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A review by slippy_underfoot
The Woman in Black by Susan Hill
3.0
In the early 1900s Arthur Kipps, a young London lawyer, heads up to Eel Marsh House to tidy up the affairs of the recently deceased, reclusive, Mrs Drablow. The house is situated on a spit of land connected by a long causeway across treacherous marshes, and is cut off daily by the high tides.
On learning that Arthur has come to deal with the house and Mrs Drablow’s legacy the locals avoid his eye and mutter darkly, changing the subject swiftly.
The local land agent refuses to visit the house with him, or send a clerk to assist, so Arthur must work alone in the house, sifting through Mrs Drablow’s papers.
He begins to experience inexplicable noises and mysterious, malevolent, presences as he uncovers a story of bottomless grief and black rage.
Can he find it in himself to stay, complete the work, and - perhaps - bring some comfort to the tormented soul of The Woman in Black?
Grimly creepy, with a nice echo of the classic MR James ghost story style without being too much of pastiche. A lot of the classic British ghost story tropes are here - educated professional scoffing at local concerns, the pale figure in black, the rambling old house with that ONE room - exactly as you would wish them to be, and I enjoyed the unfolding of the tale, but ultimately wasn’t gripped or surprised by it.
On learning that Arthur has come to deal with the house and Mrs Drablow’s legacy the locals avoid his eye and mutter darkly, changing the subject swiftly.
The local land agent refuses to visit the house with him, or send a clerk to assist, so Arthur must work alone in the house, sifting through Mrs Drablow’s papers.
He begins to experience inexplicable noises and mysterious, malevolent, presences as he uncovers a story of bottomless grief and black rage.
Can he find it in himself to stay, complete the work, and - perhaps - bring some comfort to the tormented soul of The Woman in Black?
Grimly creepy, with a nice echo of the classic MR James ghost story style without being too much of pastiche. A lot of the classic British ghost story tropes are here - educated professional scoffing at local concerns, the pale figure in black, the rambling old house with that ONE room - exactly as you would wish them to be, and I enjoyed the unfolding of the tale, but ultimately wasn’t gripped or surprised by it.