barbara fister reviewed The House of Ashes by Stuart Neville
Review of 'The House of Ashes' on 'LibraryThing'
A woman who has moved to an old house in Northern Ireland with her husband after a breakdown; a confused elderly woman who turns up at the door, looking for the "children" and convinced strangers have moved into her house. The story starts as if it will be a work of gothic suspense, but adds in a bit of a ghost story, and in time becomes a gritty, even brutal tale of women oppressed by men. In the present time, Sara is becoming aware that her husband and his thuggish father are controlling her life, gaslighting her into thinking she's incapable and fragile, keeping her from developing relationships or showing any signs of independence. In the past, we learn of the ghastly childhood of the woman who has turned up at her door, held captive in a basement by a family of brutish men who force the women they've captured …
A woman who has moved to an old house in Northern Ireland with her husband after a breakdown; a confused elderly woman who turns up at the door, looking for the "children" and convinced strangers have moved into her house. The story starts as if it will be a work of gothic suspense, but adds in a bit of a ghost story, and in time becomes a gritty, even brutal tale of women oppressed by men. In the present time, Sara is becoming aware that her husband and his thuggish father are controlling her life, gaslighting her into thinking she's incapable and fragile, keeping her from developing relationships or showing any signs of independence. In the past, we learn of the ghastly childhood of the woman who has turned up at her door, held captive in a basement by a family of brutish men who force the women they've captured to clean and cook and provide them with sexual release. The house itself is a character, refusing the let go of the past, filled with the whispers of dead children. returnreturnI'm highly allergic to women-in-captivity stories, but I admit to finding this novel quite riveting. Neville handles the dual storyline well and is able to blend the gothic women-in-jeopardy elements with a far grittier story. The ending is quite graphically violent, and some who signed up for gothic suspense might find it a bit much, but overall quite a compelling story about abusive men and women who manage to fight back despite the odds.
