Review: A competent novella treading a well-worn trail with good characterization
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 08 28, 2013
The strengths in this novella don't derive from the ghost story angle, but in the characterization, particularly the first person narrative, which at first I wasn't sure I'd like (usually, first person POV in horror gives me a letdown in the fear department that the narrator/main character won't die or face enough danger to give me chills). DeLuca skillfully tells a tale about and from a woman, Donna, with a depressing past--something I've noticed as a recurring theme in the author's tales. No problem there, I enjoy reading about fresh, flawed characters.Donna was raised by her grandmother who held séances. I wondered if the story might go kinda Harry Houdinish (Houdini had a notable career besides magic in unmasking frauds and trying to discover how to communicate with the dead), and I almost hoped that Donna would go that route and try to call fraud on the dead, but instead it was a legitimate (and less creative to this reader) supernatural event.Fast forward to Donna's adulthood and her encountering a college with a disturbing past (another common DeLuca theme). I found Donna's parts with her past and her grandmother more entertaining than the present and what happened in the college. I also enjoyed Donna's painting (something the author does in real life according to the bio section) and how that fit into the story. The author manages to pull everything together in the ending, making this an unpredictable, enjoyable read. Adding this to the ghost stories I liked file, but not for the reasons most readers probably will. 3.25 stars. 1,562 Kindle locations.