Joseph Fink and Jeffrey Cranor's "Faceless old woman who secretly lives in your home"

 

You can find this book here.

I'm old. Older than you can imagine. Probably older than I can imagine, and I have met nearly everyone in your family tree, going back well over a century" p. 7

This is an introduction to the protagonist of this novel. She is, as the title suggests, also a faceless old woman who secretly lives in your home. everyone's home. At the same time. Particularly in Night Vale. 

Now, before I get on with this book; if you do not know Night Vale, let me introduce you. It started as a podcast, and has become so much more. They are all horror-style stories within the show that kind of remind me of way back in the day when radio stations used to read novels by H. G. Wells or Comics from DC for everyone to hear. It's a very interesting series that has been going from 2012. This book is based off one of those podcasts. Feel free to listen to it here. It is the second in the list.

As a head's up, I have found the book to be just as good as the podcast series. Whilst you have to subscribe to hear all of the stories from Welcome to Night Vale, you can at least borrow this book for free!

The protagonist is far more developed in the novel than the podcast. You learn to understand her beginnings from the Mediterranean in 1792 to her connections to Craig in Night Vale in 2020. I do not want to give too much away because then it will spoil the history and creepiness this novel brings about. There are also some twists in this tale that you hopefully do not see coming.

The writing is very strong and it cements a sense of place for the multiple characters you encounter. There are also strong themes in regards to relationships and humanity and what that means, particularly when it comes to the life the Faceless Old Woman leads. Oh, and don't forget the humour. There is some of that in there too, reminiscent of the podcasters. 

If you are a fan of Welcome to Night Vale already, you might not like the fleshing out of the Faceless Old Woman, because it then may take the creepiness away from her. It didn't for me, but it might for you. This also isn't a book with strong scares or horror elements, so if that is what you are after, you are missing out here. 

Overall, I liked the read. It is familiar and yet not so in the places it describes in relation to the idea of it being our world, but not quite. The characters may not necessarily be fully developed every time, but they do work for the plot. This is definitely a plot-driven novel (though the action might be a little slower). So if you like a traipse through some light history (worldly and personal), this book should be given a go.

Links for you

Novels by Fink and Cranor in the Library:

Welcome to Night Vale

Series read-a-likes in the Library:

Twin Peaks

This one isn't so much a "read" as a "Watch" a-like. There is a book on this list that will help develop the series (old and new) if you are interested that will flesh out Twin Peaks, Like the Faceless Old Woman does (in part) for Night Vale.

C. J. Tudor's "The chalk man"

This book can be found here.

Tudor’s ‘The Chalk Man’ is a pretty fast read, and whilst I am going to review it as much as any other book I have read … cloudLibrary classed it as part of the genre “Horror”. Depending on your definition of the genre, you may or may not agree with this when you read it.

Eddie is a kid, part of a “gang” of youths who find a dead body when they are young and then need to deal with the consequences of this once they are older. Seems like a simple storyline; and it is, because we have heard this many times before (even Stephen King’s ‘Dreamcatcher’ does this in part). However, this book has a very different feel to it, even though it follows common tropes. 

The reason I believe this novel is different is because of the characterisation. I found the characters; not exactly interesting per se, but so damaged and flawed that the situation, consequences and the writing sat with me much longer. Perhaps this was why it was placed in horror? The mentalities, attitudes and lives of these characters are so flawed, so pained at times, and seemingly so … off … that perhaps this is the horrifying element all along. Not anything violent that actually happens in the novel: it is the psychology of the characters themselves that is off-putting or creepy. It was what made the book interesting. And sad (not in a crying way, but in a “oh, humans are so pathetic and tormented way”, you know?). It’s also what I take away from this novel the most.

The story itself changes chapter by chapter through the past and present. Mainly between 1986 and 2016. This really worked and made the novel even poetic and cyclical by the end. 

“Everyone has secrets, things they know they shouldn’t do but do anyway.”

You may not see it now, but you will if you read this novel. 

If anyone says they could not connect with the characters; that makes sense. Because it is filled with dark humour and the characters are all flawed, broken and well, human. But the story itself is well written and complete; you have everything you need by the novel’s end. I just kept going back to its cyclical nature and found this part the most enjoyable.

Links for you:

Tudor in the Library:

Other people

Tudor in cloudLibrary:

Taking of Annie Thorne

Title read-a-likes in the Library:

Bone keeper

Luca Veste

Both novels are menacing and have a murder of the past that leaves a mark on individuals into their older selves. However, Veste is more police procedural.

Lying game

Ruth Ware

This was chosen because of the flawed nature of characters and the psychological impact of past events on characters.

Good daughter

Karin Slaughter

Chosen because characters were flawed and shows the impact of small-town life.

Author read-a-likes in cloudLibrary:

Into the water

Paula Hawkins

Girlon the train

Paula Hawkins

Hawkins' work is similarly creepy, complex and nonlinear. These works also focus on the psychology of characters and their unlikeability.

Stuart Turton's "Seven deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle"

This book can be found here.

Turton’s novel is his debut. It won the First Novel Award at the 2018 Costa Book Awards and is a Sunday Times bestseller; so head’s up, it won’t be bad. As an aside, before I get into the book, in the United States it is known as ‘7 ½ deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle’. Whether that gives anything away or not to you; I don’t know.

‘We have work to do,' he says. 'I have a puzzle which requires a solution.'

'I think you've mistaken me for someone else,' I say. 'I'm just a doctor.'

'You were a doctor,' he says. 'Then a butler, today a playboy, tomorrow a banker. None of them are your real face, or your real personality. Those were stripped from you when you entered Blackheath and they won't be returned until you leave.' 

Great quote, right? That’s why I used it. And it will draw you in to the story you are going to want to read.

The story is about a character called Aiden who has been told he needs to solve a murder at Blackheath House. As simple as any crime novel? Except that at the end of each day, the day repeats and Aiden finds himself in another guest at Blackheath House, with what clues he has remembered. That is correct. He inhabits the bodies of guests at Blackheath House to solve a murder.

As far as the plot goes, it can be disorientating, but it is very solid. There is an historical setting to the novel, which is interesting given the way the main character Aiden moves through the novel (science-fiction-like, if you will). However, it is well-paced, and it isn’t drenched in description. In fact, the plot is much denser than the description, which helps the pace. This therefore makes it more complex than an Agatha Christie novel, though the same “whodunnit” theme can be found across. But it is a nice step up from Christie if you are used to reading her.

In terms of character … because of how Aiden works, and so I do not give too much away, I cannot say much about Aiden himself. However, all the characters at Blackheath are well-developed, different from each other and sordid. Surely that’s a Christie word, right? Most characters have dark secrets and character traits that make them unlikeable; so, it also makes it hard (at least for me) to really tell who did commit the crime until the end. Yet it also adds depth to the characters, the setting and the plot, as all these characters appear multi-layered.

This book was a very solid first novel; and reads like it isn’t. There is crime, action, deception, science fiction elements, mystery … it’s almost an all-rounder, making it a good suggestion for any reader.

Links for you:

Title read-a-likes in the Library:

Life after life

Kate Atkinson

This novel has an historical setting, is structurally complex and has a main protagonist who lives days over and over again. It is more humourous than Turton’s and removes the mystery / crime element from it.  

Author read-a-likes in the Library:

Minette Walters’ books

Tends to write in a similar style with stylistically complex writing, intricate plots and a creepy tone. A lot of the items in the list (there is a trilogy there) have historical settings; and others are more suspenseful.

Author read-a-likes in cloudLibrary:

Into the water

Paula Hawkins

Hawkins tends to write in a similar style with stylistically complex writing, intricate plots and a creepy tone.

New Poirot mysteries

Sophie Hannah

These were chosen as Hannah was commissioned to write new Poirot novels in the vein of Christie (she also writes her own suspense / thrillers). These will be typical “whodunnits” with the crime and mystery elements similar; though possibly less suspenseful, yet with historical elements and intricate plots.