The Absence

by Bill Hussey

Superb gothic storytelling takes readers on a terrifying journey into the mythic past, as a present-day family finds itself the subject of an unrelenting evil going back centuries  It was a tragic accident. That's what his family told Joe Nightingale, but the boy is tormented by sinister visions of his mother's death. Seven months after the fatal car crash, the Nightingales learn they have inherited an old house from a distant relative, the reclusive Muriel Sutton. Hoping to escape the shadows of the past, they decide to spend the summer at Daecher's Mill—but darker shadows await them. Who are the guests that have been brought here over the years? Why did the late Muriel Sutton murder her little sister, Alice? Something is moving in the attic. It looks and sounds like a little girl, but its eyes are old and its voice runs like water. It is a weaver of shadows. A creature of Absence.

Genres: Horror, Fiction, Gothic, Young Adult

410 pages, Paperback

First published April 23, 2009

Reviews

[Laurie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow, this was one the best horror novels I've read in years.

The flawed characters are explored and drawn exceptionally well which is something I find lacking in most modern horror tales and the reason I find most of them ho-hum. These teens and their dad have some major tragedy and guilt weighing them down and it is very believably written. You can feel tension in every exchange as well as the pain and raw emotion behind it.

When the three head out to the old secluded millhouse to reconnect you just know things can't possibly end well. I don't want to spoil things for future readers so I won't go into the plot just trust me it's one of those rare books that gets under your skin. Fantastic read.

[Kevin Lucia · Rating 5 out of 5]

THIS is good stuff. Worth discovering!

[Geoff Battle · Rating 3 out of 5]

If I had a penny for every horror book about an evil spirit in the form of a female child with long hair (no spoilers) I would be far better off. Hussey's tale has a few scenes which will make your skin crawl, however 'The Absence' is a story everyone has read before. The family which the plot centres around discover an unknown family history, an approach favoured by John Saul, although the literary style here is quite different. The chracters are well described and the 'extra characters' are not just there as fodder, which is refreshing. There are some decent twists and some nods to classic tales of the genre, suggesting that Hussey may be one to watch out for. The reliance of dream sequences and flashbacks makes 'The Absence' feel disjointed at times, a sloppy way to create shocks rather than subtlely buiding tension. Overall this one is good enough to read once, although it's not neceessarily a keeper.

[Melanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good read for a dark evening. Not particularly scary, but well written and with some pace.

Niggles: 1) I did not enjoy the teen romance and really found it quite an irritating interruption of the narrative. At the end it is of course revealed why the girlfriend needed to make an appearance, but that did not make her presence in the narrative less irritating.
2) I found it very difficult to feel much sympathy for any of the characters. They all had so many issues and dark sides that I really did not care if they got a good ending, or a bad one.
3) The whole story and background was expertly explained with dreamlike memories and flashbacks (if one can call them that) to other times (in history). On the good side that made it easy to understand what was going on and why all these creepy things were happening. Horror books often prove frustrating when they explain little and you are left with a bewildered feeling. Unfortunately, this book explains far too much. Every detail is described and the whole thing is measured out in nice, easily-digestible doses. It made it a little boring and certainly not scary. There was just nothing unknown left to keep you awake at night.

[Frank · Rating 3 out of 5]

An okay thriller. The Absence told the story of a very dysfunctional family and how each family member's guilt played into an ancient and evil presence at an old mill house in the Fens of England. I would give this one a marginal recommendation although I thought the story was a little long-winded and overplayed its premise of the absence. The novel reminded me somewhat of James Herbert's horror stories although I enjoyed Herbert's novels much more.

[Michelle Eames · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is the second tine I have tried to read this. I had no recollection until the travelling salesman chapter. That's were I stopped. I am sure that particular chapter has been in another book because It was strange I couldn't even begin to remember the rest of the book yet remembered that chapter almost word for word.

[Stu Hodgkiss · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best modern horror I have read for years . Not particularly scary but genuinely creepy - almost every chapter gives at least one shudder of the spine . Couldn't recommend highly enough . Everything a horror novel should be

[Mel · Rating 1 out of 5]

I thought this was more 'weird' than horror.