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joe_thomas25 's review for:
A House of Ghosts
by W.C. Ryan
It's 1917, Britain is embroiled in the most brutal war ever seen until this point, with grief and death casting a long shadow over the lives of many. But while the war rages on the front line, the Highmounts, owners of one of the country's biggest weapons manufacturers, are hosting a gathering of family, friends and acquaintances at their island property just off the Devon coast. It's not simply a reunion, however. The Highmounts have invited two mediums to try and contact the spirits of their recently deceased sons, casualties of the shelling and gassing of the front lines. Kate, our protagonist and an employee of the war office, is sent with Donovan, a former army officer-turned-spy, to keep an eye on proceedings. Why, she doesn't know, but with grief, desperation and the impacts of war threatening to explode the relationships of all involved in the gathering, it's only a matter of time until the cracks start to show.
The Gothic novel has seen something of a resurgence in recent years, and haunted house novels, in particular, have broken into the mainstream, buoyed by the success of books like The Silent Companions and the Haunting of Hill House TV series. With many Gothic novels, however, there's a hefty dose of ambiguity as to whether the events are psychological, supernatural or simply misdirection. That's not the case here, with the author early on making it very clear that ghosts and spirits exist and are constantly involved in the plot, and it's both refreshing and makes for a very original approach.
Kate, who has recently lost her brother to the war and is keen to see him again, is able to see these spirits, and whilst dramatic events are unfolding in the real world, there's clever asides about the way that the spirits in the room are reacting, whether they're advancing menacingly, watching with interest or pointedly ignoring the scene. It not only helps to keep the reader invested, but marks a major point of difference to other similar books and adds some brilliant colour to the world.
In a completely masochistic way, I love gothic novels because of the way they make you feel. They're totally immersive, usually rather claustrophobic, and above all, spine-chillingly creepy. Certainly, with previous haunted house novels I've had to put the book down at points, or have had to turn the light on to keep reading. With this book, while I was utterly gripped by the mystery and the characters, I was never on edge or scared. Perhaps this is better for some readers, but for me it felt slightly lacking.
The plot itself is thoroughly enjoyable, romping along at a good speed, with lots of intersecting storylines and two central mysteries which manage to converge and split at the right points and create an atmosphere ripe for a good twist or two. While the twists themselves aren't mind-blowing, they're very cleverly realised, make complete sense and offer a whole new dynamic to many of the characters you've spent 300 pages with. The climax itself is tense, revealing and explosive, leaving a fantastic conclusion to a highly enjoyable journey. My one nitpick with the plot is that a major revelation relies on a very conveniently timed eavesdropping scene, which is a real bug bear of mine. It just feels slightly lazy for an otherwise very tight, impressively-drawn plot.
I do feel there were perhaps slightly too many characters. One of the benefits of this kind of storyline with a group of people isolated in a foreboding location is that you really get to know each of the characters involved quite intimately. In this case, however, they are some characters who are purely there to make up the numbers and offer nothing to the plot, and others who are wholly underutilised. I appreciate it's sometimes necessary to have auxiliary characters, but it definitely feels like a couple could've been culled here to streamline without affecting the plot.
All in all, this is a really fantastic book, combining a brilliant plot, a rather unique take on a haunted house narrative and two fantastic mysteries that are entirely satisfying throughout. Managing to tackle heavier themes in rather commercial fiction can often be a challenge, but concepts of grief, war, pacifism and revenge are tackled with aplomb while never distracting from the pace of the plot. It's a fantastic read as the nights draw in and Halloween is nearly upon us, and one I'd wholeheartedly recommend. Here's hoping to read more from this author (and ideally with these two protagonists) again in the future.
The Gothic novel has seen something of a resurgence in recent years, and haunted house novels, in particular, have broken into the mainstream, buoyed by the success of books like The Silent Companions and the Haunting of Hill House TV series. With many Gothic novels, however, there's a hefty dose of ambiguity as to whether the events are psychological, supernatural or simply misdirection. That's not the case here, with the author early on making it very clear that ghosts and spirits exist and are constantly involved in the plot, and it's both refreshing and makes for a very original approach.
Kate, who has recently lost her brother to the war and is keen to see him again, is able to see these spirits, and whilst dramatic events are unfolding in the real world, there's clever asides about the way that the spirits in the room are reacting, whether they're advancing menacingly, watching with interest or pointedly ignoring the scene. It not only helps to keep the reader invested, but marks a major point of difference to other similar books and adds some brilliant colour to the world.
In a completely masochistic way, I love gothic novels because of the way they make you feel. They're totally immersive, usually rather claustrophobic, and above all, spine-chillingly creepy. Certainly, with previous haunted house novels I've had to put the book down at points, or have had to turn the light on to keep reading. With this book, while I was utterly gripped by the mystery and the characters, I was never on edge or scared. Perhaps this is better for some readers, but for me it felt slightly lacking.
The plot itself is thoroughly enjoyable, romping along at a good speed, with lots of intersecting storylines and two central mysteries which manage to converge and split at the right points and create an atmosphere ripe for a good twist or two. While the twists themselves aren't mind-blowing, they're very cleverly realised, make complete sense and offer a whole new dynamic to many of the characters you've spent 300 pages with. The climax itself is tense, revealing and explosive, leaving a fantastic conclusion to a highly enjoyable journey. My one nitpick with the plot is that a major revelation relies on a very conveniently timed eavesdropping scene, which is a real bug bear of mine. It just feels slightly lazy for an otherwise very tight, impressively-drawn plot.
I do feel there were perhaps slightly too many characters. One of the benefits of this kind of storyline with a group of people isolated in a foreboding location is that you really get to know each of the characters involved quite intimately. In this case, however, they are some characters who are purely there to make up the numbers and offer nothing to the plot, and others who are wholly underutilised. I appreciate it's sometimes necessary to have auxiliary characters, but it definitely feels like a couple could've been culled here to streamline without affecting the plot.
All in all, this is a really fantastic book, combining a brilliant plot, a rather unique take on a haunted house narrative and two fantastic mysteries that are entirely satisfying throughout. Managing to tackle heavier themes in rather commercial fiction can often be a challenge, but concepts of grief, war, pacifism and revenge are tackled with aplomb while never distracting from the pace of the plot. It's a fantastic read as the nights draw in and Halloween is nearly upon us, and one I'd wholeheartedly recommend. Here's hoping to read more from this author (and ideally with these two protagonists) again in the future.