Tag Archives: Gothic

The Lake House by Kate Morton

Australian Literature October 20, 2015 Superfast Reader

I really, really wanted to love The Lake House by Kate Morton the way I loved the first book of hers I ever read, The Forgotten Garden, which still stands as one of the finest contemporary Gothic mysteries I’ve ever read. I wasn’t as thrilled by The Distant Hours (which I couldn’t finish) or The House at Riverton (which I don’t really remember), but her skill with structure will always keep me coming back. The Lake House definitely kept me turning pages, but overall I…

Bittersweet by Miranda Beverly-Whittemore

American Literature May 13, 2014 Superfast Reader

Synopsis: When her wealthy college roommate invites her for an idyllic summer at her family’s rustic compound, shy Mabel fears that the secret she’s hiding will destroy all her hopes for a lifetime of happiness and security. Review: Bittersweet was a thoroughly engrossing read and it just swept me away. The descriptive passages were so well done that I wanted to visit Winloch myself. I loved the depth and intricacy of the relationships between the characters, especially as communicated through Mabel’s limited point of view.…

Starter House by Sonja Condit

American Literature February 18, 2014 Superfast Reader

Synopsis: When pregnant Lacey and her husband Eric move into their dream home, a little boy named Drew starts bothering Lacey–and she realizes that only she can see him. Review: I loved the depth of characterization in Starter House. I really felt like the author put a lot of work into fleshing out their back stories, like making Lacey’s mom more than just an aging hippie. She’s also a vegan dog psychic and you really get the sense that she has a life outside the…

The Vanishing by Wendy Webb

American Literature January 28, 2014 Superfast Reader

Synopsis: Desperate to escape the notoriety inflicted on her thanks to her Bernie Madoff-esque ex-husband, a writer takes a job as companion to an elderly reclusive writer, only to find herself seeing ghosts around every corner. Review: The Vanishing started out with such promise, and while it did have some predictable elements, I felt that Wendy Webb did a great job parceling out the mystery to keep me engaged and interested. I was a bit disappointed in the ending, which felt like it came too…

Harrowgate by Kate Maruyama

American Literature November 23, 2013 Superfast Reader

Synopsis: When Michael comes home to meet his infant son for the first time, his wife Sarah doesn’t seem like herself, refusing to leave the apartment and spending all her time with an older postpartum doula known only as Greta. Review: So creepy! Harrowgate had a lot going for it–claustrophobic atmosphere, eerie premise, and menacing secondary characters. It’s no spoiler to tell you that Sarah isn’t all there, but this is a ghost story with an agenda beyond delivering scares. As spooky as it is,…

Night Film by Marisha Pessl

American Literature September 4, 2013 Superfast Reader

Synopsis: When the daughter of a reclusive horror film director commits suicide, a disgraced investigative journalist sets out looking for the truth, only to find himself in a labyrinth straight out of one of the director’s “night films.” Review: The biggest hook in Night Film is Stanislas Cordova, a character who is a delectable melange of Stanley Kubrick, Roman Polanski, Michael Haneke, and Eli Roth. Descriptions of his oeuvre pepper the novel, with tantalizing plot details that made me ache to see the movies. I…

Lost Girls by Celina Grace

British Literature August 14, 2013 Superfast Reader

Synopsis: Maudie’s childhood friend disappeared without a trace when they were girls–but now Maudie is seeing her everywhere, but nobody else knows what she is talking about. Review: Lost Girls had a great sense of place and character, but was lacking in the plot department. I felt like it was missing at least 2-3 twists and the ending was the obvious one, unfortunately. If you like supporting up-and-coming authors and indie publishing, then this is definitely one to get because Celina Grace definitely will improve…

Joyland by Stephen King

American Literature July 4, 2013 Superfast Reader

Synopsis: It’s the summer of 1973 and Devin Jones has just signed on to work at a beachside carnival–that may be haunted. Review: Joyland is Stephen King at his most elegiac and nostalgic, ordinarily my least favorite mode of his, but this book really got me. I loved the carnival setting, the lingo, watching Devin learn the ropes. Sure, he was a little bit Mary Sue but it mostly worked. I felt that the plot faltered in the second half but I wasn’t expecting anything…

The Fate of Mercy Alban by Wendy Webb

American Literature February 28, 2013 Superfast Reader

Synopsis: When her mother dies, a woman from a privileged family uncovers a family secret that threatens them all. Review: I had high hopes for The Fate of Mercy Alban, thinking it would be like a Kate Morton book only with ghosts. But I had to stop reading about three-quarters of the way through. I was already frustrated by the flatness of the characters and the plotting. I gave up when I was presented with an unpublished manuscript by a man who was supposed to…

The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin

American Literature July 6, 2012 Superfast Reader

Synopsis: After a fatal accident claims her best friends and her boyfriend, Mara Dyer starts over and finds love in Miami, only to find herself haunted by PTSD and what may be the ghosts of her dead boyfriend. Review: I was drawn in by the supernatural aspect of The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer, but put off by the Twilightesqueness of the love story between Mara and Noah. The whole “he’s a bad boy with a bad reputation and a big vocabulary” thing really bothered me.…

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