From the Bookshelf of Constant Reader…

The Little Stranger

Sarah Waters

Start date: May 15, 2010

Finish date: June 15, 2010

Discussion: Reading List

Discussion leader: Yulia

Find A Copy At

Libraries

Group Discussions About This Book

Showing 2 of 428 topics — 16,892 comments total

Reading List

* The Schedule for July through Dec. 2025
By Lynn · 1 post · 41 views

last updated Jun 20, 2025 08:37AM

Circe - discussion with spoilers
By Jane · 17 posts · 23 views

last updated Sep 06, 2025 04:48PM

showing 10 of 11 topics view all »

What Members Thought

Jun 02, 2010 Pang rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: constant-reader

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I was really hoping to like this book more, but I was left a little unsatisfied and disappointed.

The book told a story of a country doctor, Dr Faraday, who became involved in affairs of an old English family, the Ayres. Faraday had known the family since he was a boy through his mother who used to work for the family. The house, Hundreds Hall, had made a strong impression with Faraday even as a young boy. His feelings were rekindled when he was given the opportunity to visit the Hall as a doctor I was really hoping to like this book more, but I was left a little unsatisfied and disappointed.

The book told a story of a country doctor, Dr Faraday, who became involved in affairs of an old English family, the Ayres. Faraday had known the family since he was a boy through his mother who used to work for the family. The house, Hundreds Hall, had made a strong impression with Faraday even as a young boy. His feelings were rekindled when he was given the opportunity to visit the Hall as a doctor answering a house call. After a while, series of strange incidents started happening in the house with its members--the mother, Mrs Ayres, the son, Roderick, and the daughter, Caroline. Roderick was the first to have strange events happening to. He was later committed to a mental institution after unexplainable fires broke out in his bedroom. A while later Mrs Ayres began to show strange behaviors. She said that she could feel the presence of her dead daughter, Susan, and that she had been hurt physically by her. She ended up hanging herself, though it was unclear how it could had happened considering she was heavily sedated. Caroline was the last of the family members. She was found dead on the floor of the house and was presumed to have committed suicide by leaping from the second floor, even though she had never exhibited any troubled signs.

At the center of it all stood Dr Faraday. He was the narrator of the story, but was a biased observer. He insisted that all the strange events could not be supernatural, but were explainable with scientific reasonings. Faraday concluded that everyone was suffering from some degree of mental illnesses, even though there were times when he was conflicted and thought that supernatural phenomenon was possible. He went seeking advice from another colleague, Dr Seeley, on what was happening at the Hall. Seeley planted ideas in Faraday's head that strange force might be possible:

'Is that so surprising, with things for that family so bleak? The subliminal mind has many dark, unhappy corners, after all. Imagine something loosening itself from one of those corners. Let's call it a--a germ. And lets say conditions prove right for that germ to develop--to grow, like a child in the womb. What would this little stranger grow into? A sort of shadow-self, perhaps: a Caliban, a Mr Hyde. A creature motivated by all the nasty impulses and hangers the conscious mind had hoped to keep hidden away: things like envy, and malice, and frustration...

This statement turned out to be very significant to the story. At the end, when things were falling apart at the seam for Faraday and Caroline, she called him out that he was the one who wanted to save Hundreds and that was his only goal. She said that he didn't really love her, but actually the house was what he loved. I think this is when the story really unfolded. Faraday was exposed as somewhat a fraud. After Caroline's death, I was left to wonder if Faraday was actually the "little stranger." The family members all experienced different things, but as Mrs Ayres put it: "the house knows all our weaknesses and is testing them." Different family members had different weakness. I think that was why Caroline was the least affected until the very end. At the inquest of Caroline's death, it was revealed by Betty that Caroline yelled out "You!" before she leapt to her death. That implied she saw someone she knew... Could that someone be Faraday? Nothing was happening to the family until Faraday's arrival. The author certainly left that for the reader to wonder.

The story was entertaining, and some of the passages were definitely spooky, but it also dragged on in some parts. The story also left a lot to the imagination. Unfortunately, something was lacking in the book for me. ...more

27 likes · Like · see review

Feb 13, 2010 Kathy rated it liked it

Shelves: mystery, england

I'm rather torn between a 3 and a 4, would like a 3 1/2 choice. I liked the book, but I felt that the potential was there for more than I got. I enjoy gothic novels, but this gothic-like one inspired more hopelessness than ghoulishness. I think in the end I just felt let down. Dr. Faraday, the narrator of the story and one of its main characters, seemed a little flat, underdeveloped, always leaving too much guessing about his essence. The characters seemed caught in a paralysis of inaction most ...more

2 likes · Like · see review

Apr 15, 2010 Al rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2010-books

I enjoyed this book far more than I expected to - it is not the kind of story I usually get caught up in, but the writing really sucked me in. I may have to try more by Waters.

Like · see review