Not a "masterpiece," but a very fine piece of work, that is beautifully written and raises all sorts of interesting questions about storytelling.
Because, forget about "is it a ghost story, is it a murder mystery," that's not what's going on here. Mal Peet is telling a story, Martin Heath is telling a story. Annie, Godley, Sheepstone the detective ... they are all telling stories, and what they say (and when) and how they say it, and what they choose to withhold makes all the difference -- to our understanding, as readers, to our attitudes to the characters and their situations. Time after time, my attitude to a character shifted, like a rug had been pulled out form under my feet, when something was revealed that we just hadn't been told.
Not a masterpiece, but definitely a masterclass in how an author can manipulate us, use sleight of hand (or word) and verbal misdirection to make one story seem like something completely different.
Because, forget about "is it a ghost story, is it a murder mystery," that's not what's going on here. Mal Peet is telling a story, Martin Heath is telling a story. Annie, Godley, Sheepstone the detective ... they are all telling stories, and what they say (and when) and how they say it, and what they choose to withhold makes all the difference -- to our understanding, as readers, to our attitudes to the characters and their situations. Time after time, my attitude to a character shifted, like a rug had been pulled out form under my feet, when something was revealed that we just hadn't been told.
Not a masterpiece, but definitely a masterclass in how an author can manipulate us, use sleight of hand (or word) and verbal misdirection to make one story seem like something completely different.
