Published by Little, Brown and Company, Mulholland Books Genres: Fiction, Gothic, Historical Fiction, Horror, Mystery
Format: ARC, eBook
Jacquie Walters has delivered yet again. In Turn Off the Light she utilizes two timelines to tell the story of one house and the inhabitants living in it during different times in history. Usually when there is more than one timeline in a book, I tend to enjoy one timeline more than the other. That was not the case with Turn Off the Light. I found both timelines to be riveting, gripping, chilling, dark, and enticing. The characters in both timelines are fully fleshed out and dealing with their own demons while living in a home that may in fact be haunted! One home, two women who are separated by four hundred years find themselves bound to the home and feel that the end is near…
In the past…
Edith is a healer. She knows how to use things found in nature to help those who are ill. She has a natural gift, but those in her community find nothing natural about it. They watch her; they whisper, and Edith fears that something, perhaps the devil, has gotten into her home.
In the present…
Claire and her young daughter have returned to her childhood home to care for her dying father. She doesn’t sleep much and begins to wonder if what she is sensing and what her daughter is seeing is real and if so, is her childhood home haunted?
I had a hard time putting this book down. I was drawn in by both women’s timelines. I felt for Edith and how she was judged for having the gift of healing. She was watched and judged while those in her community turned their harsh eyes upon her. It was a time when people feared witches and those who were different were looked at with skeptical eyes. It was a dangerous time to be a woman. Plus, strange things are happening in her home. I also felt for Claire, a single mother, who has come home again as her father is dying. She is not only faced with the impending loss of her father, but she can’t shake the horrible disappearance of her sister, Gabby, who vanished when she was a teenager. As her father mumbles, he speaks of evil and dark things.
This book was fantastic. I loved the blending of various genres. This is part historical fiction, part horror, part mystery. Although this is labeled as a horror book, this is not your typical horror book. It is more horrific than blood and guts type horror book. I found this book to be atmospheric and brimming with unease and tension. The horror in this book simmers and ebbs and flows throughout. As I mentioned, it is more horrific than horror. This one won’t keep you up at night or checking behind the shower curtain or under your bed, and yet it has eerie and creepy moments.
Thank you to Little, Brown and Company | Mulholland Books and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.
