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Jeff's Reviews > Something in the Walls
Something in the Walls
by
by
A propulsively horrific nightmare that combines the eldritch ritual of Rosemary's Baby and the dawning terror of the Texas Chainsaw Massacre, this sweltering fever dream keeps the reader desperately guessing until the final pages.
Easily one of the best horror novels of 2024, Something in the Walls is a masterpiece of relentless tension and interwoven motifs of folk horror wielded by the blunt instruments of gothic fiction. As mysteries are layered one on top of the other, the reader is both fully invested in and bewildered by the mounting hysteria and unexplainable phenomena occurring in the town of Banathel. Some elements of the story are reminiscent of Stephen King's best work, but Shirley Jackson's influence shines the brightest with nods both to Hill House and The Lottery. Unlike bait-and-switch suspense novels like Hidden Pictures and The Silent Patient, Walls delivers on its ominous promises in full with meaningful but mysterious hints.
Characters are familiar and yet unique, creating compelling three-dimensional personalities. The mythology is wholly original, as well, and Pearce's capacity for imagining new realms of terror is unimpeachable. Casually poignant and effortlessly profound, her prose illuminates the story convincingly enough to make the reader wonder how much of it might be based on historical accounts. Blending the cultural anxiety of rural cults and witch hunts with the themes of female empowerment and social contagions, Pearce proves herself a pioneer of horror with this masterpiece.
Is that someone, or something, watching from the shadows, or is it your own guilt stalking you from the dark corners?
Take a closer look, if you dare, at Something in the Walls.
A huge thank you to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for the ARC.
Easily one of the best horror novels of 2024, Something in the Walls is a masterpiece of relentless tension and interwoven motifs of folk horror wielded by the blunt instruments of gothic fiction. As mysteries are layered one on top of the other, the reader is both fully invested in and bewildered by the mounting hysteria and unexplainable phenomena occurring in the town of Banathel. Some elements of the story are reminiscent of Stephen King's best work, but Shirley Jackson's influence shines the brightest with nods both to Hill House and The Lottery. Unlike bait-and-switch suspense novels like Hidden Pictures and The Silent Patient, Walls delivers on its ominous promises in full with meaningful but mysterious hints.
Characters are familiar and yet unique, creating compelling three-dimensional personalities. The mythology is wholly original, as well, and Pearce's capacity for imagining new realms of terror is unimpeachable. Casually poignant and effortlessly profound, her prose illuminates the story convincingly enough to make the reader wonder how much of it might be based on historical accounts. Blending the cultural anxiety of rural cults and witch hunts with the themes of female empowerment and social contagions, Pearce proves herself a pioneer of horror with this masterpiece.
Is that someone, or something, watching from the shadows, or is it your own guilt stalking you from the dark corners?
Take a closer look, if you dare, at Something in the Walls.
A huge thank you to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for the ARC.
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Reading Progress
July 3, 2024
– Shelved
July 3, 2024
– Shelved as:
to-read
September 15, 2024
–
Started Reading
September 15, 2024
–
2.96%
"Very cool, ominous epigraph to start things off, and a short, compelling first chapter that gets us behind the protagonist."
page
9
September 15, 2024
–
3.95%
"Wow, cleverly suggestive language and a haunting back story right out of the gate. So far, I'm still getting hints of Gilman's The Yellow Wallpaper, which might just be a lingering image from the cover art, but we'll see how these themes fit."
page
12
September 15, 2024
–
6.58%
"Poetic when appropriate, and funny, too; Daisy Pearce may be one to watch."
page
20
September 16, 2024
–
31.91%
"Pearce is masterful at layering mysteries and gothic atmosphere with ominous details. Character development is so straightforward it seems like it should be shallow, but there's just enough context to hint at hidden depths. Compelling writing."
page
97
September 16, 2024
–
34.21%
"Scare skills on display here. That was the most genuinely frightening scene I've read since Incidents Around the House."
page
104
September 17, 2024
–
90.46%
"There's some experimental structure here paired with a perfectly timed climax to create almost unsustainable intensity."
page
275
September 17, 2024
–
60.2%
"Darkly poetic and deeply disturbing, the final twist caught me completely off guard just as a great twist ought to, and ties together the themes of the story elegantly."
page
183
September 17, 2024
–
Finished Reading
