Review by G.L. Giles
Author: Mark Edward Hall
Almost sure to cause some sleepless nights, this novelette of ninety pages packs a powerful punch, for it encompasses the perilous areas of both insanity and the frighteningly supernatural. It centers around the characters of Sam Cabot, his wife Linda, their son Sean and the possibly haunted old house (which is really a personified character itself in many ways) they buy. Indeed, Sam Cabot, Linda Cabot and Sean Cabot are ultimately, devastatingly, either caught in the crosshairs of crazy and the supernatural, or just the fatally insane. Sam is a writer looking to settle down with his family in an old New England manor house called Farnham House, which may or may not actually be haunted. Regardless of whether or not it actually is, there’s no doubt that Sam Cabot is haunted by the book’s end, if only by his own particular brand of crazy. In short, Sam buys the Farnham House from an insidious character called Carlisle for a seemingly great price; however, the dire price he ends up paying emotionally, etc. is far too steep. Narrated in the first person, through the eyes of Sam Cabot, the reader is not really sure of whether or not he’s a reliable narrator. As the tale progresses, you get the feeling that especially if he’s insane, he’s an unreliable narrator. However, if Sam Cabot’s gone mad, then Hall cleverly never lets on to exactly when he became insane, though there are hints as to when it possibly occurred if you read carefully. Indeed, Sam seems quite sane at times; you only realize later that some of the characters he’s seeing in physical form aren’t even really there; they’re either ghosts or figments of his imagination. Plus, there’s a great surprise ending; though decidedly twisted and shocking, it actually makes a lot of sense, so you might even begin questioning your own sanity. Highly recommended! I give it a 10 out of 10. For more information visit: http://www.markedwardhall.com, http://www.myspace.com/markedwardhall, and www.damnationbooks.com.