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The Book
My rating: 5 out of 5 *****
I love this book. I am a sucker for thrillers and post WWII historical fiction and this is a wonderful mixture of both. On top of that, Sarah Waters is a master of weaving a tale so compelling that even a 500+ page – book such as this one ends up being a quick read.
This is the story of Dr. Faraday, a village doctor, that is called to Hundreds Hall to tend to a maid who is feeling poorly. Dr. Faraday, having grown up in the village, is shocked to see how this once magnificent estate has fallen into disrepair from years of neglect. The once prosperous Ayres family is struggling since son Roderick has returned from the war severely injured and suffering from PTSD. The remaining Ayres, Caroline and her mother Lydia, have done their best to keep the house running.
Dr. Faraday’s mother was once a maid in the great house and he has a fascination with Hundreds Hall and the family. He offers to help Rod with his injury at no cost, and so becomes a frequent visitor to the hall and a family friend.
Strange things begin happening around the house – evil things that cause both visitors and family physical harm. Is something paranormal haunting this great estate or has Rod’s wartime experience finally caused him to crack?
Sarah Waters is a wonderful storyteller, and while it began kind of slowly, once the stage was set, I was engaged the whole time. I loved how she wove the history in with gothic horror. It was both fascinating and thrilling!
The Movie
2 out of 5 stars**
Both of those stars were for the acting. Ruth Wilson, of Saving Mr. Banks and Jane Eyre, played Caroline Ayres and Charlotte Rampling, who was in one of my favorite movies, The Duchess and one of my favorite Netflix series, Broadchurch, played Lydia, her mother. Domhnall Gleeson, well known as Bill Weasley in the Harry Potter movies, played Dr. Faraday. The acting was not the problem.
Now I am going to sound like a whiny reader – they left too much out of the movie. I know that in a 500 page novel, something has to be left out, but I question which pieces were omitted. As I said before, the book was a thriller / historical fiction novel. The movie, however, was more historical fiction / thriller, and that just did not work.
WARNING: The following contains a spoiler.
One of the big problems was that they completely glossed over the paranormal activity surrounding Rod and the fire. It was the first time I was really scared as I read the book, but the movie showed Rod standing in front of a burning bookcase and that was it. This was a turning point in the book, where things began to go wrong. The movie left too many unanswered questions surrounding the event, so instead of being delightfully scary, it seemed confusing.
Another big omission mistake was the abbreviated explanation of the poltergeist theory. In the book, Sarah Waters draws on old books surrounding hauntings and has Dr. Faraday discuss them at length with another doctor. The reader got a good sense that this poltergeist theory involved how a living person, when under great stress, can psychologically fracture and his subconscious can become a force by itself. Without this explanation, the moviegoer leaves the theater completely confused by the ending.
I was excited about this movie because I loved the book so much. However, the movie left me hoping that someday someone will re-make it into what it could be, not what it was – a half-story.
If this sounds like a book for you, you may also like I Remember You by Yrsa Sigurdardottir – a truly scary read!
