The Visitors by Catherine Burns Published by Gallery/Scout Press on September 26th 2017
Genres: Horror
Pages: 304
Format: Netgalley eARC
ISBN: 1501164015
ASIN: B06ZZWDFSV
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Marion Zetland lives with her domineering older brother, John in a decaying Georgian townhouse on the edge of a northern seaside resort. A timid spinster in her fifties who still sleeps with teddy bears, Marion does her best to shut out the shocking secret that John keeps in the cellar.
Until, suddenly, John has a heart attack and Marion is forced to go down to the cellar herself and face the gruesome truth that her brother has kept hidden.
As questions are asked and secrets unravel, maybe John isn't the only one with a dark side.
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#Macabre #Gothic #PsychologicalThriller #DebutNovel #CatherineBurns @simonschuster
Have you ever been in a really creepy basement in an old house? One that was chilly and damp and dark and made your skin crawl? That’s the visual you need to hold in your mind while you are reading Catherine Burns’ debut novel The Visitors. Who are these visitors you may ask? They are the nucleus around which this bizarre horror story revolves. Marion Zetland is a friendless spinster who never had a chance. She is raised by a father who is likely a monster and a mother who is a hopeless neurotic and as the story opens we find this seemingly sympathetic character living with her older brother in genteel squalor. If being a monster is hereditary, then John Zetland has likely inherited his tendencies from his father, but with a twist. While John’s father kept his nature fairly well-hidden, John just can’t help being himself and letting his demons occasionally run free. There isn’t any telling how long this less than idyllic life would have gone on had it not been for John’s sudden illness and lengthy hospital stay which put Marion in charge of her home and her destiny. As the book moves toward an unexpected ending you will be yelling “You go, girl!” to this pathetic woman just before you catch yourself and say “What am I thinking?” This is the point where I’m going to leave off telling the story because this is the point where things get really weird and macabre and I wouldn’t want any spoilers to come between those of you who chose to read about The Visitors and this tale that would make Edgar Allan Poe proud — quoth the raven.
Despite the fact that I have been writing my review with a somewhat tongue-in-cheek approach, there is nothing funny about The Visitors. This book is all about the characters, their deeds, and misdeeds and I don’t think you will find any of them relatable or likable except for Marion’s Aunt Agnes who quickly becomes estranged from her dysfunctional family because she has the nerve to call them out on their weirdness. The Visitors is a well-written and creative debut novel. I recommend it to lovers of horror with strong stomachs. It will help you understand why your mother taught you not to talk to strangers. If the book description appeals to you, you have a chance to read it for free because Goodreads has a GIVEAWAY of The Visitors going on through October 6, 2017.
About Catherine Burns
Born in Manchester, Catherine Burns is a graduate of the University of Cambridge. She worked as a bond trader in London before studying at the Moscow Institute of Film and teaching film theory at Salford University. The Visitors is her debut novel.
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