Michael Rowe

The crumbling summerhouse called Wild Fell has weathered the violence of the seasons for more than a century. Built for his family by a 19th-century politician of impeccable rectitude, the house has kept its terrible secrets and its darkness sealed within its walls. For a hundred years, the townspeople of have prayed the darkness inside Wild Fell would stay there.

Wild Fell

Maggie Gordon

CZP never seems to steer me wrong, and Wild Fell is another fantastic addition to the Canadian horror canon. As the cover states, this is a ghost story. It takes place in Ontario's cottage country on a secluded island with an abandoned estate. Aside from the whole Canada thing, it sounds like a typical ghost story, right? Actually, I found the story to be quite unique!

The book starts with a flashback. Like so many horror movies, a young man and his lady friend are canoodling on a beach. Despite the beautiful, quiet surroundings, something seems off about the night. The young man wants to take his girlfriend to the eerie island, but she's having none of it. They drift off to sleep, but she wakes up when she realises that her beau has disappeared. She sees him slipping into the water and bolts after him. As always happens with young people who dally in sexuality, the two end up murdered by a ghost. Moths are involved, and a small town legend pops up about the island that no one wants to believe, but secretly always will...

Suddenly, flash forward quite a few years to Ottawa! Our protagonist is little Jamie, an awkward boy that doesn't fit in. At night, he talks to his mirror, sorting out the problems of the day. One night, however, the mirror talks back. She calls herself Amanda, and after she intervenes in Jamie's life in a few ugly, violent moments, he shatters the mirror, but not before she vows to always find him...

Flash forward again! Jamie is an adult in Toronto. After a terrible accident that forces him to quit his job, Jamie buys a house to fix up in cottage country as he contemplates what to do with his life. It's a surprising find, a beautiful old estate on a secluded island. Can you guess where we are going with this? Yep, it's the haunted island and Jamie's old mirror pal Amanda has lured him there. 

The book's climax moves quickly. Some may find that there are narrative weaknesses that crop up at the end. I think that several of these, including a lot of how Amanda was able to do what she did, add to the horror and mystery of the novel. On the other hand, I would have liked to hear a bit more about how she and Jamie were connected. The explanation that was given wasn't quite as satisfying as I would have liked. 

Wild Fell takes many common horror tropes and uses them to good effect. From location to the subtle terror of having one's perceptions be altered by an outside force, the narrative gives readers a steady dose of dread as it builds up to its horrible conclusion. Nothing seems certain, assumptions are questioned, and it all happens in quiet Ontario! Always a plus for this Canadian reader :D Wild Fell is a ghost story that packs a punch, with beautiful prose, a haunting atmosphere, and a horrifying conclusion.

Wild Fell

Reviews