Review of Dreadful by Caitlin Rozakis

Introduction: The Halloween Gala; A Walk-in into the World of the Gothic and the Macabre

The author of the debut narrative Dreadful, Caitlin Rozakis plunges her readers into the hypnotizing narrative, which is quite appropriately filled with horror, gothic, thriller, and suspense notes. This grim and ominous context of this novel overrides the traditional conventions of the genre and brings together an introspective journey of the protagonist and an unlaying, gradual construction of a mystery. From the title, Dreadful itself gives a feeling of fear, a form of fear which in this book creeps up the characters and the tale as a whole peer into the horrific and the mysterious.

That is why Rozakis has developed a story that took part inside the person’s head as much as outside. As a phenomenon of gothic fiction dominates in her works, Dreadful familiarizes us with the world where menacing fog prevails, and the protagonists’ dreams are not so different from nightmares. This is a story of loneliness, fear and self-destruction as the main character fights against circumstances that she cannot influence.

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Plot Summary: Ted Koppel, in ‘’Darkness on the Horizon’’, bends a spotlight on this view as he asserts that America’s unpreparedness for blackouts will soon lead to significant problems in the power sector.

Dreadful is a movie that narrates the life of a young woman, Eleanor, who is so much tormented by some terrible events that she had to face in her childhood. Desperate for comfort and denial she moves to another house in the middle of the moors to find solace. Nevertheless, when Eleanor finally goes there to seek comfort she is met with tortured souls. The house looks as though it has an independent life, a life all its own; the very land is saturated with strange happenings. Over the days, Eleanor changes her mind that she has to deal with the terror that faces her or probably she is just going crazy.

He begins the novel with the introduction of Eleanor at the estate which helps to create the plot line of the story. The house does not look well maintained at all, it gives a creepy feeling whereby one feels it has been deserted with noises heard all over the compound and moving shadows. The detailed account given by Rozakis about the state of the house and the gardens, the creaking floors and the overgrown plants and shrubs are all pointers to the traditional Gothic and thus prepare the reader for the kind of world in which the novel is set.

Thus, as Eleanor begins to settle into life in the house she acquires acquaintance with its occupant, a strange man, named Victor. Initially, the existence of a mysterious saviour named Victor seems to improve Eleanor’s situation but slowly and surely his sinister nature becomes evident. So, as the connection with Victor gets strained, Eleanor begins to encounter more and more terrible visions and nightmares. These visions are not clear whether they are real memories or illusions resulting in Eleanor (and the reader) being confused by what is real.

The story revolves around the main actions of Eleanor through her wandering around the estate and her efforts to eventually understand what exactly is going on. This is because as she continues to investigate the secret of the house she unearths some of the secrets of the house as well as secrets she never knew about herself. The reading of the novel is tensioned gradually, raising necessary suspense with every revelation that approximately as the threat sCrews on the characters and the reader.

Themes: Fear, Loneliness: The Unknown of Isolation and Trauma

As has been earlier discussed, the theme of isolation, both spatial and social, is one of the most emphasized in Dreadful. Eleanor that move to the estate mirrors her want to withdraw from reality and her past. That the estate is off the beaten track; remote from civilization, corresponds to Eleanor’s detachment from people. This theme is further emphasized by Rozakis’s characterization of the estate how the walls and the rooms are dilapidated portraying a picture of Eleanor’s disturbed psychological state.

While moving through the estate, the main character also deals with a post-traumatic disorder that she experienced and tried to escape. Having discovered that the supernatural in the story is used to symbolise the psychological effects of trauma, Rozakis did a brilliant job at portraying this. Eleanor’s visions and hallucinations can be the outcome of traumas she experienced, or they can be demonic possessions—Rozakis does not specify the latter, therefore it is up to the reader to decide.

This uncertainty characteristic of the novel deepens in the part concerning the world’s unknown aspects. Rozakis uses this notion a couple of times throughout Dreadful, and it is a key component of the story, as it questions the possibility of a human ability to comprehend what is going on. The occurrences that are witnessed at the estate cannot be rationalized, and whenever Eleanor tries to make some sense out of them she appears to be getting more insane. This theme of the unknowable uses one of the gothic resources: the supernatural has to remain beyond people’s understanding.

Characterization: The. A Descent into Madness

Eleanor is the soul of Dreadful, and her story is not less internal than external about the estate. Rozakis depicts Eleanor as a very flawed and very complicated woman in the novel. The protagonist is not only an interesting, but also a very sympathetic character, and despite her tendency to reveal only those moments of her life that could feed her readers’ curiosity, she won’t leave anyone who is about to read this book.

Throughout the novel, it can accurately be stated that Eleanor is brought with quite a lot of emotional issues on her shoulders. To live in the estate alone speaks of her need to retreat from the life she led before but as the plot unfolds, the reader gets to know that no one can run away from his/her past. Eleanor’s paranoia and fear are evident in the novel and Rozakis does a commendable job as more and more of the ‘dark side’ of Eleanor is revealed. As that happens, the reliability of the perspective that is presented by Eleanor progressively declines as well. This aspect of the novel therefore helps to raise the tension to allow the readers to begin to search for the truth of what is going on.

Victor is another male character in the novel, though this time he is a more mysterious one, living in the estate. Mr. Ramsay as a friend figure and at the same time as a possibly antagonistic figure increases the novel’s tension. Frank is a rather ambiguous character: he appears to be friendly and assists the main characters from time to time, yet it is seen that his intentions are rather dubious, and he seems to have no proper reason for living in that house. Maybe the main strength of the author can be noted here: Rozakis skillfully conceals the true identity of Victor to the very end and the corresponding dangerous atmosphere envelops the whole novel on the eve of the events described.

Thus, although the main characters are Eleanor and Victor and the novel’s title features ‘the other,’ this other is the house in which the action takes place and that influences the behaviour of the characters. Rozakis adds the element of evil to the estate where it seems that the very house itself is following Eleanor around. Ed’s house is not just the setting; it is also one of the major characters of the story which shows the deterioration signs just like the main character Eleanor in the novel.

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Atmosphere: Some people regard Gothic horror to be a failure; however, it seems to be at its best here.

Arguably, Dreadful’s strength is in the showing of a strong atmosphere. Rozakis also does a good job of portraying the feelings of fear and anxiety present throughout the book. Through the themes laid down in the plot and the mood created by the author the gothic tradition is explored in the novel with references to the romantic period. The accounts that Rozakis gives are full of nuances and emotions and the reader gets an idea of a world that is both beautiful and frightening.

The narrative of the novel is slow but gradually the tension is developed by Rozakis as Eleanor explores the secrets of the house. It allows for some suspense that builds up slowly and thus you have your horror scenes where there are no jumps or gore but you get the feeling something is off. As a result, there is an equal measure of psychological and gothic horror in the novel, and Rozakis does an excellent job of depicting horror in this fashion.

The supernatural in the novel is portrayed subtly, and Rozakis does not attempt to tell the reader all the details about them. This causes the suspense in the novel as it remains in dissection whether the toils Eleanor undergoes are real or just an effect of her insanity.

Critique: A Beautifully crafted but Pacing issue in some sections

Despite a few negative points, Dreadful stands out for the development of the atmosphere, the characters and the themes handled. There are certain portions of the novel that might look ambiguous and monotonous to some readers mainly because of the slow build-up that it traverses at some parts of the middle portion of the story. The gradual accumulation of suspense does not prove to be a weakness only towards the end of the film: for most of the novel, the sense of dramatic stagnation gives a proper amount of tension. Such sections could be a provocation for getting annoyed in some readers; still, these are utilized to maximize the sense of the novel’s denouement.

Furthermore, to some extent, the novel’s vagueness can be regarded as its key advantage; however, others may get annoyed by the absence of definite solutions. Rozakis employs several elements of the story in such a way that the true ending may be explained in various ways hence lacking the standard way of giving out the climax of the novel. But for all those who love uncertainty and the challenges of the unknown, in Dreadful the endings will shortly be received as worthy and rather thought-provoking.

Conclusion: A Haunting Debut

In Dreadful, Caitlin Rozakis has delivered a fantastic piece of fiction that will forever remain imprinted on the horizon of the reader’s mind. It can be stated that the generic roots are gothic but Rozakis contributes a personal and more post-modern spin to the framework of the gothic novel and it provides the readers with, on the one hand, a classical context, on the other- -an appeal that resonates with the readers of the twenty-first century. Austwick creates a haunted atmosphere with complex characters, and by adding themes like PTSD into the gothic drama of Dreadful, fans of horror novels will not be able to look away.

However, the plot may not be fast-paced to some readers, the overall theme seems to shift from suspense to suspense until the final part offering an eerie ending. Being able to combine psychological horror with supernatural aspects is a solid point in Dreadful and even though it is Rozakis’s first book, readers must be looking forward to what she will write next. Those willing to lose themselves inside the crevices of the sick human mind and face their fears and nightmares inside Dreadful will have a rather satisfactory and eerie experience.

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