I finished reading Little Stranger by Sarah Waters two days ago, but I felt I needed a bit of time to absorb the book before writing a review. Sarah Waters is one of my favourite novelists, with Fingersmith ranking in my Top 10 books, so a new book by her is always something I look forward to. I have never been disappointed by any of her books yet; I can only rate them by comparing each to her other works. This book is no exception. Those following the Man Booker Prize will know that this is on the longlist. Being nominated generally means increased sales, but Little Stranger is already way ahead of the other books in this respect.Set in post-war Warwickshire in the crumbling great house of the Ayres family, Hundreds Hall. Once grand and the centre of the community, Hundreds Hall and its owners have fallen in hard times. Mrs. Ayres struggles to maintain a facade, but the truth is that money is scarce, their farm is failing, and they cannot afford to maintain the house. The Ayres children, Roderick and Caroline, struggle to maintain a semblance of family life and keep the estate solvent. Into this setting comes Dr. Faraday, a GP who comes from humble origins (his mother was a domestic servant in Hundreds Hall) and still carries a vague obsession with the house and the lifestyle it represents. And then strange events start happening. Is Hundreds Hall haunted?
Dr. Faraday, the narrator, is very unimaginative and logical, offering rational explanations for everything. This can get irritating at times but, in hindsight, is essential. I don't want to give much away but some of the scenes are spectacularly spooky, and Dr. Faraday's explanations act as a cold damper to the tense situations. What intrigued me was that the book reveals nothing, right up to the last page. There are allusions and hints, but nothing is clarified, and the narrator's dry voice adds to the sense of mystery and frustration that the Ayreses themselves must be feeling. Waters leaves a lot of work to the reader who is free to make his own suppositions. It is very possible that every reader will come up with his own explanation, but I think I will build my assumptions around the concluding line of the book. A quick look around other blogs tells me that many others are doing the same.
For me the triumph of the book was the fantastic period atmosphere. As in her previous novels, Little Stranger benefits from historical research; the class distinctions in particular are wonderfully brought out. The Ayres family is baffled by the changes in social order and, for his part, so is Dr. Faraday, neither knowing quite how to treat the other.
This is the only book on the Booker list that I have read so far, so I cannot speculate on its chances, but I will admit to enjoying it a lot.
5 comments:
Swati, I am also basing my interpretation of the novel on that concluding line and supporting hints. I was disappointed when I read it but my appreciation for it has grown with hindsight. I still think it is her weakest novel to date and far too subtle but I love her books so much that I am willing to forgive her.
It's true that it isn't a patch on Fingersmith and Tippping The Velvet. I find it very hard to objectively review Waters' books because even her weaker works are better than most, so should I give her a high rating for that or a lower rating for not living up to her potential?
It's a hard one, but I always find myself giving her the benefit of the doubt, I do adore her work :D
Swati, it is a hard one! I seem to hold Sarah Waters to a higher standard than other writers and that isn't fair. I love her work so much that I expect a lot of from it.
I have struggled with this book- my first review was harsh and then I went away, thought about it, and wrote a redux post a few weeks ago; now that she's been longlisted for the Booker I'm even more convinced that I missed something. I know that I'm not the only one though; people feel really strongly about this book, either because they loved it or because of their profound disappointment.
At least it's successful.
I agree with your comments about this being weaker, but still a great book. We are judging her by very high standards and it is sad when she writes an amzing book, but we are still a little disappointed that it isn't as good as her previous ones.
I was surprised to see this on the Booker list and don't think it will make the short list - those Booker judges do some strange things though so you never know!
Jackie, I did wonder about it being on the Booker list. It's a good story, but it isn't important in the way her earlier works were important (neither was Night Watch, in my opinion). But maybe the judges are seeing something I can't. I read somewhere that Waters, Rushdie, Amis etc find a slot on the longlist simply by publishing a book, content notwithstanding. Maybe it's true :D
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