Daisy Johnson's Sisters owes something to Stephen King with echoes of The Shining twins
The Tyneside Book Club were immersed in gothic psychodrama in July as they tackled Daisy Johnson's Sisters.
Opinions varied on the book with some members finding it produced some genuine creepy pleasures, while others were left cold by characters they struggled to care about.
Supporters enjoyed the book riffing on its influences, with a dash of Stephen King, and a big slice of Shirley Jackson in the mix. They felt it did in the end amount to more than just pastiche though, with Johnson managing to produce a convincing modern spin on her inspirations.
For some the twist came as a genuine surprise, while others felt it was telegraphed fairly early on. The device used was again a familiar one, and while for some that made the book unoriginal, others thought that she did make it work.
There was some enjoyment of the North Yorkshire setting, though some members felt there wasn't enough made of the surroundings as the book was very much confined to the cottage where the family were staying.
There was some discussion about how much the reader is supposed to think the events of the book are the product of the collapsing mental state of the protagonist, and how much to put down to something genuinely supernatural.
Supporters of the book tended to prefer the supernatural explanation as being more effective and successful, with the characters being perhaps literally haunted by past events and people.
For some though this was an upsetting experience, as they struggled to understand the behaviour of the mother, and found the themes of abuse and neglect disturbing.
There was some thought that this was a young author still trying to find her own voice, and that although there was clear evidence of talent in the writing, perhaps she was still wearing her influences a little heavily.
Opinions varied on the book with some members finding it produced some genuine creepy pleasures, while others were left cold by characters they struggled to care about.
Supporters enjoyed the book riffing on its influences, with a dash of Stephen King, and a big slice of Shirley Jackson in the mix. They felt it did in the end amount to more than just pastiche though, with Johnson managing to produce a convincing modern spin on her inspirations.
For some the twist came as a genuine surprise, while others felt it was telegraphed fairly early on. The device used was again a familiar one, and while for some that made the book unoriginal, others thought that she did make it work.
There was some enjoyment of the North Yorkshire setting, though some members felt there wasn't enough made of the surroundings as the book was very much confined to the cottage where the family were staying.
There was some discussion about how much the reader is supposed to think the events of the book are the product of the collapsing mental state of the protagonist, and how much to put down to something genuinely supernatural.
Supporters of the book tended to prefer the supernatural explanation as being more effective and successful, with the characters being perhaps literally haunted by past events and people.
For some though this was an upsetting experience, as they struggled to understand the behaviour of the mother, and found the themes of abuse and neglect disturbing.
There was some thought that this was a young author still trying to find her own voice, and that although there was clear evidence of talent in the writing, perhaps she was still wearing her influences a little heavily.
RSS Feed