Something in the Walls
Daisy Pearce
Unbearably tense, utterly propulsive, and studded with folklore and horror, Something in the Walls is perfect for anyone who loves Midsommar and The Haunting of Hill House. Newly-minted child psychologist Mina has little experience. In a field where the first people called are experts, she’s been unable to get her feet wet. Instead she aimlessly spends her days stuck in the stifling heat wave sweeping across Britain, and anxiously contemplating her upcoming marriage to careful, precise researcher Oscar. The only reprieve from her small, close world is attending the local bereavement group to mourn her brother’s death from years ago. That is, until she meets journalist Sam Hunter at the grief group one day. And he has a proposition for her. Alice Webber is a thirteen year old girl who claims she’s being haunted by a witch. Living with her family in their crowded home in the remote village of Banathel, Alice’s symptoms are increasingly disturbing, and money is tight. Taking this job will give Mina some experience; Sam will get the scoop of a lifetime; and Alice will get better, Mina is sure of it. But instead of improving, Alice’s behavior becomes increasingly inexplicable and intense. The town of Banathel has a deep history of superstition and witchcraft. They believe there is evil in the world. They believe there are ways of…dealing with it. And they don’t expect outsiders to understand. As Mina races to uncover the truth behind Alice’s condition, the dark cracks of Banathel begin to show. Mina is desperate to understand how deep their sinister traditions go–and how her own past may be the biggest threat of all.
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0**I was provided an electronic ARC from the publisher through NetGalley.** Actual rating: 3.5 Daisy Pearce presents Something in the Walls, a horror story centering a girl and a history of witches in a small town. Readers follow Mina, a recent university graduate who specialized in child psychology. Mina has been called in for an expert opinion by Sam, an investigative journalist. Sam is looking into the case of Alice, a teenager who seems to be possessed by the spirit of a witch set free from a broken witch bottle. Sam is burdened with the death of his daughter and Mina is haunted by the death of her brother, and somehow Alice knows. Pearce sets up with an interesting premise and short chapters that keep the pace steadily moving. This book is a slow burn psychological horror that builds uncertainty and instability in Mina and in the whole town. This aspect of the book is done well. My issues come in with the ending. I am admittedly, disappointed with the choice of how to end the book. Not just the aspect of what was happening, but the quick sort of slapdash whirlwind of the end itself. There are a few plot holes that I can logic away for myself in general, but the book doesn't necessarily answer specific questions about how or why scenes came to occur the way they did without me having to come up with some major assumptions. This is probably a me-specific pet peeve, but lack of cohesive explanation for what happened frequently annoys me in horror. We have an answer. Win. But some things simply aren't rationalized by that explanation. Less of a win. That being said, I was never bored and I enjoyed my time with the story. I was happy to have the opportunity to read Something in the Walls early.
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