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Book Review
Nov. 4th, 2024 04:04 pmThe Haunting of Velkwood
by Gwendolyn Kiste
This book is more of a supernatural story than a horror novel. It centers around Talitha, who comes from a suburban neighborhood that turned into a phantom 20 years ago. Not just the people, but the whole neighborhood, houses, yards, and all. Talitha and her friends Brett and Grace were the only ones to get out of the neighborhood, as they were returning to college when the transformation happened. Now, at the behest of paranormal researchers, Talitha and then Brett return to their home to deal with what happened there.
The Haunting of Velkwood is fascinating and mildly creepy, but it's not quite a horror novel. Talitha, Brett, and Grace know why their neighborhood transformed into a phantom, but they have each run from it in their own ways rather than facing it. The way they arrive at resolving this is the core of the book. Kiste is making a lot of important statements about how we deal with past traumas, and how those traumas are often swept under the rug by those who should know better, and using an eerie metaphor to do it. It mostly works.
by Gwendolyn Kiste
This book is more of a supernatural story than a horror novel. It centers around Talitha, who comes from a suburban neighborhood that turned into a phantom 20 years ago. Not just the people, but the whole neighborhood, houses, yards, and all. Talitha and her friends Brett and Grace were the only ones to get out of the neighborhood, as they were returning to college when the transformation happened. Now, at the behest of paranormal researchers, Talitha and then Brett return to their home to deal with what happened there.
The Haunting of Velkwood is fascinating and mildly creepy, but it's not quite a horror novel. Talitha, Brett, and Grace know why their neighborhood transformed into a phantom, but they have each run from it in their own ways rather than facing it. The way they arrive at resolving this is the core of the book. Kiste is making a lot of important statements about how we deal with past traumas, and how those traumas are often swept under the rug by those who should know better, and using an eerie metaphor to do it. It mostly works.
