The August Derleth Award is the British Fantasy Award for Best Horror Novel, and The Hollows has been shortlisted for it. I decided to read the other shortlisted novels and post my thoughts about them, so here goes. Today's spotlight falls on Sundial by Catriona Ward.
Rob is afraid of her daughter.
Callie collects tiny bones and whispers to imaginary friends, and Rob is afraid of what she might to do Annie, her younger sister. She sees a darkness in Callie that reminds her of the family she left behind, and a life she has tried to forget.
Seeing no other way to keep Annie safe, she decides to take Callie back to Sundial, her childhood home deep in the Mojave Desert. And there she will have to make a terrible choice.
Callie is afraid of her mother.
Rob has begun to look at her strangely. To tell her secrets about her past that both disturb and excite her.
And they are both afraid that only one of them will make it back from Sundial alive...
A gripping gothic masterpiece from the bestselling and award-winning author of THE LAST HOUSE ON NEEDLESS STREET, SUNDIAL is a must-read for fans of GIRL A and SHARP OBJECTS.
Disclaimer: It should, of course, go without saying, but this is my personal opinion and nothing more. Yours may be different, and that's cool.
Daniel's thoughts:
I have to admit, I struggled initially, but that’s my problem and not the book’s. The main thing with Sundial is that we’re not sure, at first, who to trust and what to believe. We’re dealing with not one, but two, potentially unreliable narrators. I enjoy stories where you’re immediately in the head of the character and seeing through their eyes: at first, I was constantly trying to get a handle on what might be true and what might not be, which made me struggle.
Again, though, that’s my problem and not the book’s. Sundial is a trip outside my literary comfort zone, but you know what? That’s a good thing. So I kept going, and as the story went in I was riveted. And when everything finally came together, the book’s climax was a series of psychological body blows that left me reeling and in awe.
I thought Sundial was amazing, frankly. Catriona Ward is up there with Sarah Pinborough as Queen of the Plot Twists, but as with Pinborough, the twists aren't just clever reversals: they’re absolutely devastating revelations. Massively recommended.
You can buy Sundial here.
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