Book Review: Girl in the Walls by A.J. Gnuse
Girl in the Walls by A.J. Gnuse is his debut Gothic thriller/suspense that has all the feels and a mysterious girl lurking in the walls of a house. Is she real or a ghost? Read the publication history, genre, book summary, quotes and book review of Girl in the Walls by A.J. Gnuse in this post below.
About Girl in the Walls by A.J. Gnuse:
No. of Pages: 323
Publication Date: Fourth Estate (18 March 2021)
Genre: Thriller, Gothic Novel, Coming-of-Age, Suspense, Debut
Reading Age: 11 and above
Buy From: AMAZON
Girl in the Walls by A.J. Gnuse Book Review:
She doesn’t exist. She can’t exist.”
This line in the book description of the Girl in the Walls by A.J. Gnuse had me buying this debut book without reading anything else about it. With a beautiful cover, intriguing title and a book description that will have you eager to read it, the initial impression about this book is one of thrilling suspense and chilling moments with a mysterious girl who may or may not be real at the center!
From the beginning we follow a young girl as she lurks in the walls of a big house with another family residing in it. Is she real or a ghost is a question that keeps revolving in the readers’ minds as she is seen living, hiding, surviving and observing everyone from the walls. She is like a fly on the wall, unseen by the Mason family going about their lives in their home, unaware that a stranger is also present in their home. But is she as unnoticed as she believes to be?
This atmospheric gothic style debut is more about people, relationships, and survival than it is about suspense and thriller. While there are many moments of thrill and chills, right from the start you feel empathetic to and curious about the girl who is not introduced but who is forced to live in walls of a house!
Book Quote from Girl in the Walls by A.J. Gnuse:
Those who live in the walls must adjust, must twist themselves around in their home, stretching themselves until they’re as thin as air. Not everyone can do what they can.
But soon enough, they can’t help themselves. Signs of their presence remain in a house.
Eventually, every hidden thing is found.
How she survives, the way she times her whole day with the schedule of the family so that no one notices her, her love for reading that has her filching books from the family’s younger son’s collection, and her unexpected connection with another child had me going teary eyed and desperately wanting to do something to help her.
Introduced after many chapters, the reader is given the girl’s back story and how she came to be in the house. The author also draws parallels with the Norse mythology and Odin and Thor are the girl’s constant companions as she lives her unconventional life. Her thoughts, motivations and observations are far beyond her years and very eye-opening.
However, not all goes unnoticed. The boys of the house suspect something amiss, they suspect someone is living in their home without their knowledge and take help to smoke the stranger out. What happens next is something that is a lesson to the boys and the girl.
I loved reading this book because it is unconventional, unique in its narration and treatment with a plot that takes the readers on a journey analyzing human emotions, relationships, and motivations.
The story is told in short chapters like episodes of a serial and I loved it so much!
The only point of dissatisfaction for me was the ending that left me unsatisfied. I wanted to know what happened to the family, the small boy who had been a friend, and the girl in the walls. I wanted closure and while the author tries a closure with an end scene, it seems incomplete.
Conclusion:
All in all, Girl in the Walls by A.J. Gnuse is a praiseworthy debut and enjoyable but that which could have been better. Had the author given the readers an insight into the many players’ lives after the climax event, and given a closure to their stories, this would have been a 5 star rated book from me. For now, I give it 3.5 out of 5 stars to it and Njkinny recommends this book to people looking for relatable characters, an atmospheric story, and an enlightening journey through the labyrinth of human psyche.
I loved the author’s narration style and sat glued throughout the story. A.J. Gnuse is a talented writer and one whose books I will be keeping a lookout for.
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