Review: bad things do happen to good people
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 07 15, 2011
Great perils have this beauty, that they bring to light the fraternity of strangers. - Victor Hugoafter spending a day at the Belgian seaside, Louise and her younger sister Jennifer head for their remote holiday cottage to spend the summer together. as soon as they arrive, they  each encounter their worst nightmares.the characters' personalities are clearly defined. the differences between the siblings either mask or highlight their similarities and mutual dependency. the strangers' identities and their origins are shrouded in mystery. even the motive for their actions leave much room for the reader to speculate on.the pacing is really fast and the events are deftly sequenced that i finished the 24-page story in 15 minutes or so. instead of reading, it felt like i was watching a short film too.the locale also brings to mind a training camp up in the mountains where i often used to go. it is only a ten-minute drive from civilization but out there, you suddenly feel so isolated. the whole area is surrounded by verdant forest. an empty parking lot is all that remains when the last group of day shift employees leave for home. when dusk falls, the whole camp is transformed. as if on cue, your ears are filled with the discordant symphony generated by unseen nocturnal creatures trying to outdo one another. light posts automatically switch on but between these sentinels lie deep pools of darkness. the cemented pathways leading to the sleeping quarters are bathed in shadows as well. now i wonder how i would regard the place should i get the chance to participate in another training.Vanessa Morgan has certainly written a fast-paced-bad-things-do-happen-to-good-people story. i have to admit that reading The Strangers Outside creeped me out and my imagination went into overdrive. i literally locked the doors, latched the windows, read with all the lights on and made sure that i sat with my back to the wall.i have no fear of the dark or even strangers but now i am reconsidering...