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Oct022009
All Hallow’s Eve Book Review: The Harrowing by Alexandra Sokoloff
by Carolyn • Posted in 3.5 Star Reviews, Alexandra Sokoloff, All Hallow's Eve 2009, Authors Q-T, Book Reviews, Horror
Title: The Harrowing
Author: Alexandra Sokoloff
Genre: Horror
Publisher: Piatkus
Publication Date: 17th Sept 2009
Paperback: 280 pages
Rating: 7/10
Summary (back cover)
Baird College’s Mendenhall echoes with the footsteps of students heading home for Thanksgiving break and Robin Stone, who won’t be going home, swears she can feel the creepy, hundred-year-old residence hall breathe a sigh of relief for its long-awaited solitude. As a massive storm approaches, four other lonely students reveal themselves to Robin: Patrick, a handsome jock; Lisa, a manipulative tease; Cain, a brooding musician; and Martin, a scholarly eccentric. Each has forsaken a long weekend at home for their own secret reasons.
The five unlikely companions establish a tentative rapport, but they soon become aware of another presence disturbing the building’s ominous silence. Are they the victims of an elaborate prank, or is the energy evidence of something genuine – something intent on using them for its own terrifying ends? Together they’ll face three long days and dark nights before the world returns to find out what’s become of five students nobody wants and no one will miss…
Review:
The Harrowing is marketed as ‘Scream meets The Exorcist’ and I’d say that is a fair description. This is the debut novel of an author who’s also a screenwriter, and it shows. This book reads like a movie; it’s scary, jumpy, spine-chilling and keeps you on the edge of your seat. It’s well written and yet has a nice easy flow to the prose without being too simplistic. The imagery is vivid and the atmosphere is tense.
Robin, the main character, starts out as a very paranoid, self-pitying young woman who is being crushed by the knowledge that her father didn’t want her and her mother’s a drunk. Life is difficult and she feels unloved, invisible and totally alone. She’s mistrustful of everyone, until she meets four other students who also didn’t go home for Thanksgiving, and comes to realise that she isn’t the only one who feels lonely, and there are people who are just as unhappy as she is.
The other four characters also play a major role in this movie book and they are somewhat predictable but great reading all the same. Patrick: the jock, who’s big and tough, but is really just a puppy dog inside and shows what a true hero he is by the end of the book. Cain: the brooding, cynical, good looking musician who comes to believe and helps Robin in her quest to find out the truth. Lisa: the sexy, bitchy bimbo who really has more substance than people realise, honest. And Martin: the quiet, scholarly geek who suddenly becomes the center of attention.
After a night playing on the Ouija board and witnessing fairly spooky goings on, this unlikely five form a bond that changes their lives forever. At first they think what is happening is a joke, a prank set up by one of them. But soon they realise it isn’t a joke at all; it is all too real and they have to fight to stay alive.
Favourite Passages:
“Violent longing stabbed through her – a wish that something would happen, that someone would hear, move, respond, that a door would open and everything, everything would change. There was a sort of electric tingling under her fingers… The planchette suddenly moved…”
“The whole energy of the attic room had changed. Robin could feel it – the intense, curious focus of the five of them, and a sense of almost conspiratorial intimacy from the board. She felt vaguely that they were being lulled, that whatever they were talking to was working toward something. The thought made her cold with fear.”
Verdict
This is a really great read, especially if you like horror and even more so if you like scary teenage horror movies!
If you would like to know more about Alexandra then visit her website: www.alexandrasokoloff.com
16 Comments
I read this book earlier this year and it was a while back since I read me a book in this genre. I had an incredible time from first till last page and the atmosphere evoked within the group was great! This is definetely a Halloween book to read
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Ooh, that sounds really cool!
There are so many books that I have to look for now, I wonder if I'm following too many book review sites… nah, there can't be such a thing. *g*
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First, I just have to say again how much I like that banner. So clever! Anyway, I was the queen of teenage thrill movies back in the day. This one sounds really entertaining! I am starting to wish that October lasted several months, I've so many of these types of books I want to read!
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I have Unseen by Ms Sokoloff on my shelf and will be reading it hopefully soon. I do love horrors and I think she just might be a hit. I met the author at the Book Expo this year and she really is a very nice lady too.
Great review, definitely made me move her book up a few spots.
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I also have Unseen in my tbr pile, I will have to add this one to the halloween reading pile. Have a great weekend
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Oh great review!! I just read this last month and really liked it too. It WAS just like a movie! I'm adding a link to your review on my blog. Hope that's ok. Thanks!
Here's my review:
http://lifeandtimesofanewnewyo.....oloff.html
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This book sounds great, I definitely have to find this.
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I need to read a good scary book this month, or maybe a couple =) I like the passage you chose. It was really good!
I also really like the cover – maybe it's the colors chosen…
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I have unseen on my wish list. Now its a toss up – which one do I want to read first.
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I met the author and got this book last weekend. Now I'm thinking it might be too scary for me!
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I'm not an honor fan but it sounds good =)
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Sounds like just the sort of thing I'd like. Love horror!
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I read The Price by the same author, which was quite a disturbing book…! I had the same feelings as you had with The Harrowing : the atmosphere, edge-of-your-seat thing,… She's a really visual author, playing with various sensations. I didn't know she was a screenwriter, that explains a lot !
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I put this on my wishlist, it sounds really cool. I am finding so many good books that my wishlist is going to turn into a book itself…LOL
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this sounds like a great book and perfect for halloween!
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Awesome review! I'm not great when it comes to horror movies, I'm a huge wimp, but books… I don't know, I've never tried. But The Harrowing sounds amazing! I really want to give this book a go! Cheers!
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