** I received an ARC for an honest review **
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Description
What would guilt make you do?
Hadleigh Keene died on the road leading away from Hollyhock Asylum. The reasons are unknown. Her sister Morgan blames herself. A year later with the case still unsolved, Morgan creates a false identity, that of a troubled housewife named Charlotte Turner, and goes inside.
Morgan quickly discovers that Hollyhock is… not right. She is shaken by the hospital’s peculiar routines and is soon beset by strange episodes. All the while, the persona of Charlotte takes on a life of its own, becoming stronger with each passing day. As her identity begins unraveling, Morgan finds herself tracing Hadleigh’s footsteps and peering into the places they lead.
The terrifying reality of The Redemption of Morgan Bright unfolds over the course of chapters told from the points of view of both Charlotte and Morgan, police interviews, and text messages.
Summary
I was fortunate to read an ARC of The Redemption of Morgan Bright by US author Chris Panatier.
Review
This is a difficult review to write without giving away too much that is key to unraveling The Redemption of Morgan Bright.
Panatier has crafted an unusual narrative style for this gothic horror that combines epistolary elements of police interviews, reports, messages and notes. These are combined with the storytelling style to create a variety of perspectives to the narrative. Morgan Bright, determined to find how her sister Hadley died violently and bizarrely and near-frozen so many miles from the Hollyhock asylum.
Panatier creates an unreliable in Morgan as not long after her arrival at Hollyhock undercover as the fictional Charlotte, her memories and reality begin to dissolve and Morgan is replaced by the more pliable and mentally fragile, Charlotte. This is a clever use of technique by Panatier, who sows doubt into every aspect of all characters and the supernatural phenomena they frequently encounter at Hollyhock becomes a question of genuine haunting or genuine insanity. The few faults with this work are affects the unrealistic transformation from Morgan’s persona to the fictionalised Charlotte which feels too swift and absolute to be believable. Nonetheless, the final revelations of the truth about Hollyhock Asylum are truly within the subgenres of supernatural and weird horror, all meticulously designed and carefully revealed in a crime-mystery style.
Conclusion
A recommended read for fans of gothic horror, psychological thrillers, supernatural elements and weird horror. There are strong sociopolitical issues surrounding mental illnesses, women’s health and disability fiction, in general. These aspects are addressed head-on and may be confronting to some readers. A strong gothic horror which is part-mystery, part-supernatural horror.
** This is my personal opinion and does not reflect any judging decisions **
Leanbh Pearson 