The Little Stranger

The Little Stranger
by Sarah Waters


(Edited) Blurb:

One postwar summer in rural Warwickshire, Dr. Faraday, who has built a life of quiet respectability as a country physician, is called to a patient at lonely Hundreds Hall. Home to the Ayres family for over two centuries, the Georgian house, once impressive and handsome, is now in decline, its masonry crumbling, its gardens choked with weeds, the clock in its stable yard permanently fixed at twenty to nine. Its owners—mother, son, and daughter—are struggling to keep pace with a changing society, as well as with conflicts of their own. But are the Ayreses haunted by something more sinister than a dying way of life? Little does Dr. Faraday know how closely, and how terrifyingly, their story is about to become intimately entwined with his.

My Reaction (with some mild SPOILERS toward the end):
This is my first experience with this author, so I had no preconceptions based on her other novels, a fact that may have actually been in the book's favor, if the bulk of the reviews I've skimmed are any indication.  I enjoyed it, on the whole-- and while that would normally inspire me to add the author's other novels to my mental "books to read" list, reviews by Waters fans disappointed by The Little Stranger have made me hesitant. (That may sound counterintuitive, but the reasons fans mentioned for not liking this book as much as her others gave me the impression that this one is actually better suited to my own tastes, compared to her other works.)


Positives:  
While the pacing was slow at times, it held my interest through 500+ pages.
The setting is perfect for those of us who love a good gothic thriller.
The novel is populated with distinct, interesting characters.
There are some chill-bump-inducing moments.

Negatives:
It really could have been tightened up a little.
The "romance" was frustrating and disappointing (on all levels)-- intentionally so?
If you're reading for the horror, there's probably less than you'd like.
There's a lack of momentum and crescendo as scary moments are frequently weakened and undermined by the juxtaposition of too many non-scary ones.


Overall, while I enjoyed reading it and found it well-written, this is a darker, sadder tale than the first section of the novel led me to expect.  I'd even go so far as to say that it's depressing.  I don't usually think of myself as an incurable optimist, but I persisted in believing we were headed to a relatively happy ending and was rather dismayed as tragic events followed one after another.  No, there is no happy ending for these characters.  That sense of depression is probably more enduring and memorable than the fleeting moments of supernatural terror.

Speaking of endings, The Little Stranger is fairly open to interpretation (madness, a variety of possible supernatural culprits, unreliable narrator, etc.).  I think I know what the author intends us to believe (the reflection in the window is the closest thing we get to an outright answer, I'd say), but she leaves room for us to draw our own conclusions.

I can tell I'll be thinking about this one for a while, even now that I've finished it.  I wouldn't want to read it again, but I "enjoyed" it this time, even with its numbing series of disappointments and descending cloud of depression.  I'm looking forward to seeing the film adaption, at some point.  I hadn't realized there was a film adaptation until after I'd started reading, but it was a welcome surprise.