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The Travelling Bag
A terrifying ghost story by the bestselling author of The Woman in Black.From the foggy streets of Victorian London to the eerie perfection of 1950s suburbia, the everyday is invaded by the evil otherworldly in this unforgettable collection of ghost stories from the author of The Woman in Black .In the title story, on a murky evening in a warmly lit club off St James, a bishop listens closely as a paranormal detective recounts his most memorable case, one whose horrifying denouement took place in that very building.In 'The Front Room', a devoutly Christian mother tries to protect her children from the evil influence of their grandmother, both when she is alive and when she is dead.A lonely boy finds a friend in 'Boy Number 21', but years later he is forced to question the nature of that friendship and to ask whether ghosts can perish in fires.This is Susan Hill at her best, telling characteristically flesh-creeping and startling tales of thwarted ambition, terrifying revenge and supernatural stirrings that will leave readers wide awake long into the night.
246 pages, Paperback
First published February 16, 2016
39 people are currently reading
766 people want to read
About the author
Susan Hill
180 books2,276 followersSusan Hill was born in Scarborough, North Yorkshire in 1942. Her hometown was later referred to in her novel A Change for the Better (1969) and some short stories especially "Cockles and Mussels".
She attended Scarborough Convent School, where she became interested in theatre and literature. Her family left Scarborough in 1958 and moved to Coventry where her father worked in car and aircraft factories. Hill states that she attended a girls’ grammar school, Barr's Hill. Her fellow pupils included Jennifer Page, the first Chief Executive of the Millennium Dome. At Barrs Hill she took A levels in English, French, History and Latin, proceeding to an English degree at King's College London. By this time she had already written her first novel, The Enclosure which was published by Hutchinson in her first year at university. The novel was criticised by The Daily Mail for its sexual content, with the suggestion that writing in this style was unsuitable for a "schoolgirl".
Her next novel Gentleman and Ladies was published in 1968. This was followed in quick succession by A Change for the Better, I'm the King of the Castle, The Albatross and other stories, Strange Meeting, The Bird of Night, A Bit of Singing and Dancing and In the Springtime of Year, all written and published between 1968 and 1974.
In 1975 she married Shakespeare scholar Stanley Wells and they moved to Stratford upon Avon. Their first daughter, Jessica, was born in 1977 and their second daughter, Clemency, was born in 1985. Hill has recently founded her own publishing company, Long Barn Books, which has published one work of fiction per year.
Librarian's Note: There is more than one author by this name.
She attended Scarborough Convent School, where she became interested in theatre and literature. Her family left Scarborough in 1958 and moved to Coventry where her father worked in car and aircraft factories. Hill states that she attended a girls’ grammar school, Barr's Hill. Her fellow pupils included Jennifer Page, the first Chief Executive of the Millennium Dome. At Barrs Hill she took A levels in English, French, History and Latin, proceeding to an English degree at King's College London. By this time she had already written her first novel, The Enclosure which was published by Hutchinson in her first year at university. The novel was criticised by The Daily Mail for its sexual content, with the suggestion that writing in this style was unsuitable for a "schoolgirl".
Her next novel Gentleman and Ladies was published in 1968. This was followed in quick succession by A Change for the Better, I'm the King of the Castle, The Albatross and other stories, Strange Meeting, The Bird of Night, A Bit of Singing and Dancing and In the Springtime of Year, all written and published between 1968 and 1974.
In 1975 she married Shakespeare scholar Stanley Wells and they moved to Stratford upon Avon. Their first daughter, Jessica, was born in 1977 and their second daughter, Clemency, was born in 1985. Hill has recently founded her own publishing company, Long Barn Books, which has published one work of fiction per year.
Librarian's Note: There is more than one author by this name.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 111 reviews
August 27, 2017
These are 0f a set of short ghost stories very much in the style of the usual Susan Hill books. They have an air of creepiness and menace about them but not grotesque horror or gruesomeness. The title story has a psychic private investigator, Gilbert, telling the story of Walter Craig, a gifted medical scientist, to Tom Williams, a retired bishop. Walter is engaged in ground breaking research when he begins to suffer from a debilitating illness. He takes on a assistant, Silas Webb, who is able to do what is required of him. After another bout of crushing illness, William returns to work and finds that Silas has left. It soon becomes apparent that an immense betrayal has taken place which William never recovers from. Years later, a bitter and resentful William takes his revenge only to find the results go further than he intended, for which there will be consequences.
A lonely and unwanted boy, Toby Garrett, finds himself at boarding school. He has an interest in maps and weaves fantasies over made up countries. He unexpectedly finds a friend in new boy, Andreas, and the two become inseparable. Until Andreas disappears. A fire at Cloten Hall guts the building and has Toby wondering if he was in it. A brief reconciliation takes place with the arrival of the 21st boy until once again Tom is alone. Alice Baker is the new self possessed girl in the office. She is hardworking but private. However, attached to her is the odour of death and decay and the old office building has strange things happening. A move to a new building seems like a breath of fresh air until similar problems begin again until Alice disappears. My favourite story is The Front Room, which begins with Pastor Lewis exhorting his congregation to put into action actual good deeds in the world. This sermon finds a receptive audience in Norman and Belinda Irwin with their two children Wallace and Fern. Norman receives a letter from his stepmother, Solange, who highlights her loneliness and isolation in old age, which results in Norman inviting her to live in their home. Norman remembers Solange as a bitter and fractious woman who sucked out any happiness from those around her. When he meets her again years later she appears to be a changed woman, but is she really? Will the Irwins end up paying a terrible price for allowing her entry into their home?
I found these short stories an entertaining and quick read. If you like the understated ghost stories as opposed to the heavily dramatic ones, then you will probably like this collection. Many thanks to Serpent's Tail for an ARC.
A lonely and unwanted boy, Toby Garrett, finds himself at boarding school. He has an interest in maps and weaves fantasies over made up countries. He unexpectedly finds a friend in new boy, Andreas, and the two become inseparable. Until Andreas disappears. A fire at Cloten Hall guts the building and has Toby wondering if he was in it. A brief reconciliation takes place with the arrival of the 21st boy until once again Tom is alone. Alice Baker is the new self possessed girl in the office. She is hardworking but private. However, attached to her is the odour of death and decay and the old office building has strange things happening. A move to a new building seems like a breath of fresh air until similar problems begin again until Alice disappears. My favourite story is The Front Room, which begins with Pastor Lewis exhorting his congregation to put into action actual good deeds in the world. This sermon finds a receptive audience in Norman and Belinda Irwin with their two children Wallace and Fern. Norman receives a letter from his stepmother, Solange, who highlights her loneliness and isolation in old age, which results in Norman inviting her to live in their home. Norman remembers Solange as a bitter and fractious woman who sucked out any happiness from those around her. When he meets her again years later she appears to be a changed woman, but is she really? Will the Irwins end up paying a terrible price for allowing her entry into their home?
I found these short stories an entertaining and quick read. If you like the understated ghost stories as opposed to the heavily dramatic ones, then you will probably like this collection. Many thanks to Serpent's Tail for an ARC.
February 21, 2024
I'll be looking for more from Susan Hill. The paranormal and horror were just my speed (spoken like a true "wuss") and although the author is contemporary, she succeeds in imbuing the story with a chilling gothic ambiance.
I liked the cold case double entendre toward the middle of the story. You can't miss it.
I liked the cold case double entendre toward the middle of the story. You can't miss it.
April 15, 2018
This was a mixed bag of short stories. I gave it four stars because the ones I enjoyed, I really enjoyed.
The Travelling Bag 3* for me. Quite good.
Boy Twenty-One 2*. Didn't think much of this one and it kind of petered out and left me unsatisfied.
Alice Baker 3*. Wasn't bad. Again kind of petered out without a real explanation.
The Front Room 4*. The best of the lot. Suspenseful and eerie. Ending took me totally by surprise.
Printer's Devil Court 4*. Very good story. Eerie and uncomfortable.
All in all, I enjoyed this book. Anyone who likes something a bit different that needs a bit of thought will be pleased with this read.
The Travelling Bag 3* for me. Quite good.
Boy Twenty-One 2*. Didn't think much of this one and it kind of petered out and left me unsatisfied.
Alice Baker 3*. Wasn't bad. Again kind of petered out without a real explanation.
The Front Room 4*. The best of the lot. Suspenseful and eerie. Ending took me totally by surprise.
Printer's Devil Court 4*. Very good story. Eerie and uncomfortable.
All in all, I enjoyed this book. Anyone who likes something a bit different that needs a bit of thought will be pleased with this read.
August 12, 2017
Susan Hill has made a mint from 'The Woman in Black', but the success of this work has had two unfortunate consequences. First, it has led to the neglect of her very fine earlier novels, 'Strange Meeting' and 'I'm the King of the Castle'. Second, and more seriously, it has encouraged the belief that she is good at writing ghost stories. What is becoming more and more obvious is that she only has two plot lines, which are adapted in ingenious but ultimately tedious ways in successive collections. The notion that a supernatural agency can abduct a virtuous innocent was darkly thrilling in Sheridan Le Fanu's 'Schalken the Painter', but back in 1839, it was a lot more original than the stuff Hill serves up in 'The Man in the Picture' and, in this collection, 'The Front Room', a splicing-together of 'The Woman in Black' and a duller contemporary debate about how best to look after unpleasant elderly relatives. Parents always say that what they fear most is something happening to their children. Hill loves this idea, but its reiteration in successive stories is becoming very wearying.
Hill's other plotline is the ingenious revenge. The title story of this collection is just such a tale, but it's ludicrous despite the fluency of the writing and some broadly insightful psychology. It's the sort of thing you might find in an Edwardian such as Richard Marsh, whose 'A Psychological Experiment' at least has crude vigour on its side.
Hill's seasonal ghost stories are really nicely packaged and make for attractive 'point of sale' collectables. This one is reasonably coherent, unlike the dull and absurd 'Dolly', but it is also very hackneyed, even for those who have only read Hill's other ghostly tales. Forty years ago, Julia Briggs said that the English ghost story would die out because of its obsessive nostalgia. Hill would seem determined to make this prophecy come true.
Hill's other plotline is the ingenious revenge. The title story of this collection is just such a tale, but it's ludicrous despite the fluency of the writing and some broadly insightful psychology. It's the sort of thing you might find in an Edwardian such as Richard Marsh, whose 'A Psychological Experiment' at least has crude vigour on its side.
Hill's seasonal ghost stories are really nicely packaged and make for attractive 'point of sale' collectables. This one is reasonably coherent, unlike the dull and absurd 'Dolly', but it is also very hackneyed, even for those who have only read Hill's other ghostly tales. Forty years ago, Julia Briggs said that the English ghost story would die out because of its obsessive nostalgia. Hill would seem determined to make this prophecy come true.
October 14, 2018
I LOVE Susan Hill. Always have. The Woman in black still gives me shivers. This set of stories is well told, in the spirit of an old Hammer movie. Creepy and tense. The writing is brilliant,as always.
November 1, 2016
It's difficult to score a book of four short stories. Two of them are good, one of them average, and one poor, so a 4 out of 5. Overall though I'm disappointed by the latest from the very wonderful Susan Hill. Her ghost story novellas are without exception some of the best in that genre since Shirley Jackson and the classics. I can only imagine that she felt there wasn't enough substance in any of these stories individually to turn one of them into a novella.
The title story, The Travelling Bag, must have come close. More than twice while reading it I was reminded of Poe. I expect he has been a great influence and I expect Hill would see this as a compliment. In The Front Room she also creates tension and that sort of atmosphere associated with her earlier stuff. But the other two stories fall quite flat.
The title story, The Travelling Bag, must have come close. More than twice while reading it I was reminded of Poe. I expect he has been a great influence and I expect Hill would see this as a compliment. In The Front Room she also creates tension and that sort of atmosphere associated with her earlier stuff. But the other two stories fall quite flat.
April 26, 2025
An entertaining collection of five mildly creepy short stories. The title story is probably the most effective, although its impact is weakened by a structure that doesn’t quite seem to hang together. This tale of revenge for academic bad behaviour which brings further revenge from beyond the grave has a nicely Jamesian feel to it, conjuring up a world of single-minded professors and gentlemen’s clubs which are no defence against darker powers. Certainly not a story for readers with lepidopterophobic tendencies. Boy Number Twenty-One is a school story, a sad tale of loneliness and isolation rather than of terror, and gloomily atmospheric. Alice Baker, the tale of a strange new colleague who joins an established office team, is disturbing and builds a distinct sense of unease, making very effective use of what we would now call ‘sick building syndrome’ for its creeping sense of something distinctly rotten in an otherwise mundane environment. The Front Room is a cautionary tale of the perils of altruism; a distinctly nasty tale with a distinctly evil presence at its heart. The final tale, Printer’s Devil Court I had read (and been disappointed by) previously when it had been published in a stand alone volume, and decided not to bother with this time.
September 17, 2017
I wanted to like this book, as a huge fan of Susan Hill but sadly, this book simply didn't hit the mark. A collection of ghostly tales that, to be honest, were far too tame for my taste and lacked originality. I lost interest in the second story in particular by about 5 pages in.
I thoroughly enjoyed the final story, however, and so that is how I ended up rating 3 stars.
I miss Susan's edge and her bite!
I thoroughly enjoyed the final story, however, and so that is how I ended up rating 3 stars.
I miss Susan's edge and her bite!
April 5, 2018
Collection got better as it went on. Some stories relied on atmosphere, scares and a good twist (Alice Baker), whilst others leant more on setting and moral standpoint. I preferred the former, but overall well worth a read for those who like classic ghost stories.
October 9, 2016
A quick, short read which grips you right through to the end.
Four ghostly tales, each sharing an unsettling atmosphere. Each story is based in a different period but share characters who are troubled by unusual goings on. My favourite was the last one, 'The Front Room', which I found to be the darkest of the four stories.
August 15, 2019
I don't even know why I finished this.
November 17, 2023
Very lame and underwhelming ghost stories. Traditional? Maybe. Cliched? Definitely.
Strange lights, walking dead, graveyards, swirls of luminescence, smells and fog. All there.
Cannot believe that such an excellent writer churned these out.
Strange lights, walking dead, graveyards, swirls of luminescence, smells and fog. All there.
Cannot believe that such an excellent writer churned these out.
October 29, 2017
3 of these 4 short stories were really really spooky (pun intended) - 1st one was not as frightening as the 3 others
June 19, 2019
I usually love an understated, slow-burning ghost story, but these didn't do it for me. I'm bummed because I usually love the author, but I needed just a bit more to sink my teeth into on all four of these stories. The edition I read contained "The Travelling Bag," "Boy Number Twenty One," "Alice Baker," and "The Front Room."
October 4, 2021
3.5 Stars
rounded up to 4 Stars.
October 7, 2018
Four short stories. The are supposed to be ghostly which is true but they weren't that scary that I thought they would be. Few gave me chills and I liked reading them.
May 27, 2019
Very good ghost stories.
February 24, 2024
Gripping story and I enjoyed how it was told in a very storyteller way.
January 8, 2025
Very well-written, though a bit lackluster in comparison to The Woman in Black. Revenge is a dish best served cold as they say, but in this case time did not alleviate the soul.
The experience detailed at the end seemed a bit unfair in comparison to the elongated story spun against the protagonist’s rival; I was more disappointed in the conclusion, but it did have a bit of a creep factor to it. Unfortunately, I was a bit bored while reading most of this tale. It came from a narrator who would interrupt the tale to speak in the present, but also strangely shifted to perspectives of two other characters within his tale? Really threw me off and blurred together too much.
*Read in a Susan Hill short story compilation titled The Traveling Bag and Other Ghostly Stories.
The experience detailed at the end seemed a bit unfair in comparison to the elongated story spun against the protagonist’s rival; I was more disappointed in the conclusion, but it did have a bit of a creep factor to it. Unfortunately, I was a bit bored while reading most of this tale. It came from a narrator who would interrupt the tale to speak in the present, but also strangely shifted to perspectives of two other characters within his tale? Really threw me off and blurred together too much.
*Read in a Susan Hill short story compilation titled The Traveling Bag and Other Ghostly Stories.
October 12, 2017
Four well-written, atmospheric ghost stories, except the title story which has no ghosts but does have a big inconsistency in it. I didn't find the first three stories scary ("The Front Room" was a bit), but I had inexplicable nightmares two days in a row, and trouble sleeping. I was also expecting gaslamp fantasy, but the last two stories are in a modern setting, and that kills the mood a bit. Other than that, a very nice collection, I'll definitely read more of Susan Hill.
December 4, 2016
This isn't Hill's best work. While each story is still as well written as you would expect from a writer of her quality, I was left with the feeling of this book being more a filler than an entry into her catalogue in itself. I really liked the titular story, which I felt a little in the Carnacki mould in a very good way, the others lacked a little something and left me with the feeling that they were only included to push up the work count enough to warrant the print run.
Definitely worth it for any Susan Hill fans, but I wouldn't suggest it for introducing someone to her work.
Definitely worth it for any Susan Hill fans, but I wouldn't suggest it for introducing someone to her work.
December 17, 2016
I almost gave up with this book, even though it's so short, after the first of the four stories. It is described as containing "ghostly stories", and even though I'm not particularly brave I really felt let down by the first story, "The Travelling Bag" of the title. However, I'm glad I went back to the book as the third and fourth stories were so very much better. A good little read then by and large, and having now looked at other people's reviews it turns out I'm not alone in my opinion about those final two stories being the best!
February 8, 2017
I was disappointed with this collection. There was no real suspense in any of the stories and, surprisingly, some of the sentence structures were rather unnatural and did not flow. There were also a few typographical errors, although this is should be laid at the editor's door. I have read and enjoyed other of Susan Hill's work but, unfortunately, this seemed to be a pot boiler designed to cash in on Halloween.
February 3, 2017
Absolutely rubbish. People always say how scary books by Susan Hill are but having read quite a few of them I'm still waiting to be scared. This one was no exception. I don't think I'll bother reading any more.
January 5, 2018
Susan Hill is great at developing a creeping sense of unease throughout each tale, without venturing into full-blown horror. A neat little collection of stories that are dark, engaging and very well written.
March 24, 2021
Susan Hill never fails to disappoint.
November 10, 2017
Though I've read all of Susan Hill's ghost stories I've been rather underwhelmed by some of those after The Woman In Black. This collection of four mini ghost stories changed my view somewhat, but some are better than others. The title story was a good concept and fitted the usual mould of ageing academics recounting supernatural tales from their own past in their club on a winter's evening. This is a tale of revenge, and I had some sympathy with Walter who had had his research plagiarised and felt as I do with many of Susan Hill's stories that the wrong people are targeted. I was puzzled, however, about how Gilbert knew about Walter Craig in the first place.
Boy No 21 was the weakest of the stories and had an unfinished, confused feel to it. I think I will go back and reread it to be sure, but I didn't grasp the message or the point of it at all and it was full of ambiguity.
Alice Baker was the best of the bunch for me. I totally identified with the 1960s office culture, typewriters in the typing pool, the workplace friendships and gossip. These were an intrinsic part of office life and a perfect contrast to show the character of the new typist, Alice. I was fascinated by this story, but again there were a few anomalies such as the unnamed narrator going to the office on a Friday evening and everyone being back at work the next day - though they could work Saturdays, I guess, although it felt jarring to read. I also wondered how a ghost would have been interviewed for and appointed to the post though chose to suspend disbelief on that one! I was unsure too what the purpose of Alice was other than to show the reason why she did what she did and move on the relocation of the offices. I thought about this one long after I had finished reading.
The Front Room was a shocker. I don't like malevolent ghosts who pick off innocent victims at random and have mentioned this in many reviews including those about Susan Hill. This was seriously creepy and as in the previous story, the contrast of the normality of a family home and the evil within was very well done.
The hardback book which I read has a wonderful cover that looks fabulous on the bookshelf and all in all I enjoyed this mixed (travelling) bag of traditional ghostly tales as a Halloween read.
Boy No 21 was the weakest of the stories and had an unfinished, confused feel to it. I think I will go back and reread it to be sure, but I didn't grasp the message or the point of it at all and it was full of ambiguity.
Alice Baker was the best of the bunch for me. I totally identified with the 1960s office culture, typewriters in the typing pool, the workplace friendships and gossip. These were an intrinsic part of office life and a perfect contrast to show the character of the new typist, Alice. I was fascinated by this story, but again there were a few anomalies such as the unnamed narrator going to the office on a Friday evening and everyone being back at work the next day - though they could work Saturdays, I guess, although it felt jarring to read. I also wondered how a ghost would have been interviewed for and appointed to the post though chose to suspend disbelief on that one! I was unsure too what the purpose of Alice was other than to show the reason why she did what she did and move on the relocation of the offices. I thought about this one long after I had finished reading.
The Front Room was a shocker. I don't like malevolent ghosts who pick off innocent victims at random and have mentioned this in many reviews including those about Susan Hill. This was seriously creepy and as in the previous story, the contrast of the normality of a family home and the evil within was very well done.
The hardback book which I read has a wonderful cover that looks fabulous on the bookshelf and all in all I enjoyed this mixed (travelling) bag of traditional ghostly tales as a Halloween read.
October 26, 2018
The Travelling Bag and Other Ghostly Stories is a collection of short stories from Susan Hill. I don't normally go in for ghost stories but thought I'd give this a try to get into the Hallowe'en spirit (pardon the pun). Hill writes in the style of traditional Victorian ghost stories, which lends itself interestingly to those set in the present day.
This volume comprises of four stories, the first of which is The Travelling Bag. Told from the perspective of a paranormal detective in Victorian London, this is exactly the kind of story that comes to mind when thinking about traditional ghost stories. We learn about how far a once-gifted scientist is willing to go to exact revenge on a colleague who has betrayed him. Not suitable for sufferers of mottephobia.
The Twenty-First Boy recounts how one lonely boy befriends another unexpectedly at their boarding school. This friendship is intense but brief as our newfound friend soon vanishes without a trace and we are left none the wiser as to who that strange boy really was.
The third story in the collection is called Alice Baker and it's my personal favourite of the four. A group of women working in a dingy office are introduced to a new colleague. This new colleague seems nice, if a little quiet. Despite keeping herself to herself, she is still somehow privy to the inner workings of the office. Several increasingly eerie goings-on leave our narrator wondering who, or what, is responsible in the end.
The Front Room is the final story. Set in 1950s suburbia, this was by far the creepiest of all the stories. A creepy, nasty old lady, a concerned pastor, paranormally perceptive children and a weird, evil smell with no explanation - ticks all the boxes, really.
To conclude, these stories were suspenseful, eerie and one or two made me more than a little uneasy. I'd definitely recommend for those who also enjoyed Hill's The Woman in Black.
This volume comprises of four stories, the first of which is The Travelling Bag. Told from the perspective of a paranormal detective in Victorian London, this is exactly the kind of story that comes to mind when thinking about traditional ghost stories. We learn about how far a once-gifted scientist is willing to go to exact revenge on a colleague who has betrayed him. Not suitable for sufferers of mottephobia.
The Twenty-First Boy recounts how one lonely boy befriends another unexpectedly at their boarding school. This friendship is intense but brief as our newfound friend soon vanishes without a trace and we are left none the wiser as to who that strange boy really was.
The third story in the collection is called Alice Baker and it's my personal favourite of the four. A group of women working in a dingy office are introduced to a new colleague. This new colleague seems nice, if a little quiet. Despite keeping herself to herself, she is still somehow privy to the inner workings of the office. Several increasingly eerie goings-on leave our narrator wondering who, or what, is responsible in the end.
The Front Room is the final story. Set in 1950s suburbia, this was by far the creepiest of all the stories. A creepy, nasty old lady, a concerned pastor, paranormally perceptive children and a weird, evil smell with no explanation - ticks all the boxes, really.
To conclude, these stories were suspenseful, eerie and one or two made me more than a little uneasy. I'd definitely recommend for those who also enjoyed Hill's The Woman in Black.
March 7, 2023
A friend sent me this antique looking book awhile back and I Loved the cover. ( different than the one that's shown here) I really didn't know anything about the story and it wasn't until I sat down to read The Traveling Bag that I noticed it said "ghost stories". The first story was pretty mild and not much to speak about, the second slightly creepy about a school boy gone missing, but still not too high on the creep scale. Skipping ahed the fourth not to impressive, but the third....that made the whole book.
I was reading at night because I couldn't sleep and that definitely helped the story set the tone. I was officially creeped out about a story in a tiny little "cute" book.
Twelve coworkers cram into a small office while the new and improved offices are prepared. Everyone gets along well and they are all trying to get used to the new girl who seems to keep to herself. Alice seems nice she's just very quiet and sometimes has an odd smell about her. People in the office are complaining about the smell and some call in sick because it's causing health issues. One night one of the employees must go pick up a file for her boss and the second she walks in the building doesn't feel right. There's a layer of creepiness showered all over the building, weird lights coming off the ceiling into the doors, and an obviously feeling of not being alone. This building is haunted, no question about it. Little things lead to big things and soon the coworkers will discover the truth of their office weirdness.
I was reading at night because I couldn't sleep and that definitely helped the story set the tone. I was officially creeped out about a story in a tiny little "cute" book.
Twelve coworkers cram into a small office while the new and improved offices are prepared. Everyone gets along well and they are all trying to get used to the new girl who seems to keep to herself. Alice seems nice she's just very quiet and sometimes has an odd smell about her. People in the office are complaining about the smell and some call in sick because it's causing health issues. One night one of the employees must go pick up a file for her boss and the second she walks in the building doesn't feel right. There's a layer of creepiness showered all over the building, weird lights coming off the ceiling into the doors, and an obviously feeling of not being alone. This building is haunted, no question about it. Little things lead to big things and soon the coworkers will discover the truth of their office weirdness.
December 3, 2019
I must admit that I am not a fan of ghost stories so perhaps I am not a useful reviewer for those who love them. I also don’t usually enjoy short stories- I usually wish the author had taken the time to develop an dexpand the idea to a novel. However, I enjoy reading a variety of genres and had heard good things about Susan Hill so I wanted to try this.
The book contains five stories of varying length. The last one, Printer’s Devil Court is almost a novella at 90 pages and consequently the main character is more developed and nuanced and therefore more interesting to me. This story concerns events in the life of a young doctor sharing digs with three other medics. One night two of them talk of Lazarus and the idea of bringing a dead person back to life....
In general the stories are well written and the writing style is very pleasing, spare and engaging. I thought that there is a major fault with the structure of the first story, The Travelling Bag. This concerns a story narrated within a story. There doesn’t seem any way that the narrator would have been able to tell the whole story to his friend, the bishop as the narrator didn’t know the whole story.
The stories are engaging and as I read I wanted to know thr outcome but in the end they didn’t really satisfy me as the events were implausible. I must say I didn’t like the edge of nastiness in The Front Room. The evil, old woman struck me as gratuitously unpleasant.
The book contains five stories of varying length. The last one, Printer’s Devil Court is almost a novella at 90 pages and consequently the main character is more developed and nuanced and therefore more interesting to me. This story concerns events in the life of a young doctor sharing digs with three other medics. One night two of them talk of Lazarus and the idea of bringing a dead person back to life....
In general the stories are well written and the writing style is very pleasing, spare and engaging. I thought that there is a major fault with the structure of the first story, The Travelling Bag. This concerns a story narrated within a story. There doesn’t seem any way that the narrator would have been able to tell the whole story to his friend, the bishop as the narrator didn’t know the whole story.
The stories are engaging and as I read I wanted to know thr outcome but in the end they didn’t really satisfy me as the events were implausible. I must say I didn’t like the edge of nastiness in The Front Room. The evil, old woman struck me as gratuitously unpleasant.
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