Farris is definitely one of the more literary quote horror authors unquote...and I say this because this is truly more thriller than horror, but then, for all that, it's a slow-burning thriller.

Reading a Farris novel is like taking a long stroll with a storytelling friend who hails from the south and has a great vocabulary. He'll mete out the story at a languorous pace, but never bore you. He'll fill in details that, while they may add nothing to the story, definitely add to the characters or the atmosphere.

In this particular story, Farris details some horrific events and, at times, dips a toe into the supernatural. It's never heavy-handed, it's never unnecessarily gory, but for all its restraint, it seems that much worse.

I'm not going to say that he's one of my favourite authors, because I'm actually one of those crass individuals who enjoy a quicker pace. But, having said that, once in a while, it's really good to slide over to a book with a slower pace.

I quite enjoyed this one. ( )