Friday, December 09, 2022

FFB:THE DAMNED, Andrew Pyper


 

THE DAMNED, Andrew Pyper

I was attracted to this book in my search for a ghost story and because it is mostly set in the suburb next to mine: Royal Oak. MI. Although there is technically a ghost in it I would classify it as a horror story more than a ghost story.

In order for the story to work, you must embrace the idea of a child born bad. I was never quite able to do this so that somewhat impeded my enjoyment of the book.

Twins are born to a family. From the beginning the girl is trouble although just how is never much discussed until the ending. Both almost die at birth and are brought back. At age sixteen, both die again in a fire and this time only the boy is saved. He has always been haunted by his sister in life and now in death, things don't change much. His ability to have a normal life is stopped at every turn.

This was a very well-written book and the setting was interesting for me. Pyper made good use of both Royal Oak and Detroit. But his sister never came to life for me-either alive or dead. There were lots of good plot twists in it, lots of great detail. But I guess I needed someone who didn't slip though my fingers every time I tried to understand her. Her name was Ash and that about sums up her presence.

(first reviewed in 2015)

7 comments:

Lastyear said...

I guess I will have to check this out since I live in Royal Oak.

Steve Oerkfitz said...

Hit wrong button. Lastyear is me.

Margot Kinberg said...

I agree with you about the idea of a child being born bad, Patti. I think that would take away from the book for me, too. That said, though, it does sound the sort of book that could draw one in.

Jeff Meyerson said...

Yeah, that was my problem with THE OMEN too. I couldn't buy the premise.

pattinase (abbott) said...

The idea of an evil child worked best for me in Doris Lessing's THE FIFTH CHILD.

TracyK said...

The setting sounds good, and also twins, but I usually avoid horror. Ghost stories too for that matter, but I am more open to those than horror.

Todd Mason said...

Well...ghost stories don't have to be horror stories, and horror fiction certainly doesn't have to have ghosts in it, but there certainly is a Large overlap...

I still haven't read Pyper, I think.

Things can make people very maladaptive from birth, but I'll take a monster-child in a fantasy context for as long as the device is used cleverly.