Book Review: The House at Midnight

Author: Lucie Whitehouse
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing Plc, London
ISBN: 978 0 7475 9625 7
Pages: 374
First published in 2008

A psychological thriller, the story is horrifying and tragic in its own way. It doesn't take you into paranormal world, but makes you dance high and low onto the dirty secrets of human minds and hearts. After the suicide of his uncle, Lucas Heathfield inherits the Stoneborough Manor, which he imagines to be a place where he and his close friends can spend weekends far away from chaos and noise of London city.

From the beginning, the house haunts their relationships and effects their emotions in a strange way, especially on Lucas, who leaves his job and shifts to the house permanently with friend Danny, a wild child who becomes responsible for shattered group of friends. Lucas obsesses himself with alcohol, drugs and cine films of his uncle and his friends thirty years earlier. With these cine films escapes the dark secrets of high sexual emotions, love and tensions of his family, very similar to his own group. The group meets at a final dinner party at the house, which changes their lives forever, ruining friendships.

From all the characters, the house is the biggest character, changing colors with every dramatic twist in the story. In the beginning, it becomes the point of admiration for its art, paintings and charismatic character of its owner Patrick, but as the events in the story unfolds it becomes a lusty ghost trying to cast spell on each of them while becoming a reason of shattering friendships, family relations and innocent trust at the end.

The House at Midnight is a thriller, moving in its own pace, compelling the reader to accompany it. It gyrates around sinister desires, emotions and passions of failed and existing relationships . Author creates an atmosphere which pulls the reader into it, makes him a part of the group, experiencing the evil leer of the house. An irresistible page turner!

Comments

Corporate Identity: Self potrayl of an organisation

An organisation carries out thousands of operations, it buys, it sells, it hires and fires employees and it promotes its products/services using promotional tools. All these operations of the organisation relate wholly or partially to various publics. No organisation can work in isolation. Companies are dependent on reactions and actions of its customers and consumers. People react and respond towards any organisation according to the way the company is perceived in the market. Image and identity of the company are related to each other. The sum total of the way an organisation represents itself is called identity. The way different publics perceives an organisation is often known as image. Marketing wars are not won and lost in shopping malls, but are won and lost in the minds and hearts of the people. Style of functioning of a company can be called as mark of identity of a company. Whereas, the kinds of actions and reactions in the min...

Marketing Communications: five finger story

Marketing Communications is about establishing an image for company and products. It is to communicate benefits from products, create awareness about new products, keep existing products in focus and generate market excitement. The company's marketing communication tactics alerts customers to sale, justifies prices with benefits, answer consumer's questions, provide after sale reinforcement and keep organisation in focus. All marketing communication tools should work in unity. It should be a seamless communication process sans hitches. Advertising: It is a paid form of non-personal communication about an organisation, product, service or idea by an identified sponsor.

Manmade marvel - Meenakshi Amman Temple at Madurai

Meenakshi Amman Temple at Madurai is one amongst the several wonders of India. Famous for its architecture, the temple is huge and each statue carved on it is one amongst itself. The temple has four gates i.e. north gate, south gate, east gate and west gate. Entry is allowed only from north gate, which is considered as auspicious. Some glimpses of the temple built several centuries before. One of the elephants guarding the shiva temple. Each elephant statue on each side. Gopuram at east gate, before the Meenakshi temple. There are four such corridors on each side having about 1000 pillars. 1000 pillars hall at the temple. Natrajan at the hall. The statues on 1000 pillars poses the steps of Bharatnatyam One of the satute at the hall. Dancing poses by the statues Outside view of all the temples at each direction.

Knick n knack

Search This Blog