It's Always the Quiet Ones

Jasper Bark's Quiet Places is another book I stumbled upon while looking for a "Q" title for a reading challenge. Well, that's not entirely true. I'd seen it mentioned occasionally in the various Facebook groups I belong to, but it never crossed my mind until I saw it among the Amazon listings. I also needed a Cosmic Horror read for another challenge, so I figured it's a way to kill two birds with one stone.

Quiet Places is Sally's story. It tells of her life before before and after her move to Dunballan, and what befell her lover, David, once they were settled. To the outsider, Dunballan seems rather idyllic -- and isolated town tucked away deep in the woods that rarely, if ever, gets any visitors. So how did a young woman from London end up in such a secluded, out-of-the-way place? It seems it's her boyfriend's ancestral home. And when his uncle passes away and leaves the entire estate to him, it's his familial duty to take up residence. This is a big change for Sally, in more ways than one. Even though she and David have been together for a number of years, they have never cohabitated. And you get the impression she's a city girl at heart. So her life is about to enter a period of great upheaval, as she agrees to make the move with David.

Almost from the start, Sally realizes there's something not quite right about Dunballan. For one thing, David, who often experiences periods of emotional distance, becomes even more withdrawn. Then there's the way the townsfolk huddle together whenever Sally's around, whispering secrets Sally isn't privy to as they eye here with... Sympathy? Suspicion? She is, afterall, an outsider. Then there's the mysterious beast that seems to be stalking David. Not menacingly. Almost as if it's keeping an eye on him, making sure he stays where he belongs. In Dunballan. And finally there's the whisperings coming from the hedgerows. Whisper that seduce Sally, and promise that if she does what it asks, she'll get her David back.

Little by little, Sally uncovers the secrets of Dunballan, but will she learn everything she needs to know in time to save David?

With Quiet Places, Jasper Bark has created a riveting tale that keeps you on the edge of your seat, reading late into the night. But it's not because you care about the characters (personally, I didn't find any of the characters particularly likable), but because you, as the reader, want to know the town's secrets. If you've read enough folk horror, what happens between the covers of the book probably doesn't come as much of a surprise, but if you're relatively new to the sub-genre, then you're in for a bit of a treat. And if you're good at putting the pieces together, you'll be able to figure out what's going on within the town before Sally does, and you'll be sitting there hoping she comes to the same conclusions you've already arrived at.

All in all, I enjoyed Quiet Places, and I would recommend it, even though I do have one MAJOR gripe -- and that's that there's no big surprise at the end. Bark gives away the ending at the very beginning, so no matter what happens during the course of the story, you already know the outcome. The only reason you keep reading is to see how and why this is the outcome. To create a sense of mystery and not spoil the ending, I think it would have been better had the author started with the news of David's inheritance; this way, we're with Sally from the very beginning, rather than starting it the way he does. You don't even get the impression that this is the hook to keep readers reading, in that it lacks the excitement you would be looking for with a hook.