REVIEWER: Denise M. Baran-Unland
BOOK TITLE: “A Candle in her Room”
AUTHOR: Ruth M. Arthur
GENERAL SYNOPSIS: A doll haunts three generations of girls living in an old courthouse in Wales.
GENERAL IMPRESSIONS: Slow-paced (in a good way), themes of love and devotion (not necessarily romantic), and a subtle and shadowy horror so the reader is never certain if the evil is real or in the girls’ minds.
HOW WAS THIS BOOK SIGNIFICANT FOR YOU? HOW WILL IT AFFECT YOUR WRITING?
This book influenced my love for Gothic stories that focused on a slow, immersive pace and memorable characters. I also learned the importance of innocuous details that can assume ominous or healing roles: the plant Santolina, a simple wooden doll, vague family history, and the call of a curlew.