"Long Lankin" by Lindsey Barraclough (I1)

Finally

Long Lankin

By Lindsey Barraclough

# Pgs: 464

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Overview:

In an exquisitely chilling debut novel, four children unravel the mystery of a family curse — and a ghostly creature known in folklore as Long Lankin.

When Cora and her younger sister, Mimi, are sent to stay with their elderly aunt in the isolated village of Byers Guerdon, they receive a less-than-warm welcome. Auntie Ida is eccentric and rigid, and the girls are desperate to go back to London. But what they don’t know is that their aunt’s life was devastated the last time two young sisters were at Guerdon Hall, and she is determined to protect her nieces from an evil that has lain hidden for years. Along with Roger and Peter, two village boys, Cora must uncover the horrifying truth that has held Bryers Guerdon in its dark grip for centuries — before it’s too late for little Mimi. Riveting and intensely atmospheric, this stunning debut will hold readers in its spell long after the last page is turned.

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Review:

I know I said that I was going to read it, but lately I haven't had the patience to read a book like Long Lankin. It's just a little slow paced and with my kind of mind I just need something that gets right into it right away. Regardless of my own problems with reading this book, I still promised a blog post. I think I've held this off long enough...

The only problem is that I haven't read it. Just a third of the way through it and the book is due. I can tell you that there's multiple points of view, and that the beginning, at least, is slow paced. It's easy to read and is set sometime in the 1980's, I think. If you're American, this book is British, which is kind of cool I think. Especially so since the author, Lindsey Barraclough, is British herself, and wrote the book so that the characters have accents. I know that every character has an accent, I just meant that since there is a difference from a person who lives in the city to someone who lives in the country, and from a person who lives in America to one who lives in, say, France... It's cool how Barraclough wrote those differences rather than having her characters talk in perfect English and saying that her characters sounded a little funny. It helps the imagination. 

Since I'm not quite sure you can trust my word about this book, as I haven't yet finished it, here's what Kirkus Reviews is saying:

"This atmospheric, pulse-pounding debut makes the most of its rural, post–World War II setting, a time and place where folklore uneasily informs reality. Barraclough controls her narrative with authority, shifting voices and tenses to provide both perspective and the occasional welcome respite from tension. The actual threat remains mostly unknown for almost the first half of the book, evident mostly in the long scratches by the door, the fetid stench of the church, the secretiveness of the villagers and, overwhelmingly, Auntie Ida's frank terror. If some of the historical exposition comes very conveniently, readers won't care--they will be too busy flipping the pages as Long Lankin closes in. A good, old-fashioned literary horror tale for sophisticated readers. (Historical fantasy. 10-14)"

It's up to you whether or not you want to read this book. As for me, I'm going to return the book to the library... then check it out again. Ok! So I'm a little frustrated by the fact that supposedly such a good story is evading me! At some point I know that I'll get through this phase... and when I do Long Lankin will be there waiting for me...