The Night Strangers

Chris Bohjalian — 2011

It begins with a door in a dusky corner of a basement in a rambling Victorian house in northern New Hampshire. A door that someone has sealed it shut with thirty-nine enormous carriage bolts. The home's new owners are Chip and Emily Linton and their twin daughters. Chip was an an airline pilot until he was forced to crash land on a remote lake the jet he was flying after double engine failure. Thirty-nine people aboard Flight 1611 died that day - a coincidence not lost on Chip when he discovers the number of bolts in that basement door . . . Meanwhile, his wife is increasingly troubled about the women in this sparsely populated village, self-proclaimed 'herbalists'. Why do they seem excessively interested in her young daughters. Emily is terrified, too, that her husband's grip on sanity seems to have become increasingly tenuous, in the wake of the devastating plane accident.

Reviews

Peggy Walker@lectrice93

Aug 2, 2023

So disappointed! When I have been asked for the name of my favorite author, for the past several years, I have always chosen Chris Bohjalian. I'm wondering if I need to rethink that. I would heartily recommend "Midwives", "The Law of Similars", "Water Witches", and several others, but am incredibly disappointed in this book. It started out well, with an airline pilot faced with a similar situation to that of Sully Sullenberger, with a different outcome. The aftermath could have been the basis for a great story, but instead went totally off the rails. If I wanted to read a book featuring ghost possession and covens demanding blood sacrifice that involve virtually the whole town, there are other authors who have done it much better. HATED the ending. So, so disappointed. Would not recommend to anyone!!!

shellybn@pillywiggin

Jan 28, 2022

** spoiler alert ** Spoiler alert** I was interested in the premise of this book very much. I liked the characters, and was interested in how the problems in the story were going to be resolved. I ended up having three issues with how the plot developed. 1.) I really dislike reading fiction written in 2nd person. While most of the story is told in 3rd person, it switches to 2nd person when describing events from the point of view of Chip. I understand this was done for dramatic effect and to draw the reader into Chip's mental state, but I found it to be jarring and distracting. 2.) The plot moved very slowly. The length of the book could easily have been shortened by 75 pages without losing any of the main events. 3.) I really, truly hated the ending. After slogging through to the end of the story, I was incredibly disappointed with how it all turned out. With better pacing and a better ending, this would be a better book.