Starred review from January 13, 2020
A sense of eerie disquiet pervades this impressive supernatural thriller from Campbell (The Influence), winner of the Bram Stoker and World Fantasy Lifetime Achievement Award. Patrick Torrington’s aunt Thelma, a misunderstood surrealist artist, died under mysterious circumstances when Patrick was a teenager. Now, years later, Patrick’s 15-year-old son, Roy, takes an interest in Thelma’s work, including a diary where she recorded the places she turned into landscapes. Father and son attempt to piece together the truth behind Thelma’s death, joined by Roy’s eccentric friend, Bella. Patrick begins to suspect that Bella’s wide-eyed innocence is merely a facade for a sinister motive when her relationship with Roy turns first romantic then co-dependent. In his search for answers about his aunt, Patrick discovers hints of the occult in Thelma’s paintings and realizes that both his son and the world are in danger. With razor-sharp prose, Campbell layers his satisfying narrative with intricate, unsettling details to create the feeling of glimpsing something strange out of the corner of one’s eye. Fans of cerebral, slow-burning horror will enjoy this twisty treat. Agent: Kay McCauley, Aurous.
Starred review from February 15, 2020
Patrick Torrington's seemingly ordinary life is upended when his teenage son, Roy, begins to take an interest in arcane paintings left behind by Patrick's aunt. And something else captures Roy's interest: a new friend, who accompanies him on excursions to the same sites that inspired the paintings. Roy soon begins to falter, his health seeming to fail more with each new visit. When Patrick discovers that the locations are all tied to sinister magical history, his suspicions and his commitment to save his son grow even stronger. Campbell's recent work (including Thirteen Days by Sunset Beach, 2018) has been consistently good, but this novel seems infused with a special sense of dread that rarely finds full realization in any fiction. It hearkens back to early titans of the genre, like Algernon Blackwood and Arthur Machen, while simultaneously feeling fresh and modern. Campbell's existing fans will be delighted and, with folk horror being red hot right now, it's certainly likely that this book will find readers beyond his usual audience. Another towering achievement from one of the genre's living legends.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2020, American Library Association.)