Book Review/Discussion: The Night Strangers

I love books that create a mood. I do NOT meant this in the typical literary sense. Mood is really just the feeling and atmosphere, and every good book has one. But when I mention mood (I always envision it in italics) in relation to novels I'm reading, I mean something very specific....

a dark, brooding setting......envision winter, in New England or maybe the Pacific Northwest....a plot where something is amiss, something not right, something a little grotesque...extraneous amounts of ellipses...

That is what I mean. And this book HAS IT. Not many do. It's a particular type of book. I can usually count on Chris Bohjalian to give me this mood, and boy did he! 

For those who have not yet read The Night Strangers 

Our protagonist, Chip Linton, is (was) a pilot. But he is no Sully Sullenberger. When he had to crash-land his plane in a body of water, it was not The Miracle on the Hudson 2.0. Through no fault of his own, it was a disaster, and 39 passengers died.

Fast forward several months, and Chip, his lawyer wife Emily, and his young twin daughters Garnet and Hallie have relocated to a secluded, small town in rural New Hampshire, into an old, sprawling Victorian that had sat vacant for years while on the market. While it at first seems like an idyllic place for Chip to convalesce after his severe psychological trauma, certain oddities among the town's inhabitants start to emerge. Why are so many women in the town named after flowers and herbs? Why are they so interested in Garnet and Hallie? And what is behind the strange, sealed door in the Linton's basement? As the reader, we soon catch on to the fact that there is danger lurking in every corner of this town and house. But will Chip and Emily realize it before it is too late?

This book is the kind that will draw you in and will not let you get out. I find this to be true with all of Bohjalian's book (this one and Before You Know Kindness are my favorites). Isn't that the kind of book we all want to read? I enjoy his use of third person omniscient. As we move from one character to another and back again, we get a sense of the real danger long before the Lintons do, and it builds incredible suspense.

Recommended

Yes! I am hesitant to give books 5 stars. To me, those are books that are sheer perfection, like Rushdie's Midnight's Children or Gregory Robert's Shantaram. So though I am tempted to say 5/5 stars, I'll give it a 4.5/5 stars and a ringing endorsement.

Tips

I got this at the library, so check your county's library system. Also, try to start this book when you're not too busy to read for hours at a stretch. Because trust me, you'll want to!

For those who have read The Night Strangers

SPOILER ALERTS! SPOILER ALERTS!

WARNING...IF YOU SCROLL DOWN THERE ARE SPOILERS!

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It has occurred to me that I probably should stop using the cute spoiler warning pics I had gotten off google images, because, well, I did not make them and they probably are not meant for other people to be using. So I guess I'll have to figure out how to make my own!

Anyways, I loved this book. I think I espoused my love for it in the above section, so now let the nitpicking commence!

I'm not sure how the door in the basement was significant. It seemed to be this huge part of the book but then it really wasn't that big a deal at all, except for the body behind the door being proof that  something nefarious went on in the house (which they already knew). I think maybe it was to divert our attention from the REAL threat, the herbalists. Witches? Shamans? Oh, I know...crazy people. Except in our reality in the book, they weren't crazy, because the tinctures worked. But even freezing ageing for a group of people is not worth hurting, much less killing, a child, so I think we can still call them crazy. Or maybe evil is a better word. 

So, I am not a mom, but I wonder if Emily let things go to far? I like to think I'd have pulled the plug on Hallie and Garnet spending time with the women when they appointed the girls nicknames and were so adamant about the Cali/Rosemary thing. It was just weird. Maybe Emily thought it was nice they were including the girls? Maybe she thought botany was a fun hobby or a good life skill? Maybe she was so wrapped up in worry about Chip that she didn't notice the crazy? I don't know. Thoughts? 

Oh, and our ghosts. What did you think? I think the "she deserves friends" was creepy as all get out. Reseda's explanation was interesting in the context of the world of the story. It was well-plotted, to me, that she was using her power for good at the same time the rest of the herbalists were using theirs for evil. Oh, and how delicious that evil triumphed? I just mean in the book, of course, we all know that in real life we should all do everything in our individual and collective power for evil NOT to triumph. But in the book, I thought it was great. Why? It was unexpected. Most authors don't have the balls or the ovaries to go this route. I NEVER expected the outcome and I found it shocking and intriguing. Isn't that what we all want out of a book? I found the epilogue outright chilling. Bravo, Chris Bohjalian, for pulling that off. 

Now, questions!!!

-Do you think Emily should have drawn the line sooner when it came to the girls' interactions with the herbalists? Why or why not? 

-Do you think the door was an intentional red herring, or not? 

-How were you expecting the book to end? If it surprised you like it did me, how do you feel about books that manage to thwart expectations? 

-Do you know what I mean when I talk about the mood? Do you like books with this kind of mood? 

-What other Bohjalian books have you read, if any? Which is/are your favorite/s? 

Thanks for stopping by, and happy reading!