Monday 2 April 2012

The Most Terrifying Book I Own!!


  I like to think I don’t scare easily.....well....unless (picture this) I’m in a dark basement,  watching a scary scene from the movie IT (Stephen King)  and my young sister runs down the stairs in a clown costume screaming my name. NOT COOL SHEENA!! I eventually peeled myself off the ceiling, changed my soiled 'delicates' to than find her and yell at her! Fifteen years later and I still haven’t got over it. I don't like clowns!!!But I digress….

I went through a Horror novel phase a few years ago and came across some seriously frightening books (by John Saul, Douglas Klegg, Scott Smith, Sarah Pinborough) Entertaining, good for a shiver, but I always maintained ‘It’s just a book’ and moved on with my life.

Enter ‘The Dwelling’ by Susie Moloney. The scariest book on my bookshelf!

Do you remember that episode of Friends, where Rachael finds Joey’s copy of the Shining in the freezer?
 “The Dwelling” to me is my ‘Freak-me-out-Freezer Novel’

Now, I haven’t read it in a long time, and I have only ever read it once. Why? Because I kid you not, it disturbed me so much that I had to hide it on my bookshelf behind other books. Out of sight, out of mind! I didn’t want to be reminded of what the pages contained. Talk about a heart-pounding fright-fest. We have moved several times, and for the longest time, I just left it in one of my many boxes of ‘books I can’t fit on my shelves’. Recently it has ended up back on my shelf, (behind other books of course) and the only reason I am reminded of that is because my toddler decided to rearrange the shelves the other day. Oh look, there it was. Staring up at me, mocking me….

I am curious… if I read it again will it scare me as much as it did before? I refuse to get rid of it, just in case I decide I want to find out. I can assure you though, that wont be any time soon. (Enter horrified shudder HERE)

I am sure some of you are thinking, "well than would you just tell us what the book is about"!!

In short, it is about a house that is constantly on the market.  It shares the story of the people who end up living in it, and you find out why the house is always changing hands rather quickly. Each person in each story seems haunted in a different manner. From what I am ‘willing’ to remember, the stories were well told, and seemed in a lot of ways ‘plausible’ if you believe in the paranormal. The way she writes is fluid and it hooks you. The book is a page turner and will make you chew your nails until they bleed. A good excuse to go for a manicure. It may also make you wet yourself, so a side note, you may want to stock up on Depends while reading.  


At this point, maybe some of you are thinking, 'Oh Irene, I am sure you are exaggerating, it can't be that scary'.
If that thought crossed your mind 'oh brave and skeptical one', you need to find a copy of this book, read it than tell me what you think!

To the rest, that are unsure what to think..I say to you: If you like your Stephen King, if you love your Anne Rice, or are just looking for a good ‘scare’, Than make room in your freezer and read ‘The Dwelling’ by Susie Moloney, at night, right before bed, with only a dim lamp on…..maybe clutching a teddy bear for moral support.....

I DARE you.




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