Ghost Wall

A quick whiplash of a read that feels akin to a Shirley Jackson story.

Playing good old days
no one had to drive a bus
everyone died young.

4.5 stars

Absolutely exceptional coming of age tale with dark/gothic small town vibes. I think of this book all of the time. Sarah Moss's writing just makes me feel at home.

The Blurb

I found the blurb for this book, with hindsight, a little misleading. Similarly it's classification in ‘Horror' fiction and whatever algorithm suggested it to me having just finished a ghost story. If you find yourself thinking this is a ghost horror; it's not. There are no ghosts nor any supernatural goings on. To me, expecting a ghost story I was a little disappointed - more on what's actually in the book later.

The Prose
This is written in what I can only think to describe as continuous prose. There are no speech marks and no new lines for dialogue. There's internal and vocalised dialogue mixed in together that is hard to differentiate. It is one long train of thought from the narrator, Sylvie, and it does get hard to follow. I was OK dealing with it around 70% of the time and the remainder I found myself puzzling, re-reading and ultimately being jarred out of the flow of the story. This meant I couldn't fully engage with the story because of both content and style.

The Story
As I mentioned before, there's no ghosts. I kept reading in the hope that some would appear once the eponymous Ghost Wall was constructed by the characters. Still, no. Instead the story is one of domestic abuse and violence enacted by Sylvie's Dad on both her and her mother. The setting of an experiential archaeology field trip is superfluous to the central story of the abuse and the story could have been set anywhere. I found a lot of it an unpleasant read - with a knot in my stomach and a desperate desire to jump into the story and talk some sense into everyone involved. I was frustrated and angry.That is the greatest success of this book: that it makes you feel angry and awkward and impotent at the plight of two women being physically and psychologically abused. It is also for this reason I find it a little disrespectful to classify the book as 'horror'. Not to the author, or the book, but to the real people in real life who have to suffer like Sylvie and her mum. Those situations are horrifying and they are real. I know it's unlikely the exact events of Ghost Wall have happened in real life but many similar things have - and they are not 'horror' fiction.OverallIt is a realistic account of domestic abuse and especially how it can mess with the victim's mind. If you weren't expecting that, then be aware this won't be a pleasant read. The style of the prose is hard to stick with and you may get lost along the way. The story ends just as Sylvie might be getting a chance at something better - and I want to read about that - which was a little frustrating as well. The blurb and classification of the book are a bit off; do a bit more research than I did and read through other people's reviews - don't just look at the average rating.

The combined issues I've highlighted, for me, detracted from the overall experience. I would still say it was an important read even if I didn't like it much in the end. It is certainly not an easy read.

Ghost Wall is fine. It's very short (my edition is 130 pages) and it really could have been shorter. I found the setting to be very interesting but I just never became that invested in it. I don't know what put me off, I just know that I predicted a more violent ending with a different victim and was a little sad when it didn't pan out that way.
I loved the cover (I had the US edition) and I loved the shape and feel of the book in my hand and that added to the pleasure of reading it. I wondered, several times, if I would have liked this one more had I been reading it outside in spring-like weather. Possibly.

I am going to be thinking about this one for a long time. The narrators voice lulls you into a sense of repetitive daily life in this re-enactment, but there is so much more going on. I was surprised it took so long to get the ghost wall, but I think the reader's anxious wait adds to the slow dreadful build up. And the end is a good ending spot, but there is so much more I want to know.

This review can also be found on my blog.

4.5 stars
cw: domestic abuse
disclaimer: I received an advanced copy of this book from the publisher in a Goodreads giveaway. All of the opinions presented below are my own.

Without a house, it occurred to me, it is much harder to restrict a person's movement. Harder for a man to restrain a woman.

→ What I Liked:

The Characters
I enjoyed how distinctly different all the characters were. Much like The Stepford Wives, the women seemed much more well-developed than the men, who had a more singular purpose. I thought Sylvie and her thoughts were well-written, and I really appreciated the relationship between her and Molly. I also loved that Sylvie was queer-coded, although that wasn't the focus of the story at all.

The Writing
Sarah Moss is able to slowly build up such an intense feeling of dread that it's impressive. While the story begins in a rather innocuous manner, it's revealed bit by bit that something just isn't quite right. This is done in a rather impressive manner and eventually leads to an emotional climax the likes of which I haven't experienced in quite some time. I'll admit it, I may have shed a tear or two at the last line.

Cold water wavered over my legs, stroked some of the soreness from my skin. I imagined the shame carried away like blood in the water, visible first in weedy streams, curling and flickering like smoke and then dissolving, fading, until although you know it would always be there you couldn't see it anymore.

→ What I Didn't Like:

The Beginning
The flip side to this subtle build is that the story is a bit of a slow burn. While short, the beginning pieces felt a bit boring to me and I had just a little difficulty getting invested. Luckily this doesn't last for long and it is absolutely worth it to stick with it on this one.

The Style
This is one of those books that has foregone quotation marks in dialogue, which can occasionally make it a bit tricky to pick apart who is saying what. It took me a bit to get adjusted to this, which probably also contributed to my difficulty getting invested, but once I did the story flew by much more quickly.

Here I am, then. So kill me.

→ TL;DR:
Wonderful characterization
Slow emotional build, but the payoff is worth it
Writing style takes just a bit of adjusting to