Lee Allen's Blog - Posts Tagged "echoes-of-home"

Echoes of Home by M.L. Rayner

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


A captivating Gothic ghost story of old shadows and secret sins.

Leslie Wills unexpectedly receives an offer to move to a remote property nestled deep in the Scottish Highlands.

However, from the moment he arrives, he feels something is amiss with the house as strange disturbances begin to trouble him.

Les finds himself haunted by his new home’s past – a ghost that cannot rest until overdue justice is served.

'Echoes of Home' is the debut novel by M.L. Rayner, a ghost story set in a secluded village in the Scottish Highlands, a close-knit community with a long and troubled history. Written in the tradition of classic Gothic horror, and largely narrated by lead character, Les, Rayner deftly layers the novel in swirling mists of stunning imagery and Gothic atmosphere, history and folklore, and paranormal phenomena as we explore the natural wilderness and witness her merciless ferocity, glimpsing the tragic events of the past as it relentlessly haunts the present.

Les makes for an interesting character, not immediately endearing, yet dealing with grief at his mother’s passing, perhaps teetering on the brink of depression after struggling for many years as the only one his siblings who remained in his home town to care for his mother, never truly having lived a life of his own. Offered an opportunity to begin anew by his estranged brother, he grasps the bizarre offer and takes to the road without planning or forethought to move to Scotland and into Elphin Cottage, a property that has been abandoned for many years, save for a few occupants who vacated it very quickly. Throughout the novel, we witness the evolution of his character arc, largely through the friendship he forms with elderly local Coull, and how curiosity and bravery ultimately combine to show us, and himself, the true capacity of his character.

With Les becoming determined to find out the secrets of Elphin Cottage, the ruined home he can see across the valley, and the surrounding village, we discover the cruelty and tyranny of original owner of the house, Peter Daily, towards his tenants and staff and his belief that he and his wealthy friends were superior and more worthy than those whom he had power over, while uncovering the agonising legacy of a lost soul caught in an eternal quest, unable to find peace, the novel building to an intense and thrilling climax, and an emotional denouement that neatly concludes the story.

Yet, the tale is far from over, and will continue in both the past and the future in 'Wretched: An Echoes of Home Story', which I'm very much anticipating!



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