Fabian Hightower stands at his mother's bedside. "Go back to sleep, Mum" he says. And she does, smiling in anticipation of the time they'll spend together in the morning.
But that morning never comes. Instead, Alex Hightower wakes to the news that her only son was killed in a head-on automobile accident while driving home from a school vacation in France. At first Alex is confused and uneasily tries to convince herself that Fabian's appearance was merely a dream, or perhaps a premonition. But then strange events start to occur. The words "Help me, Mother" flash across her computer screen. Fabian's face suddenly appears on newly developed photographs. Odd noises and smells invade her house. Objects move themselves.
Frightened, she turns to Fabian's best friend for help, a cold and distant stranger who hints about a Fabian bearing no resemblance to the son Alex thought she knew. Finally, in desperation, she consults a medium. Shaken, he tells her, "Fabian wants to come back".
Now haunted by Fabian's pleas at every turn. Alex is consumed by her harrowing search for answers. As she unearths the terrifying secrets of her son's bizarre past, she comes to realise that her own safety and even her life are in jeopardy. While there's still time, she must free herself from Fabian's spirit – before it takes possession of her own.
Genre: Fiction, Horror, Ghost Story
Year: 1988
Publisher: Doubleday
Rating: 3.5/5
I often scour my mum's bookshelves when I visit her. I have read quite a lot of her books, but there is always something new to discover. I found this book when I visited months ago and it sounded interesting. Like all good bookworms, she bought it from a second-hand seller years ago but hadn't read it yet. There is just never enough time to read all the books we buy, right? So I borrowed it. It then sat on my bookshelf for months before I finally picked it up. Once I did, I couldn't put it down.
This is a typical ghost story. Loved one dies, has unfinished business and they stick around, haunting the person they were closest to and causing all sorts of strange happenings. Throw in a dark and disturbing secret, and an angry spirit and you have a scary ghost story. Perfect. I love a good ghost.
This story, although not frightening, had enough creepiness and twists in the plot that it was a fun read. The characters in this book were enjoyable and realistic. All loose ends in this book were tied up neatly at the end of the story and there was one final twist, ending the book in a way which was suspenseful but still satisfying.
My only criticism, is that in an effort to make the dialogue in this novel sound real the author had the characters say 'er' a lot.. for example:
He coughed and sounded uncomfortable. "I-er-I'd rather take you out somewhere"
"It's-er-jolly difficult to park outside sometimes"
Now, maybe I am being unfair. I understand the characters were under some stress and were anxious, and that the author was trying to get this across in their conversations to each other. He was trying to convey their feelings and thoughts without using words as such, but by the end of the book I was distracted by this.
Despite that I enjoyed this book. If you are like me and you love a good ghost story, then you may also like this novel.
