Elena Dorothy Bowman

“A deserted house in New England contains a secret reaching back to the Crusades…” This was the intriguing back-cover introduction to Elena Dorothy Bowman’s book, “The House on the Bluff.” And when I learned that that the author, like me, was once a software engineer, I just had to read on.

The prologue had me a little confused, I suspect because the language and history put me in mind of my English homeland, but the phrasing was American. The story proper begins in chapter one with Abigail investigating a rather scary abandoned house. Although she asks “What am I doing here?” it’s soon clear that she has a serious purpose in mind. The house has a purpose too and, when Abigail falls asleep on the widow’s walk, time, space and reality begin to tip.

A lot of this novel is revealed in dialog, with characters explaining to each other who they are and what they’ve just experienced. But the main character is probably the house itself, a fact which is underscored as the story progresses and protagonists suggest to each other, “Why don’t you ask the house?”

The concept of a house testing and choosing its occupants is fun, though some of the details seemed contrived. The conversations and situations are in turn scary and amusing. And the conclusion could almost be the prequel to a TV series, like the old supernatural comedies I used to enjoy.

I guess I’m still not sure how to interpret the picture on the cover, but it was a fun tale.… (mehr)