Four Stars
Though I didn't find the initial plot between the novels protagonist, Gerard Freeman, and his mysterious pen-pal particularly compelling at first, it became progressively more intriguing, just as the ghost stories woven into the narrative became more complex. The novel is an intricate tapestry of story telling; the tales Harwood inserts into the novel could stand alone as ingenious gothic stories in their own right, whilst their seamless transition from seemingly irrelevant asides to integral pieces in the overall plot is masterfully, and effortlessly, achieved. The conclusion, whilst not exactly an anti-climax, did strike me as hurried, which was incongruous compared with the slow, deliberate pace of the rest of the novel. Whatever the conclusion though, the novels is really underpinned by Viola's tales, and it is their haunting words that linger with you regardless of the fate of Gerard Freeman.
No comments:
Post a Comment