Review: The Keeper by Sarah Langan

Title: The Keeper
Author: Sarah Langan
Genre: Horror
Grade: A-

Summary: Some believe Bedford, Maine, is cursed. Its bloody past, endless rain, and the decay
of its downtown portend a hopeless future. With the death of its paper mill, Bedford's
unemployed residents soon find themselves with far too much time to dwell on thoughts
of Susan Marley. Once the local beauty, she’s now the local whore. Silently prowling
the muddy streets, she watches eerily from the shadows, waiting for . . .
something
. And haunting the sleep of everyone in town with monstrous visions of violence and
horror.
Those who are able will leave Bedford before the darkness fully ascends. But those
who are trapped here—from Susan Marley’s long-suffering mother and younger sister
to her guilt-ridden, alcoholic ex-lover to the destitute and faithless with nowhere
else to go—will soon know the fullest and most terrible meaning of nightmare.

My Thoughts: Apparently, this is Langan’s first novel, and it’s very good, considering that. She manages to convey the oppressive atmosphere of a small mill town, and she did it so well that surfacing out of the book was like shaking off a heavy black cloud for me. I thought the theme of a town full of secrets was very well done, and I liked the claustrophobic feel of the place.

The characters also felt very real to me, although this is something I have to downgrade the book for just a little. These are very real, flawed people, but I still didn’t really like any of them. I don’t know that I necessarily need to read about everyone’s horrible sides, warts and all, in my escapist fiction. I think the book would have worked a lot better for me had there been at least one character I liked unreservedly.

The other thing that didn’t quite work for me was the plot. I thought it could have been tightened up just a little, and maybe the focus of the story could have narrowed even more to much greater effect. I also wasn’t all that thrilled with the structure Langan uses, because I thought there was a part where the suspence part just sort of stopped.

That being said, I loved the setting and the initial setup, and I even liked the end, enough that I’m going to give this one an A- and recommend it for anyone who likes horror.