Well, I spent the majority of my time confused while reading this book. This is despite there being some really compelling storytelling going on. Basically we’ve got an old English town that is, quite literally, crumbling into the sea. Entire sections are gone, including the houses, churches, and businesses that were located there. Talk about atmosphere! It had it to spare.
We’ve also got some really compelling characters. Or rather, character. Ferelith, the weird girl who I was never really sure of. I couldn’t ever tell (until the end) whether or not she was really real, if she had some sort of dark communion going on, or if she was just lonely and isolated. And I found that lack of ability to pin-point her really fantastic. I loved the uncertainty of her character and how unreliable that made her.
What didn’t work for me so well were the chapters from the late 1700s from a Rector living in the same town. There are some nice parallels between his story and present day. A stranger comes to town in both of them. Quests for knowledge also span the two stories. However, it took too long for me to figure out how this story from the past fit into the present day story. And the religious verbiage, while I’m sure was accurate, made me feel like I was wearing a hair-shirt at times. And he was a self-pitying fool, the like of which I always want to smack. Now, having said that, when you find out what is really going on, there is a great payoff – I just wish there had been more clues along the way to keep me interested.
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Book Source = Tayshas Copy
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