Review: The Lingering, by S.J.I. Holliday

Rating: ★★★★☆

Genres: Horror, Thriller

Goodreads / Amazon

The Lingering is the story of a couple, Ali and Jack, who move to a self-sufficient community, in hope for a fresh start. There is a dark mystery to the community and the house they are to move into, and the two of them are intrinsically in the middle of the events that unfold.

I really like this eerie cover, setting the mood for this book. It begins unfolding the plot a bit slowly, tension and mystery in the air from first page, as the couple moves into a small community which keeps itself away from the rest of the world. Everyone has their own secrets, and perhaps Ali and Jack have the biggest of all. They’re here for a fresh start. But something dark seems to awaken with their arrival – and the secrets from the place where the community is set also start to unravel.

The themes of this book are really interesting: we have possible witches, a mental institution which abused patients, ghosts… I was so curious to find out every single backstory that I kept listening to this audiobook compulsively. The more you find out, the more you want to know. It’s not exactly a thriller, more like a suspense.

I didn’t love the narration varying from one person to another, especially the ones by Angela. She was a bit too quirky, too naïve, and changed the pacing of the story. I think her POV would have worked a lot better in a movie, but in the book I was a bit upset when it came up.

I’m glad I picked this up, it was a very atmospheric read and I’d love to see it on screen!