Prepare to be terrified by this cinematic tale of bereft parents and lost children in rural EnglandI maintain read many of Julie Myerson’s preceding nine novels and so I thought I knew how to approach her work: with a sort of wary admiration,realising they will be full of intensity and discomfort but also secure in the knowledge that she’s an extraordinarily deft writer who knows how to keep her reader safe while taking them legal to the edge psychologically. With this 10th novel, The Stopped Heart, and I was unsuitable-footed. There is no safety net. She pushes you legal off the cliff.
This novel is beautifully written and cleverly told. And it’s nearly completely terrifying. It’s not as gothic as something like Susan Hill’s The Woman in Black. But it’s not far off. Its also one of those novels that is impossible to review without spoiling it. So if I’m being cryptic,it’s because I don’t want to ruin this for people who care for to be scared out of their wits. (Reader, your reviewer is a self-confessed wuss.)Continue reading...
Source: theguardian.com