The Birthing House by Christopher Ransom07/04/2009Location : Cleveland, OH
The debut novel from Christopher Ransom,
The
Birthing House, is quite a blend
of tension, suspense, horror, and mystery. But mostly horror. For a debut
novel, it is quite good but, at times, difficult to follow.
Conrad Harrison heads out of Chicago, travelling the wrong direction, and finds himself in Black Earth, Wisconsin. It is there that he finds a stately old home that he absolutely must buy. Without talking to his wife, he impulsively purchases the house and then informs her of the purchase. The house feels right, as it was once a "birthing house," where women would come from around the area to have their babies. He sees this as a way to have a new beginning. Conrad proceeds to move his wife and two dogs from California to Wisconsin. In addition to dealing with the change in weather, recreational and entertainment opportunities, and poor cell service, Conrad and Jo are trying to mend their relationship and in his mind, this new house, this birthing house, will provide the basis for a new beginning for the couple. That is made more difficult when Jo accepts an eight week job in Detroit. Left alone, Conrad discovers that the old house has some secrets - dark, terrible secrets. During his time alone in his new home, Conrad comes to find that The Birthing House wants something from him.
This is a very good debut novel from Ransom. He builds the suspense like a seasoned author; Conrad keeps hearing a newborn's cries, he sees shadowy figures in the house and in the yard, and notices his wife in a photo album that came with the house. This is a seriously creepy novel. Further, Ransom has created some very good characters, and provides enough history for each that their motivations are plausible. The novel moves quickly, drawing you into Conrad's world, which seems to be bordering on madness. The early chapters are exceptional, however the final few left me puzzled. While the novel seemed to be moving toward a logical and satisfying conclusion, it left with me feeling as though I missed something. Rereading the final chapters did not help, Ransom seems to have purposely created a sleight of hand as I was left wondering how the we came to that ending. It did not appear to make much sense. Even with that, you can see that Ransom is an author that deserves your attention and one that has a lot of potential.
Technorati tag: book review Christopher Ransom The Birthing House
Conrad Harrison heads out of Chicago, travelling the wrong direction, and finds himself in Black Earth, Wisconsin. It is there that he finds a stately old home that he absolutely must buy. Without talking to his wife, he impulsively purchases the house and then informs her of the purchase. The house feels right, as it was once a "birthing house," where women would come from around the area to have their babies. He sees this as a way to have a new beginning. Conrad proceeds to move his wife and two dogs from California to Wisconsin. In addition to dealing with the change in weather, recreational and entertainment opportunities, and poor cell service, Conrad and Jo are trying to mend their relationship and in his mind, this new house, this birthing house, will provide the basis for a new beginning for the couple. That is made more difficult when Jo accepts an eight week job in Detroit. Left alone, Conrad discovers that the old house has some secrets - dark, terrible secrets. During his time alone in his new home, Conrad comes to find that The Birthing House wants something from him.
This is a very good debut novel from Ransom. He builds the suspense like a seasoned author; Conrad keeps hearing a newborn's cries, he sees shadowy figures in the house and in the yard, and notices his wife in a photo album that came with the house. This is a seriously creepy novel. Further, Ransom has created some very good characters, and provides enough history for each that their motivations are plausible. The novel moves quickly, drawing you into Conrad's world, which seems to be bordering on madness. The early chapters are exceptional, however the final few left me puzzled. While the novel seemed to be moving toward a logical and satisfying conclusion, it left with me feeling as though I missed something. Rereading the final chapters did not help, Ransom seems to have purposely created a sleight of hand as I was left wondering how the we came to that ending. It did not appear to make much sense. Even with that, you can see that Ransom is an author that deserves your attention and one that has a lot of potential.
Technorati tag: book review Christopher Ransom The Birthing House
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