amp slow Gault's twisted psychological thriller had me on the edge of my seat as I tried to unwrap the mystery in the center of the novel, who is the mysterious stranger, just what happened to Baby B, and finally, what will become of the Moores Lydia and Lucas Moore are already traumatized by the death of their brother as an infant, an event that shaped their family and led to their isolated existence on their tiny insular island.
Now their world is brought crashing in around them by the introduction of a stranger who seems to know more about their family than could be possible.
What are his intentions, what does he want, and what will he do to get it
For fans of thrillers, this novel has plenty of tension and the unknown motivations of Cole, the stranger who is making himself at home in the Moore's family home, remain shrouded in mystery and fear throughout the novel.
One reason I requested this novel from Netgalley was the endorsement by George Saunders, an author whose work I always enjoy, and his comparison of the novel to Shirley Jackson.
I found that to be an accurate comparison, As I read I could easily see the influence of Jackson, especially her novel sitelinkWe Have Always Lived in the Castle.
There are similar elements of dark family secrets that are shaken loose by the arrival of a charismatic stranger with an agenda.
Its a totally ridiculous book, A stranger comes to town, And dominates this woman. Two days after meeting. He moves into her house uninvited, Now hes going to own the house by taking a mortgage out on the house, So unrealistic this book is in such a waste of time, I found this entire novel to be an absolutely wonderful read, The author did a really beautiful job of setting up the story of Lydia and Lucas, and I find the entire island and character set to be completely believable.
I feel like I could visit this town anywhere,
The only thing I was really unhappy with was the last chapter where everything was shoehorned into a manufactured happy ending.
Other than the last five pages, I was on the edge of my seat and found myself in many parts trying to read as fast as I could because I just wanted to know what happened next.
All in all Id give the firsta solidstar rating, but the lastof the book was entirely unnecessary to me.
This book kind of came out of nowhere for me, In the best way possible,
Lydia is one of a set of triplets, living with her only living sibling, Lucas, on remote Wolf Island locatedfictionallynext to Martha's Vineyard.
The island itself is a metaphor for the isolation of Lydia and Lucas, living alone in a rambling beachside house, They are isolated from the world on
their island, from the island in their house, and from each other in their own worlds.
Lucas is pathologically shy and avoids all contact with other people, leaving Lydia feeling trapped, Their parents gone, she worries Lucas might actually starve to death if she ever leftmaking her deep desire to leave a real problem.
Everpresent in their lives and in the story is Baby B, or Colin, their lost brother, who died as an infant.
Their mother never got over his loss and he stays a specter, long after she dies,
So, it's pretty weird when Cole Anthony shows up, There are weird things about his arrival, like how Lydia seems drawn to him the moment he steps off the ferry, The way he looks around the island like he knows the place, But weirdest of all is how Lucas reacts to him, Like he's found an old friend, Oras Lucas is convinced he istheir longlost brother,
This is a true thriller and builds slowly, sprinkling seeds all along the way that Bay Gault deftly harvests as she ramps toward the ending.
It's tense, readers. Real tense. Cole is someone, even Lydia can't deny that, but he knows too much, How their mother sat on the dock to meditate, where Lucas like to skip stones, and worse, he knows they need someone or something, and he's arrived without a past, intending to fill that need.
He and Lucas team up against Lydia, who works frantically to uncover the truth about Cole, and their mother, and kinda everyone else.
Lydia's a fascinating character, pulled by contradictory motivations aren't we all throughout the course of this story, If I had any beefs with the book it might be that these kind of slow her down it also diverts into memory maybe a bit too often, but only slightly, but she knows how to pick up the pace when the moment calls for it.
It's got a great, unexpected but wellearned ending, the language is rich and visceral, and there's such a strong sense of place I could feel my hair frizzing in the ocean breeze.
It's a rare treat, to read a book as beautiful as it is exciting, but something tells me Miciah Bay Gault is a rare author.
Some fine writing from an emerging star, Excellent sense of place. Taut and compelling at the end, Not at all what I expected from this mystery/thriller with such an amazing cover, It has supernatural undertones that remind me of Jennifer McMahon, who I love! Nothing over the top, just enough to keep readers gripped.
Are they real or imagined Youll have to read the book to find out!
This mysterious debut centers around the Moore triplets and an unusual stranger that enmeshes himself into their lives.
Lydia and Lucas were triplets at birth, but their brother died at just a few months old, The two of them are all thats left of their family and they live together in their childhood home, on Wolf Island.
Lydia keeps everything running smoothly, She more or less “mothers” Lucas, as he is a little odd, very socially awkward and dependent on Lydia, She wants to leave the island but stayed after their mother passed and now feels stuck in this situation,
Their brother, Colin, has always had a strong presence in their lives, even though they never knew him, When a stranger comes onto the island and gets overly involved in their lives, Lucas is convinced hes the reincarnation of Colin.
Cole knows things he shouldnt know and has memories he shouldnt have,
At first, there is sexual tension between Lydia and Cole, He has pulled Lucas out of his shell and Lydia has never seen him happier, But Cole is immersing himself into their lives like he belongs there and intends to remain, Lydia begins to see a disturbing side of Cole and wonders why hes so secretive about his past,
This is the second novel Ive read recently which mentioned the poem “Annabel Lee” by Edgar Allan Poe,
Sincere thanks to Park Row Books, I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily,
My Rating: s
Published: Julythby Park Row
Pages:
Recommend: Yes
GoodnightStranger Booker InExchangeFor ARC JustFinished MustRead PsychologicalThriller AudioBook FamilySuspense InstagramableCover IslandLife
After publication, my reviews can be found at Amazon, Twitter, GoodReads, Barnes and Noble, BookBub, NetGalley, and Edelweiss
miciahbay parkrowbooks Lucas and Lydia are very hard to like.
They make a lot of strange decisions and almost seem backward, By the end, the book has turned into a mystery, The book was trying hard but didn't know which lane to stay in, When your favorite character is the villain it's hard to love the book,
This moved slowly and was frustrating at times,
Thank you to Netgalley, the author, and the publisher for allowing me to read an advanced copy of this book.
Deeply compelling and highly disturbing at times, GOODNIGHT STRANGER is a suspenseful literary thriller with themes of grief, love, and human behavior.
This is one of those books that is as eerie as moving, for me, and also has a bit of magical realism/suspended belief that may excite and intrigue.
As a debut, GOODNIGHT STRANGER Park Row Books, Julyis darn good,
Lydia and her brother, Lucas live in their family's ramshackle home on fictional Wolf Island just off Cape Cod and while they are adults, they haven't exactly 'launched.
' Lydia isyears old when the story begins and she's a college dropout with dreams of going back, She left Brown when her mother became ill, Her brother is a bit 'different' in the way he sees the world, Pathologically shy, Lucas spends his time doing odd jobs and living in the home shadowed by past events, And ghosts.
Lucas and Lydia are the two remaining children of triplets, The other child, who is referred to as 'Baby B,' died tragically as an infant, When Lydia sees a stranger step off the ferry one day, she is immediately drawn to him, Lucas is convinced this man, who calls himself Cole, is the reincarnation of their baby brother, Baby B, Cole somehow knows inside information about Lydia and Lucas, shares some of the same mannerisms, Could he actually be the reincarnation of this brother, one they never even really knew because he was only months old when he died
Lydia is doubtful but continues a friendship with Cole while simultaneously doing her own research into who he might really be.
The story takes us from the small island to the Cape and to Vermont where other, darker truths lie,
I found some of the set up wasn't always there and I found some of Lydia's behavior somewhat farfetched and sometimes unwise.
However, there were several gaspoutloud moments, and I was intrigued with this reincarnation concept, The ending is somewhat inevitable but leaves some openended questions, Ultimately, GOODNIGHT STRANGER is a wellwritten literary suspense about the power of grief and love, regrets and anxiety, loneliness, and the darker side of human behavior.
I found some similarities between GOODNIGHT STRANGER and THE CHILD IN TIME Ian McEwan meets MY DARLING DAUGHTER Margaret Leroy with a touch of THE BOBCAT Katherine Forbes Riley, with a touch of some of Diane Chamberlain's earlier works especially those set on water and maybe a bit of Anita Shreve.
For all my reviews, including author interviews, please see: sitelinkwww, leslielindsay. comAlways with a Book
Special thanks to Park Row for this review copy, All thoughts are my own, This had such a slow, steady ramping up of tension that I was ready to scream by the last quarter of the book in a good way.
Masterful. Twins Lydia and Lucas have lived their entire lives on a small island off Cape Cod, Their lives have been overshadowed by the knowledge that their triplet brother died shortly after birth, Part emotional journey, part ghost story, this debut novel has garnered critical acclaim from the likes of George Saunders, Lydia dreams of resuming her college education, that ended when her mother died, but she worries that her extremely shy brother, Cole, would flounder.
When a charming stranger arrives on the island, the twins both feel an eerie connection and Cole believes he may be a reincarnation of their dead triplet.
Lydia is worried that darker things may be at play, This psychological thriller definitely messes with the mind, Though the beginning is a bit rushed and jumps directly into the plot, once its going its tough to put down, You just need to find out who Cole is! The author does a good job of talking about loss and grief, and combining that with creepy twists and turns.
Thank you Park Row Books for this ARC,stars: Its difficult to put “Goodnight Stranger” into a specific genre, Its a slow burn thriller, that is dark and almost noirlike, Its a domestic story of stunted people, developmentally arrested due to tragedy, Its a story of allowing a specific event to define you for the rest of your life,
Lydia, the narrator, begins by informing the reader that Baby B was a brother who died when he was a few weeks old.
Lydia, her brother Lucas, and Baby B were triplets, Both Lucas and Lydia were raised knowing that they lost a brother when they were all infants, Its Lydias mother who drummed into her children that Baby B was out there somewhere, in spirit, and will return to them in the future.
That alone is a bit creepy, Poor Lucas is plagued with social anxiety a result of his mother nurture or just nature, Lucas cant talk to people, barely leaves the house, and cannot function in society, Lucas has been looking for Baby B his entire life,
Lydia works at an information booth of the tiny and isolated island they live on, Its near Marthas Vineyard and is a remote vacation spot, One day a young man comes off the ferry and Lydia immediately notice him, Its in his walk, his mannerisms, his aura, He reminds Lydia of her mother,
This stranger, Cole, infiltrates Lydia and Lucass life, The more Lydia knows of him, the darker he seems to her, Author Miciah Gault poetically and lyrically writes a thriller that grabs the reader, What are Coles intentions Why is he there How does he know so much about their history and family
As with all thrillers, the plot really cant be divulged without spoiler alerts.
Its rare to find a literary thriller such as this one, Its an unsettling read with plots twists and some unforeseen turns, I highly recommend it.
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