and the cover makes this book seem like a paranormal romance. There is nothing wrong with having a middle-aged woman on a book cover, and there is no need to add sex appeal to a book that is clearly not a romance. End rant.
This is a very serviceable literary horror story, presented as diary entries from a struggling author who may or may not be losing her mind after she moves into a haunted house. Rife with allusions to classic artwork and literature, Kiernan lampshades our protagonist’s own lack of literary success with plentiful quotes from better-known authors. I loved the way in which the protagonist’s diary entries, short story, and various manuscript excerpts were combined to make this epistolary novel: layers upon layers of narration and secondhand tales which combine to create a sense of unreality and confusion.
I was not a fan of the slow pace; the novel would have been much scarier without the first one third in which nothing truly happens. Additionally, our protagonist is thoroughly (and intentionally) unlikable and self-destructive, which may be a turn-off for some readers. Overall, I think that “The Red Tree” added some literary flair to an often poorly-written genre, and will be keeping Caitlin Kiernan on my list for whenever I need a good scare in the future.