Book Review: "1689" by Amy Cross

Now, when it comes to horror novels I like as always, to keep it nice and simple. I do not want a convoluted story filled with millions of characters, that's what the drama novels are for, or even literary fiction. A horror novel needs to keep its storyline nice and simple so that it can be expanded in some really interesting ways. In this novel by Amy Cross, the author explores several different avenues of horror all involving a simple case of a possibly haunted house aligned perfectly with aspects of revenge tragedy.

In my time, I have read a fair amount of Amy Cross. I read the book Stephen which I still think is very clever, I read The Strangler's Daughter which was a fun horror read, and there are a number of others I have read too. Much like Darcy Coates, Amy Cross has a flair for making you absolutely terrified whilst also using some quite interesting storylines to do so. We can see several influences at play including some works by Shirley Jackson, Stephen King and Susan Hill being fused together but I think what makes Amy Cross original is her attention to pace most of all.

Richard Hadlow is building his dream home in order to start a clean break when his family name is dragged through the dirt for all the right reasons. His wife, Catherine, seems like a lovely woman but an accident befalls her and she is buried in a sack on the grounds of the home. Richard quickly remarries, wanting a perfect wife to have a perfect family with. Rebecca, the new wife, often sees a woman walking the grounds but can't approach her husband to ask about what it is. In this twisted tale which includes the weird housekeeper with weird secrets named Fanny Baxter and her husband, the groundskeeper with a look of fear in his eyes named Oliver Baxter, this book gets dark really quick. One thing you may realise is not only is nobody to be trusted, but not everybody is how they may appear to be to begin with. A terrifying tale of salvaging a family name in the worst possible way, Richard Hadlow practically dooms himself to a life of torment in this increasingly tense revenge tragedy.

In this book the first thing we can see is the influence of Shirley Jackson. We have a man building a beautifully big house in order to give his life meaning which can only remind us of Hugh Crain from the book The Haunting of Hill House - especially regarding that book with all that blood in it. The next influence we can see is the aspect of tragedy which can only have been inspired by Stephen King. We have characters with two aspects of their lives constantly converging in on each other and if they were to collide, that would be not only a bad thing for them but very dangerous for everyone else involved. Another influence we see is obviously, The Woman in Black, where Arthur Kipps wants to make things right for ghostly Jeanette Humphrye who haunts the grounds of Eel Marsh House. Almost remeniscent with what happens in this book, we are drawn into the weird sightings of a the strange woman around the grounds, accompanied by the sounds of scratching.

I thought this book was paced really well. After the prologue, we have chapters that are slower and have a good slow-burn pace to them and as the tension rises, the pace becomes faster, but the false ending where everything is seemingly alright again brings its own pace and tension which forces the reader to rethink and again, puts them on edge. It is one thing I have constantly noticed when reading Amy Cross - her pacing is very much something she has mastered in her work.

All in all, as the first in a series of books, I thought this was very strong and, as with a series of books, I will be promptly reading the next one. It is a blend of horror, tragedy and aspects that you will find both completely revolting and strangely satisfying. A brilliant read, I am so happy I rediscovered my love for this author again.