A Stir of Echoes

Tom, a typical 1950s suburban guy, is hypnotized as a party trick by his brother-in-law and develops psychic powers. Not only can he now sense the disgusting thoughts swirling through all his neighbors' minds, he also must solve the mystery of the ghost who keeps appearing in his living room, while reassuring his wife that he is not going crazy. This is a quick read, sometimes shocking, but not at all scary, despite the ghost. It explores some typical Matheson themes--sudden transformation and resulting isolation from a masculine point of view. I enjoyed this, but I thought both [The Shrinking Man] and [I Am Legend] tackled similar themes in a more satisfying way. This one does a good job of exposing the underbelly hiding beneath show more squeaky-clean 1950s suburbia, though; that's where the real horror lies. A bit dated, as women do not come off well in this novel; all of the female characters seem shrewish, slutty, or baby-crazy. I was pretty uncomfortable with the "jokes" about punching pregnant women in the stomach. show less

A man agrees to be hypnotized as part of a party trick, and then in the next few days, to his horror, he begins to realize that the hypnosis seems to have awakened in him telepathic abilities. He starts foreseeing the shadows of dead and murder all around him, which puts a bit of the strain on his marriage and his own sanity.

The story is good and well-written, of course, but I think I was expecting more from Matheson here because usually his stuff really wows me. That’s not to say that it isn’t absolutely readable and enjoyable, though, and if you like this sort of mild horror, I recommend it.

“Anne and I both knew that what Phil had started was still very much with us.”

A man gets hypnotized at a dinner party and the next night he sees a ghost. And then he finds that he may have psychic abilities. So, of course, he and his pregnant wife are freaked out!

The story starts slowly, but as the main character and his wife become more freaked out, and the incidents of clairvoyancy and psychic phenomenon increase, the intensity of the book just ratchets up! I'd be freaked out if it were me! Matheson does an excellent job of increasing the pressure on his characters, and his readers!

“Maybe we’re all monsters underneath, I said.”

Tom Wallace is happy with his suburban lot Until an evening of casual entertainment turns reality into nightmare Tom sees himself as a pragmatist. and when his brother-in-law challenges him to undergo hypnotism. He obliges to prove a point. So, no one is more surprised that Tom when it works. But this cheap parlor trick unlocked something that now threatens his sanity, his way of life and his marriage. Suddenly he can sense his neighbor's darkest desires. and some are dark indeed. When shadows from the past and glimpses of the future are revealed to him. Tom tries to deny what's happening. But as his existence becomes increasingly unbearable. the biggest revelation of all awaits...a message from beyond the grave.

I saw the movie show more starring Kevin Bacon when it came out and I thought it did a great job without "modernizing" this already well-done story. They kept some of the same elements, although they did change the person who was murdered and the reason why. Although this book was published the late 1950's, actually in 1958, and you can feel that the women in the story, as it usually was in this time period, are entirely dependent on their husbands. It gives "2026 you", a claustrophobic feeling. The reader is also "dropped" into a quiet suburban community where everyone knows everyone and sees everyone at the same dinner parties and other social events.

Our story follows Tom Wallace. Tom is happily married to Anne. They have a small son, Richard, and are expecting another baby very soon. Tom works at a plant in town and seems to be content with his life. Then Tom's brother-in-law comes to visit, they go to visit with one of the neighbors. Over the course of various friendly discussions, the subject comes up about hypnosis and Tom agrees to be hypnotized. His brother-in-law tells him to "let his mind be free” and that seems to awaken "something" in Tom that he had never experienced before. Tom is now seeing ghosts and is able to sense and see what other people are feeling and doing. Tom is getting sicker and more disturbed by his newfound and unwanted abilities. He desperately wants to rid himself of the ghost that are now calling on him every night. Things are really getting stirred up in this once sleepy little community and all is not what it seems to be.

Tom told us his story, and he was a great narrator. We learned how much he loved his wife and how he feels about most of his neighbors, which was mostly ambivalent or simply indifferent. His mind becomes “free” and he becomes more attuned to them, and he finds that he is actually oftentimes sickened by their behavior. He feels trapped when he is close to any of the women in the community, especially if it seems that they might be okay with the idea of having an affair. He learns that many of his neighbors have disturbing, and even toxic, marriages. Richard Matheson does a really great job of contrasting Tom with them.

It seemed a bit odd that Tom’s wife Anne was a willing partner in this. She seemed to change quickly from what she appeared to be at the start of the story. She quickly became angry and resentful of what this new "ability" is doing to Tom, and she seemed to "abandon" him at times. You can put yourself in her place and begin to understand the "why" after a while as this whole thing with Tom has been alien to her. Tom was supposed to provide for their family and protect them and now she fears what he sees and what he chooses to tell her or worse yet...NOT to tell her.

The tone of the writing was perfect and "right", for this period of time...the 1950's. The story flowed from beginning to end, and I had no problem with the direction the author chose to take us. The setting of the late 1950s and early 1960s was perfect also as well as, believable. There is also a definite surprise at the end. A good 5-star worthy read. show less

I loved the book over the movie primarily because of the internal struggles. Coming to grips with telepathy reminded me a lot of Stephen King, which is of course very backwards. I see why SK touted Matheson as one of the greats. It's all about magical realism and the details that center everything in regular life, and then pull the character, kicking and screaming, into the fantastic.

It is only a minor complication that the novel was a ghost story. It didn't even need to end up that way, but it did. The resolution only made me think about the unwritten resolutions, and the story continues on in my mind. Any novel that builds a life of its own, despite itself, should be considered a great novel. I still want to keep reading. :)

The perfect suburban ghost story. Matheson always did have a way with blending the mundane job of living a working life with the supernatural forces that might swirl just beyond perception and will rush in given a chance. His work was consistently at the top of the field and A STIR OF ECHOES is no exception.

It's the simplest of simple plots. A working man gets hypnotized, hypnotist accidently opens the man's mind to the great beyond, and man starts to experience the wider world of the weird beyond his normal day to day life - including the strange woman in his living room.

Matheson makes it work by populating the tale with believeable characters, and by hitting us with several set pieces that not only ramp up the tension but are show more genuinely creepy and have that 'cold tingle in the spine' moment that marks all the best ghost stories.

The Kevin Bacon movie went all out on the special effects for this one, but they weren't needed. It's the quiet moments, spent alone in the dark with what's inside - and outside - your mind that makes this so effective.

For me, one of the best haunting novels ever written. It's short, fast, and packs a real punch. show less

This is a ghost story and the book creeped me out. Not however because it is a ghost story. This isn't a scary book with respect to ghosts. There's an attempt to build all that up but the ghost bit, it didn't really work for me except ... except that the characters and worries in here get under your skin. My skin anyway. This is a creepy book because it digs into the underbelly of the mythical suburban family life of the 1950's. A couple of the neighbors were way too effed up and nasty. I was offended a number of times (multiple 'joking' references to punching pregnant women in the belly). Then there's the babysitter ... Some people really like this book. There are a bunch of 4 and 5 star ratings on this. I can see someone who likes show more getting creeped out giving this 4 or 5 stars. The end surprised me, but not entirely. Matheson plays fair with the reader. I'll probably have a few nightmares from this one.

Matheson has written some famous stuff. He wrote the story for what became the classic Twilight Zone episode 'Nightmare at 20,000 feet' with William Shatner. Among other things he also wrote 'I Am Legend' which was first turned into the film 'Last Man on Earth' then 'Omega Man' and more recently into the film 'I Am Legend'. This story, 'A Stir of Echoes' was made into a movie as well, about 20 years ago, although I never saw it. Others include Hell House, Duel, The Incredible Shrinking Man and more. My favorite film adaptation of a story would be 'Somewhere In Time' with Jane Seymour and Christopher Reeve. show less