The Night Strangers
Publication Date: October 4, 2011
Pages: 400
I know I have mentioned before that I am a chicken shit. I don't really do well with horror movies or scary stories. My imagination is just too vivid and the mental images usually haunt me for days. The cover alone is enough to hint at the terror that awaits within the pages. It has been several years ago, but I met Chris Bohjalian when he stopped by my old store to sign stock on his way to the KC airport and I would have NEVER guessed that such a nice guy could write such a terrifying ghost story!!
Chip Linton has become a household name. He was the pilot that was flying that plane that hit the birds. Not the one that landed safely on the Hudson, but the other one that crash landed on Lake Champlagne. Thirty-nine people died, including Chip's co-pilot. Even though months have passed, Chip still suffers from PTSD and has a serious case of survivors guilt. He and his wife, Emily, even moved their family to New Hampshire with the hopes that the quiet little hamlet out of the public eye will help heal Chip's broken spirit. While Chip is struggling with the ghosts of the accident, literally, his wife and twin daughters are being swept up into the neighborhood hobby, practicing New Age homeopathic-type recipes that will literally scare you to death. This young family has suffered so much tragedy in the last year that they are blind to the dangers of their own home. Will they be able to shake the hold that the mysterious village has on them before it is too late?
Just in time for Halloween comes a story that will scare the socks right off of you! Chris Bohjalian has written a novel that could very easily stand up to works by Stephen King and Dean Koontz. Within it's pages, The Night Strangers holds a run down gothic home that is full of secret passages, hidden weapons, and even a dead body. The little hamlet of Bethel is something right out of your own nightmares, where on the surface everything is quaint and lovely, but underneath deadly secrets have the residents in a grip that may never be broken. Throw in the fact that Chip Linton is battling his own ghosts unrelated to this weird little town and you have a horror story that will chill you to the bone.
I really - really enjoyed this novel. The Night Strangers is going to be the next big Halloween favorite. I guarantee that it will be on Halloween displays for years to come. There are so many facets to this novel that if it were any one of them alone, it would make for good reading, but combine the ghosts, with the witches, with the gothic type of house, which is really a character in and of itself, well it makes for GREAT reading. I can't wait to hear what you guys have to say about this one! Hurry - run out and get it TODAY so we can chat!!
Hi Charlotte! I just finished this book last week. I was excited to read it because I really enjoyed The Double Bind a few years ago.
I had a bit of mixed feelings about it overall. But I think part of my problem is I'm too busy these days and only get to read a few pages here and there. I think I would have enjoyed this book a bit more had I been able to sit down and really delve into it at one time.
What did you think of the end? Not sure how much you want to discuss here because it would give some things away.
I was really surprised by the ending. As the reader, we all expect the ending to go one way - the author went the complete opposite direction.
I even went back to re-read that last chapter before the epilogue to make sure I didn't miss something.
I agree, I really thought it would have been the opposite and I think it disturbed me a bit the way it did end with the compliance and acceptance of the Lintons. It was definitely an interesting, and I think creative book. Just maybe a tiny bit over the top in the last third of the book. But as you said, definitely a fun read for this time of year! :-)
Okay, I won an ARC of this from Goodreads.com, but haven't been able to get into it. And I DO like scary stories. But like Holly said, I've been so busy, and had so much other stuff to read that I haven't had a chance to really get into it more than a few pages. Do you think I should continue? I just have so much to read that I'm considering taking it into work and seeing if someone else wants to read it. But the story does sound like one I'd like. Any suggestions?
I would say finish it, BUT, only when you have a time to devote to the story. I can see where it would be hard to get into if you only read a couple pages at a time.
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