Dark Matter - Michelle Paver
I'm trying to keep better reading records so here's a review of my first read of the year. I;ve had Michelle Paver's Dark Matter on my wishlist for a while and got it for Christmas.
It's a ghost story set in the Arctic - a group of young men in the 1930s set off for an expedition that involves them spending the winter in an isolated part of Svalbard. It's told mostly in diary form by one of the men, who ends up alone during the endless darkness. As with many ghost stories, there is the possibility that this is all in his mind - a result of the disorientation and isolation - but the main implication is that this area is haunted by a malevolent presence. It is chilling and I think it is the malevolence of the ghost that is the most frightening aspect of the story. I found it hard to put down but didn't want to read it alone at night as the creeping sense of menace is really tangible.
Paver gives a great sense of place and creates a vivid atmosphere of fear and isolation. There could have been more development of the other members of the expedition, particularly Gus, but really, this is Jack's story and we learn most about him and the characters who try to help him - the ship's captain and the trapper who visits him.
Recommended - especially for a winter read.
It's a ghost story set in the Arctic - a group of young men in the 1930s set off for an expedition that involves them spending the winter in an isolated part of Svalbard. It's told mostly in diary form by one of the men, who ends up alone during the endless darkness. As with many ghost stories, there is the possibility that this is all in his mind - a result of the disorientation and isolation - but the main implication is that this area is haunted by a malevolent presence. It is chilling and I think it is the malevolence of the ghost that is the most frightening aspect of the story. I found it hard to put down but didn't want to read it alone at night as the creeping sense of menace is really tangible.
Paver gives a great sense of place and creates a vivid atmosphere of fear and isolation. There could have been more development of the other members of the expedition, particularly Gus, but really, this is Jack's story and we learn most about him and the characters who try to help him - the ship's captain and the trapper who visits him.
Recommended - especially for a winter read.