Turner

I don't often read horror fiction, especially not novels with blood and chainsaws on their covers, but as it is nearly Halloween I thought I should get into the spirit and so, finally, braved Karl Drinkwater's thriller, Turner. It's a fast-paced, exciting tale with a tense vibe that reminded me of the horror videos I tended to avoid as a teenager! I loved how Drinkwater evoked the chilling atmosphere of the isolated Stawl Island village with its decidedly unwelcoming villagers. Welsh language sentences, albeit then translated for readers, are cleverly used to increase our protagonists sense of alienation from the locals surrounding them. The deranged Lord reminded me of characters in satanic Dennis Wheatley novels (which teenage me did love) and it was fun to learn how different the real Lord and island are at the end of the book. I was relieved that there weren't too many pages that I had to read through my fingers although several scenes are seriously disturbing and my imaginings of what might be about to happen really didn't help my peace of mind. If you're not out trick or treating and want a gorily scary Halloween read instead, I'd recommend getting yourself immersed into Turner.