Helen Grant (1) (1964–)

Originally posted on Just Geeking by.

Content warnings:
This book contains scenes discussing the death of loved ones off page, this includes deaths from cancer and a stroke. Grief is an ongoing theme throughout the book. There are deaths on page, and flash-back scenes with details of deaths.

World War I is discussed, including discussions of men dying in action and a scene in a hospital detailing war injuries in graphic detail.

A character is the victim of domestic abuse (physical and emotional show more abuse) and flashback scenes give details of the abuse. This includes a miscarriage.

A character also experiences coercive and financial abuse, on page. As an abuse survivor, I found these scenes and the topic of abuse handled sensitively by the author. Please be aware that these scenes may be difficult for some readers.

This book also contains violence, alcohol use, body horror, blackmail, coercion, physical assault, fire, and death by fire.

I’ve had the pleasure of reading several works by Helen Grant, including her novel Too Near the Dead and her short story collection, The Sea Change & Other Stories, and in my opinion, Jump Cut is her best work yet.

Theda Garrick has just lost her husband, Max, and in an attempt to run away from her grief and everything that reminds her of her new status as a widow, she has jumped on the opportunity of a lifetime. Ageing actress Mary Arden has never given an interview – until now. That in itself is enough to get Theda heading for Arden’s, but the icing on the cake is that Arden is willing to discuss The Simulacrum, an infamous lost film that Arden starred in. No one has ever seen the film, and no one involved with it has ever spoken about it. It’s the perfect topic for Theda’s first book.

Since no one has seen Mary Arden in decades, Theda doesn’t know quite what to expect from the one-hundred-and-four-year-old film star. She certainly isn’t expecting a conniving old hag who will only talk to her in return for details about Theda’s life, and Arden is only satisfied with the ones that hurt Theda the most; her life with Max. The exact thing she was hoping to escape.

As Theda does her best to handle Arden’s requests, she slowly gets the information she came for; the story of The Simulacrum. It’s more unbelievable than anything she could have imagined. She gets one hour a day with Arden and the rest of the day she has the grounds of Arden’s Art Deco mansion Garthside to herself, everywhere apart from the East Wing where Arden lives.

The more time Theda spends at Garthside, the more she realises something is going on. Something dangerous, something that can’t possibly be real. Just when she thinks of leaving, Arden drops a bombshell that ensures Theda will stick around a bit longer. But soon Theda realises that no price is worth what Arden is offering…

In Jump Cut, the reader gets three stories for the price of one. Through Mary Arden, we hear the story of director Lillian Velderkaust and her lover Hugh Mason, which led to Lillian making The Simulacrum starring Arden. Part of the story that Arden retells has been told to her second-hand, and as she tells it, she recalls how Lillian told it to her and how she reacted to it. Jump Cut is narrated from a first-person perspective, offering us Theda’s thoughts and responses as Arden speaks.

Grant capitalises on the power of oral storytelling to create a powerful bond between the storyteller, Arden, and the listener, Theda and the reader. As a result, the interview scenes between Arden and Theda are highly emotional scenes that draw the reader in. I felt as though I was sitting in the room with the characters.

Having lulled the reader into a false sense of security, Grant vividly breaks that bond when Arden switches from the role of storyteller to that of manipulator as she breaks roles and demands details of Theda’s life. The whiplash of emotions is shocking and doesn’t stop being shocking in future interview sessions. Through Arden’s interrogations, Theda tells her story, and here Grant handles a difficult topic with sensitivity (see the content warnings for more details).

I found Mary Arden to be completely fascinating, and it is in the scenes between her and Theda that Grant’s skill shines. Most of the time, the ageing actress just seems like a bored rich crone getting her last thrills from harassing a young woman mourning the recent loss of her husband. At times, there are brief flickers of concern as she coaxes details from Theda, taking on the role of a perverse therapist before she turns cold again.

The third story that is told in Jump Cut is that of Theda’s time at Garthside, and here Grant draws on her considerable background in horror. With things going bump in the night, secret off-limit areas of the manor, and shifty answers from staff, Grant has the reader primed for answers.

I refer to these as stories rather than plots because storytelling is such a prominent and important feature of Jump Cut, and Grant masterfully uses it to build suspense. It accumulates throughout the book as each of the stories converge into the final reveal, and what a reveal it is! Grant has a wicked imagination, as seen in her previous work, but she has outdone herself in Jump Cut. This thrill ride will stick with you long after you have read it. I highly recommend it for horror and thriller fans, especially those who like to learn new things. Old films have never been something of interest to me, but I enjoyed learning about them in this book.

BLOG | REVIEWS | REVIEW SCHEDULE | TWITTER | INSTAGRAM | PINTEREST |
show less

Originally posted on Just Geeking by.

I’m still not sure what it is about Too Near the Dead that drew me in. When the review request arrived in my inbox I looked it over, pondering it and then kept coming back to it until I had to finally admit that I wasn’t sure whether I would like the book, but there was something about the synopsis that was nagging at me. The synopsis suggests a book that could be pure horror, perhaps a paranormal story or just a plain old thriller. I’m not sure show more whether Too Near the Dead is going to end up being contemporary fiction, or something that is very much my type of story. And yet there I was going back to it again and again until I had to admit that I needed to know what happens in Too Near the Dead.

That is the sign of an excellent synopsis.

The answer, as you can see from my rating, is yes; the calibre of writing in Too Near the Dead held up nicely. Grant whisks the reader away to a remote area of Perthshire for a ghost story that will chill you to your bones – and that is coming from someone who does not get chilled to the bones. I have read many horror books and some really odd and weird horror stories in my time, and very rarely do I find myself getting freaked out. However, one night when I was home alone, and I was reading Too Near the Dead I realised very suddenly that I was home, alone, in Scotland on a cold autumn night with just a cat to keep me company. Let’s just say I’m glad that I live in a town near Glasgow and not out in a more rural part of Scotland…

Too Near the Dead is a nice mixture of genres that will appeal to a variety of readers. For me, a horror and fantasy fan, there was just the right blend of the supernatural and horror elements with contemporary fiction to keep me hooked. Likewise, this is very much a thriller and a whodunnit mystery that spans a few hundred years. Mix in local history and urban legends, and you’re beginning to get a feeling of what Too Near the Dead is like. It’s all held together by Grant’s wonderful storytelling, which is so good that I was several chapters into the book before I realised it was in present tense, something I normally hate and find quite difficult to read. I had zero issue with it in Too Near the Dead.

Fen was a brilliantly genuine protagonist who I appreciated for not being overdramatic, and the same could be said for her fiancé James and the other supporting characters. There is a scene in Too Near the Dead where Fen and James have to deal with a major relationship issue, and in most books it would have become the biggest drama fest in the world. Instead, after the initial argument, they talked about it like the mature adults they were. It didn’t go on for days or end up growing into a huge thing. It’s one of the few times I’ve seen a couple argue in a book and felt like a real life couple was actually being represented. I also really enjoyed the glimpses into the world of publishing and editing offered by Grant through the eyes of her characters. The level of detail given to Fen and James’ history made the story much more interesting and helped me connect with them easier as a reader.

Too Near the Dead is one of those books that teaches you to step outside your comfort zone from time to time because you will find a hidden gem. I certainly did with this one, although I won’t be making the mistake of reading something by Helen Grant while home alone again! If you’re looking for a spooky read in the run-up to Halloween, then this is a great one to get you in the mood.

For more of my reviews please visit my blog! show less

Bad Munstereiffel is small German town that ten-year-old Pia Kolvenbach inhabits with her younger brother, father, and British mother. Known as the girl whose grandmother blew up during Advent, Pia is ostracized from her classmates and regulated to being friends with the least popular boy in the school, StinkStefan, when the vanishings start. First it's Katharina Linden in her Snow White costume during Carnival, but as more and more girls Pia's age start to disappear, Pia wants to discover show more who is making these girls disappear.

This book is a wonderful piece of craftsmanship, combining mystery, horror, and suspense with the town's local history. Helen Grant is a master storyteller in depicting small town gossip, the intricate relationships between people, and the mystery behind the disappearances. A fantastic read and highly recommended. show less

This is one of the Alex winners from last year that actually stayed with me. I find myself thinking about this book far more often than I anticipated, even after first reading. I've read criticism of the author's age treatment of Pia-- namely that she felt overly naive and childish. That's actually one of the reasons I like this book. Pia isn't precocious, and Stephan is only slightly so. The tone matches that of fairy tales very well (far better than Book of Lost Things and others like it). show more The twist ending isn't so much the resolution of the central mystery, but rather Pia's eventual realization that the world isn't quite as she has crafted it for herself. No one has a permanent role. show less