The Fall by Bethany Griffin (2014)
Harrowing: memorable
Book cover blurb
MADELINE USHER IS DOOMED.
The House of Usher lives and breathes around her. For generations, it has sent every usher spiralling into madness. It claimed her mother and her father. Now it wants Madeline and her twin brother.
No one can help them. But no one, no other Usher in the generations of their haunted family, has known the house the way Madeline does.
She may finally be the one who can destroy it all.
Until she wakes up in a coffin.
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My Review
I'm struggling with just how to write this review because I've never read a book quite like this before.
Like so many books I buy, it was the cover of this one that attracted me, I was also quite intrigued by the blurb, which I rarely read. Then I discovered this story is based on the classic 'The Fall of the House of Usher' by Edgar Allan Poe, which I haven't read, and since I'm trying to stretch myself and read some of the more notable classics, I thought this might be an interesting read.
I'm not really into horror books, although I have read a few, but I'm always willing to try different things. This doesn't really fall into the horror category in my opinion. It is about a haunted house, and spooky things are going on, but the majority of that is actually downplayed as we see everything through the eyes of Madeline, the main character, who is stronger than she realises and resists a lot of the horrors surrounding her.
Bethany Griffin does a fantastic job of giving her prose the feel of old-world writing without resorting to the complex and often cumbersome wording of those classics. She also adds a great deal of interest by making her chapters incredibly short. Anywhere from half a page to a maximum of four pages, jumping into different ages of the main character with each chapter change. This technique also allows the author to focus specifically on meaningful aspects of Madeline's life, resulting in the fact that there is no 'fat' in this book, every sentence is relevant.
The ending was not what I was expecting, but I have to say I think it was more satisfying, in the context of the book, than the obvious 'happy ever after'.
I really enjoyed this read, although it's hard to use the word enjoy, simply because of the horrendous life having to be endured by Madeline, but it was utterly intriguing, mainly down to how the author constructed the story through the book's layout. This was definitely a memorable experience.
My copy of this novel
Greenwillow hardback edition.
Published in 2014
420 pages
ISBN 9780062107855