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Apartment 16

3.0 of 5 stars 3.00 · rating details · 827 ratings · 159 reviews

Some doors are better left closed—a spine-chilling horror novel from a new talent

In Barrington House, an upmarket block in London, there is an empty apartment. No one goes in andno one comes out, and it's been that way for50 years, untilthe night awatchman hears a disturbance after midnight and is drawn to investigate. What he experiences is enough to change his life forev...more

Paperback, 449 pages

Expected publication: November 1st 2013 by Pan Macmillan (first published 2010)

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Jul 27, 2011 Vanessa Samuel rated it 2 of 5 stars

I have finally surrendered to the fact that I just cannot and will not read any more of Apartment 16. I was under the impression that the aim of a horror novel was to scare not bore and was disappointed to find that I could not get into it at all which resulted in me skimming then skipping entire chapters revolving Seth because I found them unneccesary and repulsive. The wording was superfluous especially when trying to create atmosphere, which was wholly unsuccessful anyway. Only one instance g...more

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Aug 03, 2011 Kylie rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: horror-and-paranormal, restless-spirits-and-demons

The ideas in this are very interesting and I particularly liked the angle of an artist obsessed with the grotesque breaking down barriers between worlds and infecting others by association. However, I didn't like this book. Describing the horrific apparitions and artworks in detail over and over again gets boring and really it might've been better to leave them more to the imagination. I preferred Apryl's chapters on the whole since they were atmospherically creepy and dealt with discovering wha...more

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May 10, 2012 Steve rated it 5 of 5 stars

ok, so just got through reading this book, which i managed to read in a day. it was that type of book that i couldn't put down until i had finished it. the only thing that disappointed me was the ending, it just felt a little rushed. i am sure there are people that will disagree with that statement, and it was well written and enthralling enough to the point where i didn't want to stop reading until i had reached the end, but i cant help feel the slightest bit let down with how it ended. i'm sur...more

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Apr 24, 2013 Kiera Healy rated it 2 of 5 stars

Horror novels are all about suspension of disbelief. I'm pretty good at suspending it! So let's see:

* I can buy that a young woman inherits a creepy apartment in an apparently haunted building in Kensington, sure.

* I can buy that the building's night watchman starts to go slowly insane as he is followed by a seemingly dead child in a hoodie (never did trust them).

* I can buy that a mad artist with connections to Mosley used to live in the creepy Apartment 16, where he painted pictures so horribl...more

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Mar 26, 2013 B.P. Gregory rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: a-law-of-awesome-unto-itself

Give me the short version: Occult artist seeks to paint open the gates of Purgatory.

This is the second of Adam Nevill's books where a depiction of dying old and alone has been so wretched that I've wanted to re write my will.

I'm a massive haunted house fan - however it often seems the genre's been done, making it difficult for stories to strike out in any new direction. Apartment 16 confirms that rather than trailblazing, it's best instead to just skillfully & viscerally immerse your reader...more

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Sep 20, 2012 Craig Nickerson rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: horror, paranormal

I picked this up right after finishing Nevill's, The Ritual. While I didn't find it quite as good it's still a very entertaining novel. A follow up to his debut horror novel, Banquet for the Damned, Apartment 16 has received a great deal of positive buzz and, in spite of any misgivings I have, it's easy to see why. Essentially a haunted house tale, Nevill mixes it up with some old and new traditions, evoking at times a traditionally quiet, eerie approach and at others the vivid, technicolour hor...more I picked this up right after finishing Nevill's, The Ritual. While I didn't find it quite as good it's still a very entertaining novel. A follow up to his debut horror novel, Banquet for the Damned, Apartment 16 has received a great deal of positive buzz and, in spite of any misgivings I have, it's easy to see why. Essentially a haunted house tale, Nevill mixes it up with some old and new traditions, evoking at times a traditionally quiet, eerie approach and at others the vivid, technicolour horrors found in modern horror prose.

There are two alternating narratives that are related to each other and eventually entwine. The more traditional, reader friendly protagonist is Apryl. She is a young American woman who has come to London to sort out the estate of her Great Aunt Lillian, a strange old woman who she had never met. Apryl has inherited a luxurious apartment in the upper crust Barrington House. At first intending to liquidate her late Aunt's assets and head back home, she begins to take an interest in Lillian and her strange past. Her diaries suggest an interesting and unsettling tale. It seems that Lillian was quite eccentric (wealthy person slang for mad) and that she was involved with something very sinister back in the day, something that kept her a prisoner of Barrington House for years. Apryl is determined to get to the bottom of that strange and probably deadly mystery.

Apryl is a fairly believable, likable character. She's plucky and she's into vintage clothing making her a... hipster? Is that what they're called? Yes, I believe that's right. Her reasons for staying and digging into Lillian's past make sense. When the apartment starts to give her the willies she does have the good sense to stay at a hotel, a point in her favour. Of course, by the time the climax arrives I was thinking to myself that a reasonable person would have just cashed out and fled back home pages ago. Why do these people never realize that they're in a horror novel? Ah, well.

The second and more interesting thread follows the night watchman, Seth. He is a failed artist about to slip through the cracks and is facing a grim future. Isolated and depressed, one night he makes the mistake (?) of peeking into Barrington House's sinister and long vacant apartment 16. What was he supposed to do? There were strange noises coming from beyond the door. Seth soon finds himself steep in the supernatural, and seized by a powerful, ghastly artistic vision. Grotesque images plague his dreams and waking life and he begins painting again. This new found inspiration doesn't come cheap though.

Seth reminded me of a Ramsey Campbell character, paranoid, teetering on the brink of madness and a target of misfortune and hostility (Apryl is more Neil Gaimanley). The strongest parts of the novel are Seth's interactions with a ghostly Virgil like character taking him on a guided tour through Hell. Nevill offers up a horrifically squalid and despairing description of the afterlife which seems to have nothing to do with a religious perspective of punishment or reward. Also, Seth's impressions of London as seen through the lens of a deceased painter's disturbed artistic vision are powerfully written. One of my favourite segments was a description of Seth's unsuccessful attempt to find something edible at a grocery store. Who could possibly eat the repulsive wares on display? Especially after they may have actually been touched by one of the hideous, Francis Bacon characters milling about? Madness and misanthropy nicely captured.

The weakest aspect of the novel is the plot. It starts out fairly promising and then proves serviceable and finally ends as a bit of a mess. I initially liked the slow revelation of the scope of the disturbance at Barrington House. Apryl's delving into her Aunt's past is a perfectly good traditional hook. Seth being slowly consumed by an artistic vision was potentially the most compelling part of the story, maybe strong enough to carry the novel on its own. At around two thirds in, the story loses focus and some credibility. A third character, Miles is introduced late in and his relationship with Apryl isn't developed enough to ring true. Seth is brought back and forth to the brink of madness in what really should have been a steady one way trip, and the identity of his ghostly companion comes out of left field. Most importantly, the whole reason for Barrington House being the way it is does not have a satisfying payoff. The reader knows what's going on by this point, has for some time, so expectations are raised for a twist or additional element relating to what has come before. There is a slight twist, but it's only tangentially related to the main plot and again comes out of nowhere.

Having said that, the quality of Nevill's descriptive prose is excellent. Individually, sections work really well and he is able to build a strong, disturbing atmosphere. Sometimes the plot merely serves as a skeleton on which to hang effective prose. While I think the story could have definitely been improved upon here, Nevill's writing is worth taking note of. I look forward to reading Banquet of the Damned and Last Days
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Jul 14, 2010 Amanda rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: horror, review-copy

Some doors are better left closed...In Barrington House, an upmarket block in London, there is an empty apartment. No one goes in, no one comes out. And it's been that way for fifty years. Until the night watchman hears a disturbance after midnight and investigates. What he experiences is enough to change his life forever. A young American woman, Apryl, arrives at Barrington House. She's been left an apartment by her mysterious Great Aunt Lillian who died in strange circumstances. Rumours claim...more Some doors are better left closed...In Barrington House, an upmarket block in London, there is an empty apartment. No one goes in, no one comes out. And it's been that way for fifty years. Until the night watchman hears a disturbance after midnight and investigates. What he experiences is enough to change his life forever. A young American woman, Apryl, arrives at Barrington House. She's been left an apartment by her mysterious Great Aunt Lillian who died in strange circumstances. Rumours claim Lillian was mad. But her diary suggests she was implicated in a horrific and inexplicable event decades ago. Determined to learn something of this eccentric woman, Apryl begins to unravel the hidden story of Barrington House. She discovers that a transforming, evil force still inhabits the building. And the doorway to Apartment 16 is a gateway to something altogether more terrifying...

I must confess that I don't often read horror - not because I don't like it, but because I am a complete coward and end up sleeping with the lights on after a late night session with anything by King! Apartment 16 is the first outright horror book I've read in a long while, and I found myself disappointed.

The prose is very clean, and the structure of the story lends itself to quick reading - especially as we switch viewpoints between Seth, a man whose life is going downhill at a rapid rate of knots, and Apryl, an American girl trying to work out exactly what has happened to her great-aunt.

The first half of the book was dark and atmospheric, with the 'monster' (as it were) off-screen and represented by noises and fleeting visions of twisted characters out of the corner of the eye. This part was well-written and built up to a point where I was both excited and scared about what would come.

However, the final pay off left me feeling very letdown. It felt as though it trailed off rather than ending with an explosive finale. There didn't seem to be any true resolution, and certainly none of the characters achieved the redemption I thought they would finally achieve. As soon as the backstory concerning Hessen was introduced, the novel became much more dry and there were many occasions where the dialogue between two characters seemed there only to discuss issues that the author needed front and centre.

Although Seth and Apryl were interesting characters (but what the HELL is going on with that name? What on earth is wrong with April?!), the secondary characters didn't seem to add anything to the overall tale. In fact, the whole section dealing with the Friends of Hessen felt completely erroneous.

Also, I have to confess that I procrastinated my way through this book. It just didn't grip me at all - I found myself watching football matches, writing on Twitter, reading other blogs every time I sat down with the intention of completing it. I didn't feel the compulsive need to keep reading it that I thought I would.

Lastly, I must just mention the language. I am not averse to some swearing, especially when used well, but the constant repetition of a certain swear word had me cringing. It came across like a kid in a schoolyard trying to sound adult, rather than as an essential part of the story.

Altogether, I found it dull and unappealing - in fact, I shall damn it and say that, as a horror novel, it doesn't leave me needing to sleep with the lights on. (less)

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Aug 03, 2012 Keith rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: horror

So far, not so good.
The characters disappoint, particularly Apryl [sic], Seth also but to a lesser degree. Either through bad writing or bad editing there is no compelling reason for the heroine to get drawn into the story. Despite some of the earlier comments, Seth is far more plausible, not pleasant but plausible. Not sure why Miles gets more than a passing mention.
The main conceit, that you can see the world as Francis Bacon did, is intriguing but over-wrought. He tries to build a Lovecraft...more

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Jun 25, 2012 Nuran rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: horror, ghost

The prologue hooked me in completely, it gave me the chills. And for the first third of the book that sense of fear and creepiness carried over well. I read the first few chapters in the book before I went to sleep and had a nightmare about it, it was great. I enjoyed seeing two faces of London, one from Apryl's view and one from Seth's, one sees something amazing, the other sees something much darker.

Unfortunately, once the writer goes into great detail of the horror, the descriptions can get t...more

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Aug 18, 2011 Melliane rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Je ne lis pas souvent de livres classés dans la catégorie Terreur et cela faisait plusieurs années que je n'en avais pas lu, mais je me suis dit que c'était une bonne occasion de recommencer.

Appartement 16 nous plonge immédiatement dans un univers qui lui est propre. L'histoire est partagée en deux points de vue, celui de Seth (un gardien de nuit) et celui d'Apryl. Ma préférence va vers celui de cette dernière, parce qu'il fait énormément avancer l'histoire.
Apryl est une jeune fille pleine d'ent...more Je ne lis pas souvent de livres classés dans la catégorie Terreur et cela faisait plusieurs années que je n'en avais pas lu, mais je me suis dit que c'était une bonne occasion de recommencer.

Appartement 16 nous plonge immédiatement dans un univers qui lui est propre. L'histoire est partagée en deux points de vue, celui de Seth (un gardien de nuit) et celui d'Apryl. Ma préférence va vers celui de cette dernière, parce qu'il fait énormément avancer l'histoire.
Apryl est une jeune fille pleine d'enthousiasme en arrivant à Londres. Une ville qu'elle n'a jamais visité. Elle, qui n'a pas d'argent, se retrouve avec un appartement situé dans un quartier chic, rempli de meubles, d'habits, etc. Ensemble de choses, qui pourraient améliorer son train de vie, et celui de sa mère. Mais incapable de vendre l'appartement reçu en héritage d'une tante qu'elle n'a pas connue, elle décide d'en apprendre davantage sur elle et sur son décès. Cependant, plus ses recherches avancent, plus elle découvre des faits qu'elle aurait préféré ne jamais connaître. Tout la mènera à un peintre disparu depuis de nombreuses années.
Seth, quant à lui, est un artiste peintre, qui devient de plus en plus étrange tout au long du livre. Il fait des rêves atroces, dessine des tableaux qui n'ont ni queue ni tête, et a des hallucinations horribles.

Dés le début du livre on se retrouve dans une atmosphère malsaine et intrigante, qui d'ailleurs ne fait que s'accentuer durant tout le reste de l'histoire. L'auteur a bien réussi à faire communiquer son sentiment, notamment par des descriptions de personnages, de tableaux ou encore de bruits. On essaie de comprendre ce qu'il se passe sans avoir toutes les réponses, se demandant par exemple, si Seth ne devient pas complètement fou.

J'ai toujours un peu de mal avec les livres qui n'ont pas vraiment de fin et Appartement 16 en est l'exemple vivant. Mais l'ensemble des personnages étant reliés ensemble d'une façon ou d'une autre, nous pouvons ainsi comprendre plus de choses.

C'est tout de même un bon ouvrage, on reste curieux tout au long du livre, se demandant comment les personnages vont faire face à tour ce qu'il se passe. J'aurais juste aimé avoir toutes les réponses à mes questions. (less)

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Nov 19, 2011 Sharon Hattingh added it

My first book by Adam Nevill and I was quite impressed. It touches on many subjects I've read about in other works (Shaun Hutson, for instance) and names like Alistair Crowley, Frances Bacon, etc. are familiar. I remember it has been mentioned in connection with the so-called Hellfire Club and Crowley was infamous in his efforts to gain immortality. This work also includes mention of Nazi Germany and of an artist, Felix Hesse, who supposedly opened a doorway to the afterlife. His obsession with...more

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Nov 14, 2010 Anthony rated it 3 of 5 stars

The cover of this book had caught my eye a few times when I was logged into Amazon, and the blurb seemed particularly enticing. Having finished reading the novel, I'm ambivalent about the experience. It's an interesting, and often intelligent, premise for a gothic story: an examination of how art and the supernatural can intertwine in diabolical and unsettling ways. Of course, it's been done before, and is a classic of the mode - Poe, Wilde, M R James, Susan Hill have all explored this idea, wit...more

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Mar 08, 2012 Susana rated it 4 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Well, this is really a scary book, well written, fulfills completely its objective, it kept me awaken a couple of nights, and filled my dreams with dark images (I actually had nightmares, which is something I hate, but what can you expect if you are reading a ghost story in bed?). So it is a good terror book. Why have I given it 4 stars instead of a round and perfect 5? Well, because I felt a bit insatisfied when I finished it. I think the story ends without clarifying all the points.I wanted to...more

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Jun 01, 2012 Heather Dalgarno rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: horror

An awful, truly awful book with almost no redeeming features whatsoever. Poorly written, with very poor english in places that was just laughable in some places.

The story concerns the haunting of a residential building in London, and centers on the stories of a night watchman and a young American girl who inherits an apartment from an estranged aunt and is staying there while the estate is settled. It starts out reasonably well, but descends rapidly into nonsense. The building is haunted by a n...more

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Jul 16, 2012 Allana rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: favorites

Apartment 16 is a good old-fashioned horror story along the lines of Lovecraft, with some Clive Barker thrown in for good measure. Had I not known that the novel was first published in 2010, from the writing style I would have assessed this work as being from an earlier time period, which I found a little disconcerting at times, with the main setting straight out of the 40s and the female lead often wearing vintage clothing, opposed to a hectic, modern (if dilapitated) London society viewed on t...more Apartment 16 is a good old-fashioned horror story along the lines of Lovecraft, with some Clive Barker thrown in for good measure. Had I not known that the novel was first published in 2010, from the writing style I would have assessed this work as being from an earlier time period, which I found a little disconcerting at times, with the main setting straight out of the 40s and the female lead often wearing vintage clothing, opposed to a hectic, modern (if dilapitated) London society viewed on the streets and the use of cellphones by at least two of the characters.

However, in hindsight, I think this juxtaposition added to the atmosphere.

The story is split mainly into two viewpoints, with different, often alternating chapters for each. We have Seth, the ex-art student and now night porter of the upmarket Barrington House and we have Apryl, a youngish American woman who has arrived at Barrington House to claim her inheritance of her recently-deceased great aunt Lillian's apartment.

At one point towards the end of the story, we get a further viewpoint which, to my mind, is not carried out with the precision of the points of view of the other two characters, but it does serve its purpose in filling in some gaps in the story, allowing it to reach its horrific conclusion.

From a personal standpoint, I found the chapters seen from Seth's view a little repetative in places and at times a little confusing. But then, Seth is a deliberately confused character, so I will not argue too much with that.

Apryl, I found a little shallow as a character, but I did like her chapters, as through these we find out a great deal more about the problems at Barrington House which will culminate in the horrors within Apartment 16.

There is definitely horror in this novel and a sense of dread which can make you afraid to turn off the lights at night. And the detective work carried out by Apryl gives us all the tension of a pretty good thriller. We want to shout "don't do it!" But we know that she will...

I am giving Apartment 16 4 stars. I enjoyed reading the book and the atmosphere it produced. I also liked the way the author allowed us to draw up some of the ongoing conclusions for ourselves.
But I did find the repetition, particularly with Seth, a little too much at times. It appeared to be there to pile on the horror, rather than to move the story forward. And that is why, although I enjoyed this novel, I will not be giving it 5 stars.

But I will definitely be reading the rest of Adam Nevill's work in the very near future.
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Apr 26, 2010 Desolation Culture rated it 4 of 5 stars

Barrington House is an apartment building in London's upmarket Knightsbridge district. Behind its impressive facade it retains the vestiges of the lifestyle of affluence its now mostly elderly residents once enjoyed. Within its walls the aged millionaires stay hidden from the harsh reality of contemporary urban life, shrouded in the elegant ambience of a bygone era. But it's not just wealth and faded grandeur that Barrington House clings too, it holds on to its occupants just as tightly, and the...more

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Mar 30, 2013 Mika Lietzén rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: horror

The second horror novel by Adam Nevill is a mixed bag. Essentially a haunted house story on steroids, with an impressive back story veering towards the cosmic, the book is sadly weighed down by its execution.

The house in question is Barrington House, a venerable piece of real estate with 24 hour porters and mostly geriatric populace. A young American, Apryl, arrives in London to empty the apartment of her recently perished relative, an octogenarian whose diaries detail her fifty years of living...more

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Jul 21, 2011 Rebecca eley rated it 3 of 5 stars Recommends it for: People who want to be scared but not too much

Recommended to Rebecca by: No one

Shelves: other

I first started reading novels by Stephen King, James Herbert, Shaun Hudson and Dean Koontz. Every now and again I like to take a trip back down memory lane and go for a book that spooks. I found this whilst searching Amazon. It was a little suspenseful but I have to say I was a bit disappointed.

This is the story of Apryl who inherits an apartment from her great Aunt and comes to England to clear out and sell up. On arriving at Barrington House all is not as it seems. The book actually goes stra...more

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Jun 12, 2011 Donna rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2011

The back cover made this book sound exciting and something a little different to what I've been reading lately. But it didn't really meet my expectations.
It was a bit yucky at times, and I didn't like the characters. The female character of Apryl starts off as a girl who likes feminine things and is sad about the death of an aunt she didn't know and by the end of the book she is suddenly a confident woman who takes a crazy risk of entering a haunted apartment with a man she doesn't know who look...more

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Nov 05, 2012 Richard Kellum rated it 4 of 5 stars

What Adam Nevill does well is to look at how the human imagination, through its interaction with various art media (in this case painting), is capable of allowing access into this world the uncanny and terrifying presences that populate other worlds. Like the best fantasists, Nevill renders the shadowy borders between the here and the elsewhere utterly plausible. I won't give anything away here. Suffice it to say that what is struggling to enter our own world from Apartment 16 ought to give a ge...more

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Oct 26, 2011 S J Blake rated it 1 of 5 stars

An over-written over-wrought abysmally edited and written book. It purports to be horror and has one of the most brilliant covers of a horror novel I've seen in years - must commend the cover designer and the marketing department. But the author is either a really bad writer (with an even worse editor) or he simply cannot write to save his life. His sentences are repetitive, over-written, and most of all, just plain boring to read. How did this book ever get published? With so many excellent hor...more

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Nov 29, 2011 Kirsty rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: horror, never-read-again, gothic

With such good reviews on www.Amazon.co.uk and a scary sounding plot, I was really looking forward to this book. In the end I couldn't wait to finish it! The first third of the book was promising and seemed to be going in the right direction for a gothic horror, but then the author seemed to meander and repeat himself over and over with no progression of the story. The book could have been great if the author spent more time actually progressing the plot rather than trying to gross the reader ou...more

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Apr 20, 2013 Sian rated it 3 of 5 stars

Like a lot of other users here, I am undecided on this book. There are aspects that I really enjoyed - Apryl is a great character and I wish more time had been spent with her, rather than Seth (who I also liked, but did get slightly fed up with).

The storyline itself, I did like, but found myself confused at certain points. Seth is complex and definitely brought a really dark side to the story. I enjoyed following his breakdown and eventual demise. I did get sick of reading the C-word every time...more

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Jan 01, 2012 Leigh rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

An enjoyable novel not without its flaws. The chapters alternate between the story of two characters, and while I found myself greatly enjoying one side of the tale - the side involving most of the investigation and overall plot development - the other did not seem to have the legs to maintain itself as an entertaining component of the book, which at times resulted in trudging through those chapters simply to return to the better half of the story.

The real strength of this book lies in the incre...more

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Jan 18, 2011 G.R. Yeates rated it 5 of 5 stars

Haunting echoes of Blackwood and De La Mare blend into visceral conjurations that could have plagued the minds of a Poe or a Ligotti. The tone throughout expertly evokes the decay and degeneration endemic to London life, turning the city into a melting pot of grotesque phantasmagoria that can only inspire a sense of stomach-churning horror in the onlooker rather than beauty. The American protagonist is an innocent from the New World, as curious and lost as the classical gothic heroines of past c...more

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Apr 22, 2012 Iain rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: horror-supernatural

Not really my type of story. Apartment 16 is what I think of as grubby horror - there's a nastiness to the supernatural happenings that I personally don't like. Added to that, the threat itself was a bit too nebulous for my liking. I tend to like my supernatural stories to be a little more anchored and Apartment 16's threats straddled that less certain ground of "is it all in their minds?"

I'd also say that this is one case of not judging a book my its cover - because I don't think the atmospher...more

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Feb 15, 2012 Wendy Unsworth rated it 3 of 5 stars

Following the death of Great Aunt Lillian, Apryl travels to the grand London apartment building where she lived. Barrington House has a dark secret and everything revolves around Apartment 16. It seems that residents of the building have been trying to 'escape' from an evil presence but something is stopping them. Apryl is determined to find out what has been happening.
I loved the idea of this story and some of the book but, as with quite a number of 'horror' stories, I just felt let down by an...more

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Jul 03, 2012 Mandy rated it 3 of 5 stars

Apartment 16 started well, it was creepy and the first dozen or so chapters fulfilled my personal challenge to find a book that scares me. But that's where it ended, the middle was blah, lots of nothing going on and painful descriptions that I ended up skipping past. The Apryl part of the story was probably the only reason I didn't stop reading half way through and the fact that I don't like leaving books half read. The Seth part was boring and inconsistent and quite frankly annoying. Having sai...more

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Dec 05, 2011 Philippa rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: read-in-2011, kindle

Apartment 16 is the story of Barrington House, an exclusive apartment building in London, and the presence that seems to control the lives of all who live there. The narrative is split between Apryl, a young American who has just inherited the apartment following the death of her long-lost great aunt Lillian, and Seth, the night porter at Barrington House and also an aspiring artist.

Apryl’s story unfolds as she arrives at Barrington House and from an initial impression of awe and amazement at t...more

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Jun 05, 2011 Dan rated it 2 of 5 stars

Interesting, intelligent, disturbing and depressing - that's how I'd describe this book.
The imagery is so powerful, but I found it slightly tedious after a few chapters. The plot was fantastic, but I found the detail of the characters lacking(apart from Seth), so this made it difficult to empathise with them. I almost gave up on the book halfway through, until Apryl started to try to find out more about Felix Hessen. I'd have preferred a bit more detail in the plot, and a lot more investigation...more

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About Adam Nevill

Adam L.G. Nevill was born in Birmingham, England, in 1969, and grew up in England and New Zealand. He is the author of novels: Banquet for the Damned, Apartment 16, The Ritual and Last Days. He lives in London and can be contacted through wwww.adamlgnevill.com

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Quotes from Apartment 16

“He wanted to roar like a lion on a cement floor. And bellow like a polar bear with yellow fur worn down to pink skin against the tiles of an enclosure in a zoo. The disgust must come. Let it drip down the walls. Scorch the ceiling black with hatred. Liberate rage.” — 3 people liked it

“Hell was a living place inside every membrane of flesh that temporarily passed itself off as human.” — 2 people liked it

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Apartment 16

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