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bookgazing) wrote2009-09-01 05:36 am
bookgazing) wrote2009-09-01 05:36 am
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The Mist in the Mirror - Susan Hill
My first RIP selection was Susan Hill’s slim ghost story ‘The Mist in the Mirror’. I saw ‘The Woman in Black’ preformed on stage a couple of year ago and honestly didn’t want to close my eyes that night in case when I opened them the ghost woman was standing in front of me. It was creepy!
In ‘the Mist in the Mirror’ James Monmouth arrives back in England after years of travelling. He is determined to settle down and write a biography of the great traveller Conrad Vane, but soon finds that his interest in Vane may not be as organic as he believed. His family appears to be linked with the explorer and everywhere Monmouth enquires people throw veiled hints about the evil nature of Vane.
Sadly I didn’t really click with ‘The Mist in the Mirror’. The book is well written, it’s atmosphere and scenery are skilfully crafted to excite your fears. It would be a fantastic book to adapt for film or stage because Hill’s writing style is very descriptive, which would translate into an effective visual representation. It’s a successful imitation of the gothic style of Victorian ghost stories and at times it did hit my scare spot (there’s a sad little boy ghost and I am exceptionally afraid of creepy kids).
Encounters with the object of the main character’s fear were rationed throughout the book, as they should be, because half the scare factor of old style ghost stories is the anticipation of fear. However I felt that for such a small book there was a lot of atmospheric filler, as if the main plot was not enough to sustain the book. It seemed like the author was very focused on matching the style of the genre perfectly and the story of ghosts and why they were appearing got a little lost in amongst the descriptions. Maybe that was just a bit of a mismatch between me and the book, I don’t have a very visual imagination and I have to sort of squint my mind to picture things vividly. It’s not a problem with all descriptive books, but maybe it got in the way with ‘The Mist in the Mirror’.
When I reached the drama of the climax I felt like the ending was quickly wrapped up, with no real explanation. There are vague mentions of a curse and a gypsy woman but the conclusion felt rushed, as if now that the creepy happenings were over and the atmosphere/nature in sympathy/landscape descriptions wouldn’t be at the forefront of the story the book needed to conclude as fast as possible. Very little is made of the phenomenon of the mist in the mirror, which seems odd because it’s mentioned in the title.
THERE ARE SOME SPOILERS AFTER THIS POINT. BE WARNED.
Finally I just couldn’t believe that no one would specifically tell James Monmouth why he shouldn’t pursue the connection between his family and Vane. It seemed plausible at the beginning of the book, when no one wants to seem mad by voicing the idea that Monmouth’s family is followed by ghosts and it followed the genre conventions of heightening the tension by including a secret. Once Monmouth tracks down his last relative and decides to move into his family home it’s completely ridiculous that no one would say ‘Well I wouldn’t if I was you, all your male relatives have been killed by an evil ghost compelled by a curse’ when they all clearly know about it. His last relative is female and dies before he arrives, but she leaves him a note that hints at the idea that men may not be safe in the house. If you know you’re sick and you know your relative has been away from England, away from the entire family since he was young and so will not be aware of the family stories you would leave more than a hint of the danger behind.
So, yes a book that knows how to use the conventions of genre well, but not a book that made the hairs on my neck stand up. If only I had ‘The Woman in Black’ to compare it with.
I'm pretty sure 'Lonely Werewolf Girl' is going to leapfrog over all the other books to become my next RIP pick. I read the first page yesterday and was instantly in puppy love with it (why puppy what big teeth you argagagahhh noooooooo!).
In ‘the Mist in the Mirror’ James Monmouth arrives back in England after years of travelling. He is determined to settle down and write a biography of the great traveller Conrad Vane, but soon finds that his interest in Vane may not be as organic as he believed. His family appears to be linked with the explorer and everywhere Monmouth enquires people throw veiled hints about the evil nature of Vane.
Sadly I didn’t really click with ‘The Mist in the Mirror’. The book is well written, it’s atmosphere and scenery are skilfully crafted to excite your fears. It would be a fantastic book to adapt for film or stage because Hill’s writing style is very descriptive, which would translate into an effective visual representation. It’s a successful imitation of the gothic style of Victorian ghost stories and at times it did hit my scare spot (there’s a sad little boy ghost and I am exceptionally afraid of creepy kids).
Encounters with the object of the main character’s fear were rationed throughout the book, as they should be, because half the scare factor of old style ghost stories is the anticipation of fear. However I felt that for such a small book there was a lot of atmospheric filler, as if the main plot was not enough to sustain the book. It seemed like the author was very focused on matching the style of the genre perfectly and the story of ghosts and why they were appearing got a little lost in amongst the descriptions. Maybe that was just a bit of a mismatch between me and the book, I don’t have a very visual imagination and I have to sort of squint my mind to picture things vividly. It’s not a problem with all descriptive books, but maybe it got in the way with ‘The Mist in the Mirror’.
When I reached the drama of the climax I felt like the ending was quickly wrapped up, with no real explanation. There are vague mentions of a curse and a gypsy woman but the conclusion felt rushed, as if now that the creepy happenings were over and the atmosphere/nature in sympathy/landscape descriptions wouldn’t be at the forefront of the story the book needed to conclude as fast as possible. Very little is made of the phenomenon of the mist in the mirror, which seems odd because it’s mentioned in the title.
THERE ARE SOME SPOILERS AFTER THIS POINT. BE WARNED.
Finally I just couldn’t believe that no one would specifically tell James Monmouth why he shouldn’t pursue the connection between his family and Vane. It seemed plausible at the beginning of the book, when no one wants to seem mad by voicing the idea that Monmouth’s family is followed by ghosts and it followed the genre conventions of heightening the tension by including a secret. Once Monmouth tracks down his last relative and decides to move into his family home it’s completely ridiculous that no one would say ‘Well I wouldn’t if I was you, all your male relatives have been killed by an evil ghost compelled by a curse’ when they all clearly know about it. His last relative is female and dies before he arrives, but she leaves him a note that hints at the idea that men may not be safe in the house. If you know you’re sick and you know your relative has been away from England, away from the entire family since he was young and so will not be aware of the family stories you would leave more than a hint of the danger behind.
So, yes a book that knows how to use the conventions of genre well, but not a book that made the hairs on my neck stand up. If only I had ‘The Woman in Black’ to compare it with.
I'm pretty sure 'Lonely Werewolf Girl' is going to leapfrog over all the other books to become my next RIP pick. I read the first page yesterday and was instantly in puppy love with it (why puppy what big teeth you argagagahhh noooooooo!).