While You Sleep by Stephanie MerrittMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
While You Sleep by Stephanie Merritt is a gorgeously gothic thriller, packed full of atmosphere and suspense, it follows American artist Zoe as she leaves behind her life and estranged husband to spend some time in an isolated Scottish house with an eerie history.
The setting of a tiny, remote Scottish island adds a claustrophobic twist to the tale, with tension building up from both the isolated location and the close-knit community. I found While You Sleep to be a little slow going to begin with, using the go-to thriller mechanic of strange noises and an eerie atmosphere. But the book soon takes an interesting diversion, replacing Zoe's feelings of dread and fear with an unsettling eroticism and general unease.
On paper this reads very much like a formulaic horror-thriller. Single, lonely woman in a strange, haunted house, but there's much more to this story and Stephanie Merritt's writing and ideas keep things fresh, throwing ghostly singing, demon lovers and witchy women into the mix.
My only criticism is that I predicted the twists in the story before the big reveal, which removed some of the knife-edge paciness that I prefer in thrillers. However, it was certainly an enjoyable and fresh take on the classic haunted house tale.
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