OK, bloggers,
I'm pretty late posting about The Ghost at the Window. The last few days ended up busier than I had planned. I did end up finishing the book though. So, without further ado...some thoughts on The Ghost at the Window: **Beware -- there are spoilers for those of you who have not read this book and might want to!
Over all, this is a fun story. It took a little bit to get going but once it did, I didn't want to put it down. When the suspense starts to build, it does so in a hurry. The house is very cool. The author does a nice job tying in the movement of the house through time. I thought that would be a bigger focus of the story but she wove it into the background in a subtle but important way. I like the way she weaves in details about history and about Scotland, too. I'm not a fan of books that spend pages and pages on description. I like it when authors weave the details in with the story. Ms. McAllister does a good job of that in this book.
Some of my favorite parts of the book were:
When Elspeth is first introduced on page 7 & 8 - so dramatic and a little bit creepy too:
"But what made her different from all the other strangers from the past - and made a shiver spread down his neck and all the way to his fingertips - was the way she was looking at him...Her eyes were fixed on his face, and she looked so troubled, so sad and pleading, that her unhappiness made him hurt. She stretched out her hand toward him...."
Elspeth's first admission that things are more than she has admitted to on page 54 - very creepy!:
"There was a long, sad sigh, and she was not there. Her last wisp of strength seemed to waft away on that sigh, and Ewan was left alone, in a sudden emptiness. But into the silence that followed, came the whisper of her voice. 'Alex,' she said."
I love the tension the author builds about what exactly is in the closet, too. One of the best examples of the imagery she uses to build that tension is on page 81. Who hasn't been totally terrified by the idea of a closet on a dark and creepy night?? :
"Usually he lay on his right side with his back to the closet. Tonight he could feel it behind him, out of his sight. Behind the poster was a door. Behind the door was either a black and gaping space or a nameless terror. It ate into his back."
By the time we reach page 85, the story has gotten really intense. I was on the edge of my seat and almost afraid to turn the page. "Perhaps there was something wrong with the answering machine. Maybe his message had been erased by mistake. Maybe something had happened to stop him from reaching Alex, just as the storm had nearly kept him from Elspeth on the night of the power cut. Before he went to bed, he wrote a letter to Alex Sutherland to post on the way to school. By now, he knew he didn't just need help for Elspeth. It was for himself, too."
And it gets worse on page 96 & 97, SO CREEPY!! : "At Ninian House, the door was not answered. The figure on the doorstep turned and walked away...In the draft emptiness of Ninian House, Elspeth stood invisible at the window with the lichen twig in her hand. The closet creaked behind her."
I really liked how the character of Alex was handled in the story. Reading about "the peterman" and the way the author blended that information in with Alex's character was interesting. The theme of the story - how fear and hate hold us back - was handled beautifully at the end. I also liked how the lion was the connection throughout the centuries. It almost felt as if there was another story there - a sequel?? The twist with Mick's family cottage felt very satisfying to me as a reader.
And finally, I loved how the author ended the book with the imagery she used throughout - leaving me, as her reader, with a final picture in my mind...on page 119: "And as he ran full pelt along the loch side, he felt as if he were Ninian the Lion, carried by fire and laughter, leaping into the sky."
I'd love to hear your thoughts on The Ghost at the Window. If you've read it, what did you like? What didn't you like? Who is your favorite character? If you haven't read it, are you thinking about it?
Keep your eyes open for my next post on the new book I started last night Edison's Gold by Geoff Watson.
Happy reading!
~Mrs. H
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