In the state of Alabama sits three houses. They have a lovely view, one can walk along the sand and dip their toes in the cool water. Two famil[image]
In the state of Alabama sits three houses. They have a lovely view, one can walk along the sand and dip their toes in the cool water. Two families come to this little slice of paradise called Beldame, the Savages and the McCrays, who've been escaping to this lovely place whenever life gets rough. For some reason no one they've taken outside of their families seems to like the place, but they love it. After the funeral for one the Savages, the two families reunite and visit this lovely place; a place where they seem to repress the unpleasant events that happened there, like that time the hired help's daughter drowned there, or the time one of them visited the third house… the house that seems to be filling with sand.
Why did no one tell me about Michael McDowell? I mean, yes, I've heard of him in some horror circles as an underrated author, but why did no one tell me that his work was THIS good? I'll be blunt; I think this is one of the best horror novels to come out of the 80s… no, I'll go ahead and say it, I think this is my favorite horror novel to come out of the 80s. This is so good I don't even really know how to review it.
Let's get this out of the way; this book is genuinely unnerving. I love the genre, but I can't personally say that about too many horror novels. This book is unsettling. The idea of the title creatures… spirits… things… whatever they are, is unnerving because we never quite understand them. They seem to break rules that we think they are supposed to follow, and part of the brilliant aspect of this book is that it doesn't feel like the author is cheating with this. This is something completely unknowable and any rules it plays by are its own.
This book is filled with so much mystery, so many things that are not quite explained, but never feel as if they need to be. Much of it I wouldn't want to be explained. The mystery adds to it. It makes sense in its own weird way and I can't imagine that it would be improved with the blanks filled in.
I've rarely read a book I enjoyed this much from start to finish. It managed to be funny at times, terrifying at other and for much of it, such a well told southern gothic that I forgot about the horror aspects, just engrossed in the dynamics of these two families. When the horror crept back in, it was a welcome and terrifying surprise. A rare 5/5 stars....more
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