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Phil Leader (619 KP) rated In Shadows Waiting in Books
Nov 15, 2019
When Simon Reynolds thinks he sees a shadow flit outside the window of the house he shares with his family, he doesn't think much of it. But when there are more ocurrences and other members of the family (including the dog) become unsettled by things not quite seen, it is clear that there is something not quite normal at work.
As the days go by the menace becomes clearer. What is going on and why?
This is very much a traditional ghost story told very effectively by Bint from Simon's point of view. The whole story is also told by Simon as a flashback so we are aware that there are tragic consequences.
The air of menace in the first half of the book is palpable. The ghost is only glimpsed and can be explained away in the cold light of day. As the plot progresses and the threat becomes more real I felt that this sense was lost - but perhaps this is inevitable. Things half-seen out of the window at dusk mean nervous glances out of the windows when reading, but more substantial manifestations don't invoke quite the same sense.
By that time however the reader will be very keen to see what happens to Simon and his family. The past is demanding a price from the present, but who is going to pay it?
As the days go by the menace becomes clearer. What is going on and why?
This is very much a traditional ghost story told very effectively by Bint from Simon's point of view. The whole story is also told by Simon as a flashback so we are aware that there are tragic consequences.
The air of menace in the first half of the book is palpable. The ghost is only glimpsed and can be explained away in the cold light of day. As the plot progresses and the threat becomes more real I felt that this sense was lost - but perhaps this is inevitable. Things half-seen out of the window at dusk mean nervous glances out of the windows when reading, but more substantial manifestations don't invoke quite the same sense.
By that time however the reader will be very keen to see what happens to Simon and his family. The past is demanding a price from the present, but who is going to pay it?