My workplace has recently started a book club and our first book to read and discuss was The Little Stranger by Sarah Walters. The novel’s set in post WWII England and is focused around a village doctor and an aristocratic family that’s making the transition from genteel poverty to straight up poverty.
First up, this book is very British, there are many instances where the characters do that complaining-disguised-as-humour thing that’s quintessential for people there. Secondly, the book’s very gothic. So if you don’t like English and/or gothic literature you’re probably not going to have a good time.
I’m not a big gothic reader, but I found the book very absorbing and spent a lot of time trying to figure out what was going on at the house. Walters was very good at keeping you guessing, I had my suspicions in the last few chapters, but they weren’t confirmed until literally the very last sentence of the book.
My recommendation for those of you who read it is to look at the themes of the novel that you get you a lot closer to solving the mystery than looking at the hard evidence.
SPOILER: >!Was anyone else pissed off that at the end the Doctor basically got what he wanted, learnt nothing from his actions and had no repercussions? At least Betty got out okay.!<
by Mogster94
1 Comment
Love this book.
I get your frustration about the ending but to me it >!fit the general atmosphere of doom and I thought the fact she could get the “solution” through to the reader without ever having the narrator catch on!< was part of what made it great.