Review: Wild Fell
/3 stars. Mixed feelings on this one - there were parts I really loved and connected with, but there were also parts that seriously dragged the story in directions it probably didn't need to go. It's an odd one, for sure, which I think was intentional, so I want to be careful about misinterpreting deliberate choices for... mistakes. I've seen a couple of other reviews call it out for pacing and that may be valid but I'm not sure if that's a reaction to the fact that it's unusual - not necessarily wrong or bad. The thing that bothered me most was the dialogue.
More on that later. Wild Fell is a straight-up, self-declared ghost story told by a young man named Jamie. He chronicles his shy childhood, his relationship with his parents, his coming of age and his eventual purchase of a mysterious, isolated mansion in a small Canadian town, plus his experiences with a creepy girl named Amanda who lives in his mirror. Jamie's story offers a really fascinating snapshot into a man's upbringing and identity that happens to involve the supernatural. It's kind of a slow burn that ends with a bang.
I was definitely creeped out. It snuck up on me, especially within the last couple of chapters. I didn't really see it coming, despite all the signs pointing in one direction. So Wild Fell earns a ton of points for that and for delivering a lot of atmosphere. Unfortunately the dialogue really took me out of the story - more than once. The way characters talked with each other, stating each other's names, elongating statements for no reason... it all came across as super unnatural (but not in a supernatural way).
Not that I could do any better, TBH. And I do tend to overlook or forgive awkward dialogue in what I read, because that's just how it is. Unfortunately this was awkward to a distracting level. BUT!! I do recommend this book to horror fans! It's excellent and will stick with you. It's been a few days since I wrapped it up and I'm still thinking about it. So ignore my nitpicks and go enjoy a damn good ghost story.
Wild Fell on: Amazon | Bookshop.org | Goodreads