Guest Book Review: The Only Child, reviewed by Jennifer Sullivan
[image error]
Title: The Only Child
Author: Andrew Pyper
I’m pleased to also offer up a guest review from my friend Jennifer Sullivan of Andrew’s fantastic book ‘The Only Child.’ Jen is a fantastic friend, fellow reviewer from Kendall Reviews and one of the few people in the book world I’ve actually met!
(I’m super jealous because Jen has actually met Andrew!)
Take it away Jen!
**
Years ago, my critique buddy, Larry Brown, convinced me to attend a book reading from an author I hadn’t heard of at the Brantford Public Library.
“He writes spooky things. You’ll like it,” Larry said, knowing my weakness for anything horror related.
The author was Andrew Pyper, the book ‘The Damned.’ Walking out of that live reading I became a Pyper fan. Not just because ‘The Damned’ sounded like something I needed to read (which it was), but because of the way the author talked about his creative process. In answering questions, he spoke as if the characters were real, as if he were transcribing memories instead of making the whole thing up. And even when his stories take a turn toward the supernatural there’s such a heightened sense of reality that I can believe in monsters.
In Pyper’s novel ‘The Only Child,’ the main character Lily believes in monsters, too. Not the mythical creatures, but the human variety. After years of working as a forensic psychiatrist it would be nearly impossible for her to downplay the evil that lives inside humanity. Yet, there’s a memory from her past, the night her mother was killed, which her scientific mind can’t quite unravel. When she meets a new patient, a man with no name, who knows more about Lily than should be possible, her quest for answers becomes more desperate.
After the man she comes to know as Michael escapes custody she chases after him in a cat-and-mouse game through Hungary, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the United States. Lily and Michael’s encounters are often brief along the way, but through conversations and letters he leaves behind she learns of his connections to Mary Shelley, Bram Stoker, and even Robert Louis Stevenson. At first the information seems to be the ramblings of a madman, however as pieces of Michael’s past start to come together, Lily’s doubts begin to fall away, and she reconsiders her lack of faith in non-human monsters.
‘The Only Child’ is one hell of a ride! From bringing together elements from Frankenstein, Dracula, and The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, to the descriptions of the European cities, and the complexities of the character relationships, this is a novel you fall into and it consumes you to a point where you have to remind yourself the story is fiction.
As soon as I read the first line of ‘The Only Child,’ I was hooked: “She was awakened by the monster knocking at the door.” How can you read that and not want more? There’s no long preamble or unnecessary character set up, he just jumps straight into the story, grabbing the reader straight away. The rest of the novel is just as lean too, something I’ve come to expect from Pyper. He never takes the story down inconsequential tangents, nor does he interrupt the pacing for flowery descriptions or sidebar internal character thoughts. Every word on the page is there for a reason. However, the author’s exactness still manages to paint vivid mental images of the scenery and provides character introspection. It’s almost like magic.
While the plot is thrilling and the style of writing is beautiful, what I will probably remember most about ‘The Only Child’ is Lily’s character. She’s a woman conflicted with herself, which starts from the first page and intensifies through the story. Her memories of the night her mother was murdered is at the heart of her internal struggle. In keeping with the classic Gothic stories woven into the book, Lily’s fight centres around what science can prove against what life’s experiences demonstrate to be true. Being a woman of science, Lily wants to completely dismiss anything that can’t be logically explained, and as evidence mounts for the existence of the supernatural, she begins to unravel, clinging on to anything and anyone that might provide comfort. In the end though, she comes to accept that she’s known the answers all along and embraces who she really is in a final scene which still gives me shivers.
There’s so much more I could say about what I enjoyed in this book, but I don’t want to spoil anything, so suffice to say, I highly recommend ‘The Only Child.’
My rating is 4 of 5 stars.
As a brief end-note, in March of 2019, I was fortunate enough to attend the Toronto International Festival of Authors presentation called “Oh, The Horror of It All” where Andrew Pyper spoke as part of a fantastic panel. After the event I was able to chat with Pyper briefly, and he signed my copy of ‘The Only Child,’ which is a real treasure!
[image error]
If you’re ever able to attend one of his live events, don’t let the opportunity pass you by – he’s passionate about books, writing, and is an all-round wonderful person.
Thanks so much, Steve, for sharing Pyper-May-Nia with the world and for allowing me to celebrate our mutual love for this superb Canadian author!
**
Absolutely my pleasure, Jen! I hope to be able to meet up with you again in the future!
So, now really, what are you waiting for?!
