The Night Strangers (2011)

I was unfortunately unable to get into this one. I read almost half of this book and the plot was going so slowly that it failed to keep me interested. Plus, the local 'shamans' that kept talking about needing the blood of a twin that had been traumatized in order to complete the ritual? Sorry, you lost me with that.

4.25 stars

Pilot Chip manages to steer his airplane - it has hit some geese - into some water, but still, the majority of people on his plane die. Suffering from PTSD, he and his family (his wife, Emily, and twin daughters, Hallie and Garnet), move to a secluded house in New Hampshire. The house has a door in the basement that has been bolted shut; it's obvious by the length and number of bolts, no one was meant to go in there. As Emily, Hallie and Garnet all make new friends, it appears there are two kinds of people in their new town: those who are herbalists, who all have greenhouses (there is one on the yard of Emily and Chip's new house, as well) and those who aren't herbalists. There is an obvious division.

I listened to the audio, which was narrated by two people. One narrated when it was Chip's point of view, but the narration was in the second person, so Chip was “you” (I'm not sure I've read anything written in the second person, before; it was actually kind of neat). The other narrator narrated when it was anyone else's point of view – usually Emily's or one of the girls', but occasionally one of the other characters. The audio also included a brief, but interesting, interview with the author.

Ok, this book really started off with a bang – the plane crash. The description was absolutely amazing!!! Once the family moved to N.H., the pace slowed down quite a bit, though there was still some suspense due to the door in the basement and voices one of the girls was hearing. The book really picked up again at the very end of the book. This was really good. My second book by Bohjalian and I am so impressed. I'm looking forward to reading more by him. ( )

Wait, whut? I'm not sure what to make of this one. Though a quick and entertaining read, there were just too many horror fiction cliches going on, and I didn't really connect with any of the Linton family. Airline captain 'Chip' Linton's breakdown after ditching his plane was convincing enough, and the second person narrative effectively prevented the reader from identifying too much with him, but the ghosts, and the haunted house, and the Stepford-esque community, never really flowed into one story. Perhaps if the tormented souls plaguing Chip had been conjured up by the disturbing history of the house, and the crazy townsfolk were legitimately bonkers, the plot would have made sense, on a Turn of the Screw level. 'The herbalists' were scary, but more so before their secret was revealed, like members of a bizarre cult (or health food fanatics). And the ending was completely over the top, followed by a depressing epilogue, but overall, the author's style and pacing kept me reading. Freaky, but fun. ( )

Note: I received this book as a giveaway from the Goodreads First Reads program.

Well, this book was not quite what I expected. From the back of the book, I thought this was going to be a variation on the popular "haunted house terrorizes its residents" trope that I typically enjoy. But instead, this novel focused more on the inner (and, in a supernatural sense, the outer) demons that haunt us from traumas we experience and another trope, namely "the neighbors are not who you think they are." I enjoyed Bohjalian's descriptions (though they got lengthy at times...I'm not the type to particularly care about the color of the tights a woman is wearing) and I thought the characters were good, although at times a bit unbelievable. The major strength here was probably the exploration of the characters of Chip and Emily; one attempting to rebuild his life despite a significant horrific event and another trying to support the other while becoming more and more disconcerted by the other's behavior. The writing is top notch as well; while slow going at first, I found myself fairly entranced as the book went on by the way that Bohjalian twisted his plot with his prose and by the general creepiness of the atmosphere he had created.

But the book has two plot lines that don't quite converge successfully, and as I said before the characters' actions were at times incredible. Without getting into spoiler territory, I felt like the parents in particular did not act very parent-like for much of the novel. And then there was the ending. I note from the reviews here that a lot of digital ink has been spilled over the way Bohjalian decided to finish things, and I don't know if I have much to add beyond the fact that I did not like it.

Overall, I rate this four stars because of the fairly decent scares, the good character development in some respects and the creation of a good atmosphere with sufficient detail to make me feel like I was there. But Bohjalian I think should have selected one of the two plot lines to focus on, he could have created A LOT more depth for several of the characters, and he needed to make the ending less gut punching. A satisfying read, but not one I'm likely to revisit. ( )

Chip Linton, an experienced commercial jet pilot, cannot let go of the terrible accident that cost the lives of 39 passengers and crew. He and his wife Emily decide to move the family to a small town in New Hampshire, and start over again. While Emily and their twin daughters settle into a new job and a new school, Chip is left alone at home to deal with the renovations--and his demons.

The people in town immediately take the family under their wing. Women with baked goods and dinners show up frequently, and it is not long before the Lintons feel secure in their new town, and grateful for the warm welcome. But there is something a little off with some of the women in town: they seem a little too interested Garnet and Hallie, the Linton twins. And Chip is becoming increasingly unhinged by what he's found in the basement, and by the visitations from three of his dead passengers.

A very spooky read reminiscent of Ira Levin. Shades of The Stepford Wives color the book, and it almost felt like Roman Castavet from Rosemary's Baby made an appearance. Whenever the town patriarch, John Hardin, had dialogue, I heard Sidney Blackmer's voice in my head. I appreciated Bohjalian's style, and I will be picking up more books by him in the future. ( )