(London: Virago, 2009)
This is a curious book. Although a ghost story, menace and suspense are generated from another quarter altogether, namely the GP’s sexuality. It’s a thoroughly good read: well written, and although the author wears her scholarship lightly, well informed.
I was particularly taken by Waters’ evocation of manners of the landed grand immediately after the second world war. Waters captured the firm but polite ‘management of discourse’ characteristic of the current oldest generation of landed old money – their ability to intimate without ambiguity, and deflect topics which are inappropriate or distasteful. I was pleased that Waters was sympathetic enough towards this echelon of society to portray with conviction, their stoicism. Too often landed old money attracts only castigation and derision.
One criticism – the house. Although this was, in effect, a major character in the plot, I failed to develop a real sense of the place. In fact, overall, the author is much better at conjuring people than place. One felt that she needed to have her characters revisit the relevant areas of the house time and time again, each visit adding more description to the rooms and stairs and so forth in order to build up the reader’s acquaintance with the house. As it is, we were given only the GP’s initial impressions of each area, with unease derived somewhat heavy-handedly from winter gloom, long, cold dark nights, and unexpected noises – the latter very well done.
Not great literature than, but I recommend the book highly as a thoroughly entertaining, light read.
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