Book Review: "Diavola" by Jennifer Thorne

I'm going to be honest with you about this book. When I first looked at it, I was really unsure - I didn't know whether I was going to like it or whether it was going to be one of those run-of-the-mill horror books that really has no flavour. When I began reading it however, I was completely and utterly drawn in and consumed. I finished the whole thing in one day and managed to scare the absolute life out of myself on top of that. This is one of those books where you think 'why didn't I pick this up earlier'. Fantastically weaving gothic notions into an almost folk horror atmosphere - a book about a vengeful renaissance ghost is about to become so much more than a ghost story.

The protagonist, Anna Pace, approaches her family’s annual vacation with a sense of dread, guided by her personal motto: stay quiet and get through it. This year, the Paces have chosen a remote villa in the tiny Tuscan village of Monteperso for their getaway. While the location initially seems picturesque and serene, it quickly becomes clear that the villa is anything but ordinary. Anna starts to experience things like seeing wine stains that weirdly disappear when she looks back at them. And Nicole's children start to talk about playing with the neighbour's kids even though there aren't any.

Anna often feels like the black sheep of her family. Her twin brother, Benny, is overly eager to please, to the point of losing his individuality, while their older sister, Nicole, exerts strict control over her husband and children, expecting everyone to fall in line. Meanwhile, their mother is quick to critique Anna’s choices, and their father is more interested in reminding everyone that he paid for the holiday than engaging with them. Honestly though, Anna is possibly the most likeable character I've read in a long time. She is often ridiculed for her difference but, she doesn't want to give into changing for either of these horrible siblings she's had to deal with all her life.

The villa, though undeniably beautiful, begins to reveal its sinister side. Strange noises echo through the halls at night, unsettling warnings from local villagers hint at danger, and the villa’s history of violence and death casts a heavy shadow over their stay. As the eerie occurrences grow more frequent, Anna finds herself grappling with her own feelings of alienation within her family. She begins to wonder if the haunting presence in the villa is connected to her growing sense of disconnection—or if it’s something far more malevolent. When Benny, Anna and Christopher go to open the tower that isn't supposed to be opened they find nothing - but they also unknowingly release a strange evil on the family.

As the story reaches its climax, Anna is forced to confront not only the villa’s dark secrets but also her own role within her family’s dynamics. The result is a conclusion that is both deeply unsettling and heartbreakingly resonant. There's something following the little girls, there's a woman always close behind Anna and Christopher has simply disappeared with a note left clearly in Benny's handwriting.

The dark secrets of the house mirror the buried resentments and unspoken conflicts among the Pace family, creating a suffocating atmosphere that traps them both physically and emotionally. As Anna delves deeper into the villa’s past, she uncovers a chilling connection between its tragic history and the present. The villa seems almost alive, feeding on the family’s fractured dynamics and drawing them into its web of darkness. There is one scene that stood out almost immediately to me and it's when the family go to the gallery and Anna is struck by a painting of a woman from the year 1500. She stands there staring at it almost as though she has seen the woman before - in real life.

A terrifying climax mixed with a chilling twist on the classic ghost story, this book is fantastic and explores the themes of loneliness and isolation absolutely brilliantly. With its atmospheric scenes, its beautiful Italian landscape and biting family dynamics, this book will definitely have you picking sides...oh, and of course, not wanting to turn the lights off at night.