The Harrowing: A Ghost Story by Alexandra Sokoloff
The Harrowing tells the story of five lonely college students stuck in their dorm for the Thanksgiving holiday. Loneliness and a deep dread for their home life seem to be the only thing they have in common. But their weekend binds them together as they struggle with deciding whether their demons come from within themselves or from the outside. It is a question the five students pose to a Ouija board. At first they ask teasingly, but later they are disturbed and frantic to understand who or what is providing the answers to their questions as nightmarish events unfold. Reluctant to believe in other worldly beings, can psychology provide their answers? And is it anymore desirable?
Sokoloff builds the tension effectively and makes it hard to put the book down. Her skills as a former screenwriter are evident as she sets a very real stage. Characters which at first seem fairly one dimensional develop beyond their stereotypes, and questions that seem easy to answer become increasingly complex. This is a compelling thriller that will make you think, and that’s the scariest kind of tale. After only reading a few pages, I realized this would be a daylight only read for me. I’m not the only one to think this is a really excellent thriller, since it was a Bram Stoker’s Award nominee for best first novel. I eagerly await her next novel, The Price, which will be available this winter.
Do you have any good suggestions of paranormal thrillers?
--Michelle Eklund, Reviewer
