The Small Hand by Susan HillMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
"The lawn
Is pressed by unseen feet, and ghosts return
Gently at twilight, gently go at dawn,
The sad intangible who grieve and yearn..."
T.S. Eliot (To Walter de la Mare)
Is pressed by unseen feet, and ghosts return
Gently at twilight, gently go at dawn,
The sad intangible who grieve and yearn..."
T.S. Eliot (To Walter de la Mare)
A delicious little ghost story, The Small Hand is by the same author who wrote The Woman in Black (once a stage show, now a movie).
The Small Hand's protagonist is Adam Snow, an antique book dealer who one day finds himself lost in the Sussex countryside, where he stumbles across a derelict Edwardian abode and garden known as the White House. Drawn into what was once a public garden by its now overgrown dark charm and mystique, Adam unmistakingly feels the sensation of a small child slipping its hand into his. So begins a series of frighteningly haunting events that will reveal to Adam (and the reader) a forgotten past and a disturbing hidden secret.
Wonderfully enticing, The Small Hand flows effortlessly from start to finish, the author easily conjuring images of the forgotten Edwardian house and garden and the spirits that reside within. A story where the power of the dead sends shivers down the spine, this novella is a classic ghost story with the intrigue and suspense expected, and a slightly cliche, non-happy ending.
That sounds like a book that is right up my alley! I like derelict Edwardian abodes!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the book reviews, it's great to learn about new books.