The Little Stranger: shortlisted for the Booker Prize

We were lucky enough to receive a set of books to read and review, we read it during October 2018 and our meeting last night was certainly lively with the group more or less divided as to who or what was behind all the strange happenings.

Was it human or supernatural forces ?

Without wanting to spoil it for other readers it's difficult to really say more on the plot. However we loved the setting and the way Sarah described the house and its inhabitants kept us fully immersed in the period and the chilling sensations while reading felt very real.

One or two found it a bit hard going but had stuck with it and could appreciate the story for it's mystery and suspense.

All in all a good group read and certainly one that provided us with much to debate and to try to understand. We would highly recommend it.

I found this book very long with lots of page filler dialogue. The plot was drawn out and dull but I persisted to the end. I was so disappointed with the book having read Sarah Water's book The Paying Guests which I did enjoy.
I will not be recommending this book.

Portaferry and Kircubbin Reading Group review (October 2018)

Our group was chosen to receive copies to review to coincide with the recent film release.

Well, this book certainly stimulated conversation and discussion. We had a wide range of views from “a bit strange”, through “I didn’t feel empathy with any of the characters”, to “I loved it”. The book was described variedly as atmospheric, long winded, a slow read and not easy to read. One person described it as being a cross between Gosford Park and Downton Abbey. Another summed it up it in three words – bumbliness, messiness, end.

It is the story of a large country house and estate, the impoverished family who lived there and the local family doctor who becomes obsessed with the house and the people in it. Many strange events occur and are blamed on the ghost of a previous child who died around 30 years before. All the characters are wounded in some way and their interactions are sometimes quite embarrassing and painful to read. One by one key members of the family are removed from the house, many from death in various strange ways.

Even though many of our group did not really enjoy the book, all of us noted that it made us think. We pondered over various interpretations of the ending and we were left with many unanswered questions. Was Dr Faraday the “little stranger” of the title? Were the events related to the ghost of the dead child or was Dr Faraday somehow causing the events, acting as a poltergeist? Did Rod have what we would now recognise as PTSD and did this start and/or influence events?

All the group felt the story started very slowly, possibly too slowly, and meandered somewhat, bumbling along with too much scenic description, although almost everyone felt the story described the time and societal mores (just after the war) very well. Once the action and deaths started, though, the story moved on apace. One person had read it before and felt that she preferred it the second time round as she felt the tension more.

Regarding the characters, several people felt there was too much introspection and focus on Doctor Faraday. Again there was a wide range of views about his character: most responded to him unsympathetically, calling him “a bit of a wimp” and “slimy”. Roderick, the son and man of the house, was suffering from his war injuries and finally he was admitted to a mental asylum. Mrs Ayres was a typical gracious matriarch, but needy and reliant on her family. During the book she retreats into her memories (and possible dementia), still mourning the death of her child, finally being found hanged in her bedroom. Caroline was a bit of an enigma, appearing sometimes as a capable, sturdy countrywoman but at other times as a socially inept, gauche girl. The relationship between Dr Faraday and Caroline was quite painful at times and was never going to end well, although Caroline’s death was unexpected. Who was the “you” she saw just before she fell? Was it the doctor or the ghost of the dead child? We do not know. Several people said they felt aggrieved by the ending as the loose ends were not satisfactorily tied up; others preferred being left with questions.

Would we recommend it to others? As a good read, we are not sure, but it certainly is a good book for book club discussion!

Most of the group did enjoy reading this book.
However, some of us found the careful build up and very detailed descriptions a bit tedious.
We can see why it was made into a film: the settings and character analysis are so minutely detailed and the story is told through the eyes of and involves a very few characters. None of us have, as yet, watched the film but we are sure that it will be fascinating with supernatural overtones that are, very cleverly, hinted at and then revealed in such a way that the reader is still not sure what is at work in this Gothic mansion. There does seem to be a nasty little stranger at work or is it all the external manifestations of the family's individual overstressed reaction to the upkeep of a dying house with all its historic and unending demands on their lives.

Some of us really loved this book, but it is not an easy read and does require quite a bit of reading stamina

What a great book, and perfect for a reading group because of the ambiguity. There's a once wealthy family in an old haunted house. Or is it? Maybe it's Doctor Faraday with his resentment of the family and his desire to own the house who's doing it all. After all, he's not that reliable as a narrator. On the other hand, a poltergeist.....? Who knows? Ambiguous. Personally, I think it's the doctor. Can't wait to discuss it at Book Swap, Durham to see what everyone else thinks.

The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters reviewed by KathyL of BiblioBelles, London

Before continuing, I should perhaps state that my reading group, BiblioBelles, received free copies of the film tie-in edition of this book in exchange for reviews.

Many readers will enjoy the supernatural element of this gothic tale as, no doubt, I myself would have done, at some time earlier in my life. Whilst gothic ghost stories are not currently a much favoured genre of mine, there is much that I admired about The Little Stranger. The author, Sarah Waters, is not an author known to me but I appreciated the skill she wields in creating atmosphere. Despite my antipathy towards this type of tale, there were masterly moments of eeriness and quite subtle movements shifting the reader's suspicions about the cause of events. I do wonder how many readers (and whether those readers are fans, or not, of the gothic/ghost genre) are still guessing right to the end.

What I particularly enjoyed about SW's novel was the way she weaves minute details into the setting and action of the tale - minute details describing the physical and emotional world of her characters, as also in the words, expressions and the oft implied tone of their speech. For me, the pleasure in reading this book was the atmosphere of that era: the juxtaposition between old and new, rich and poor, establishment and change, decay and revitalisation. Waters doesn't need to shovel it on heavy to capture and evoke the physical as well as the psychological shifts of the times. It is this building a picture by multiple layers, light as it is, but pervasively and skilfully handled, that leads readers like me to interpret her characters and plot as fuelled and driven by mental psychosis.

Despite having finished reading the book, I am looking forward to viewing the film and don't feel at all that that experience will be marred by my knowing how the book ends. I anticipate spine-chilling moments and hope the film industry have paid as much attention to the details as Waters. Already, I think casting were inspired in their choice of Charlotte Rampling as Mrs Ayers. Of course, I did read the book with her already pictured in mind due to the edition's cover, but strangely could imagine her playing the part right to the finest detail described by Waters! In fact, I'm sure having read the book will increase my enjoyment of the film. Only time will tell ...

... to be continued!

(Film released in UK 21 September 2018)

#The Little Stranger
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