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A review by jadorelecafe
Old Soul by Susan Barker
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
4.5
If you wanted a more adult and psychological thriller/horror version of the invisible life of Addie La rue, this is your book.
A man accidentally befriends a woman who missed the same flight as him, only to discover their haunting pasts have a disquieting similarity. As he goes on a deep dive to find out more about these events and linking them together one after another he feels like he can actually do something about it and maybe stop this otherworldly force from taking another person from this life. He wants closure and revenge against a woman who stole away his childhood best friend who was more of a sister to him. He travels around the world to interview people who have also had encounters with this woman who had taken their loved ones away as well. The more he uncovers the more unreal and disturbing things get. The stakes are climbing ever higher and he feels compelled to act and try to stop this, to save someone else’s Lena.
The story is written with flashback style written testimonies broken up by current day happenings all leading up to the biggest reveal and the moment of truth.
The writing style was difficult to get into, there’s no quotation marks to differentiate what is being said vs what is regular text but after a while it becomes easier to follow. It’s elegantly and eloquently written. the story and the characters are compelling, even if they are not lovable.
A man accidentally befriends a woman who missed the same flight as him, only to discover their haunting pasts have a disquieting similarity. As he goes on a deep dive to find out more about these events and linking them together one after another he feels like he can actually do something about it and maybe stop this otherworldly force from taking another person from this life. He wants closure and revenge against a woman who stole away his childhood best friend who was more of a sister to him. He travels around the world to interview people who have also had encounters with this woman who had taken their loved ones away as well. The more he uncovers the more unreal and disturbing things get. The stakes are climbing ever higher and he feels compelled to act and try to stop this, to save someone else’s Lena.
The story is written with flashback style written testimonies broken up by current day happenings all leading up to the biggest reveal and the moment of truth.
The writing style was difficult to get into, there’s no quotation marks to differentiate what is being said vs what is regular text but after a while it becomes easier to follow. It’s elegantly and eloquently written. the story and the characters are compelling, even if they are not lovable.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Body horror, Cancer, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Blood, Grief, Car accident, Murder, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail