Be careful what you wish for... In the throes of a mid-life crisis, 40-something father Adam moves his family from the stresses of London life to a remote French farmhouse. Awaiting the arrival of his wife and daughter, Adam endures the idiosyncrasies of an old house with his father, who suffers from dementia, and his son, a victim of bullying.
But when a storm leaves them isolated from the small, rural community, Adam's hope for blissful isolation turns to terror. The house is not what he thought it was, and the longer they spend within its walls, the further things seem to drift from reality.
Adrian J Walker was born in the bush suburbs of Sydney, Australia in the mid '70s. After his father found a camper van in a ditch, he moved his family back to the UK, where Adrian was raised.
His second novel, The End of the World Running Club, is a post-apocalyptic running fable about hope, love and endurance. It is being published by Del Rey UK, in May 2016.
His third novel, Colours, is the first part in a dystopian sci-fi trilogy and is available now.
This is told in journal entries by our narrator Adam. The journal having been given to him by his wife Roisin, to enable him to write down his feelings and dreams etc. Roisin thinks it may help him after a breakdown.
The breakdown seems to have been gradually building, but ends up with him getting roaring drunk and having a bonfire with all their children's Christmas gifts in the garden, therefore ruining the holidays.
After a little self-reflection, he tells her he wants to leave London for somewhere quieter, and where he feels safer. They decide to move to France. They find a house they like, but on a solo trip, Adam finds another house named L'Asile. As a reader, you kind of know where this is going.
Adam, his son Matthew, and his father, who has Alzheimer's, all head out to move in and sort things out. Leaving his wife and daughter to visit relatives before joining them later.
Not long after they arrive, yep, you guessed it... strange things start to happen and everything starts going wrong.
I wasn't sure which direction the plot was going to take at first. I was divided whether Adam was just in the throes of his breakdown, which can indeed be its own horror story, or if there was a paranormal element going on. It turns out it was a mixture of the two, as the story progresses we begin to find that out.
Monique's character left me a bit perplexed. From the hostile first few encounters, to her then just showing up out of the blue to help when the dog gets injured. I don't think it was ever explained why her character did a 180, or who told her about the dog. That bit confused me.
This was a pretty good, creepy read. There was an ominous feel to the book right from the start. I liked the ending, it's not exactly spelled out what happens to Adam, but I think it's pretty obvious once you read it. It also turns out... he wasn't always being truthful.
New Adrian J. Walker?! Fuck Yeah! I was literally just thinking about this author yesterday and got the email today that a new book is coming out. SO excited!
*Huge thanks to Adrian & Last Dog Books for a digital ARC of this one!*
JFC.
What. The. Hell. Did. I. Read.
Ok, let me back up.
Recently, I was perusing the interwebs, and thought – ‘wait a minute, what’s Adrian J. Walker’s next book?’ So, as one does, I sought out his website to see. A number of years ago, friend and fellow reviewer, Tony Jones, insisted I read Adrian’s ‘The End of the World Running Club.’ When Tony tells you to read a book, you listen. And I did. And it was marvelous. At the time of writing this, I still haven’t read the sequel, simply because there was no Kindle edition here in Canada (and I read purely ebooks these days). Saying that, I just had a lightbulb moment and realized I can get it direct from his website. Palm meet forehead. But anyways, back then, I decided to explore Adrian’s bibliography and while I really liked ‘The End…’ I absolutely LOVED ‘The Human Son.’ In fact, that book is one of my all-time favorites.
When I found Adrian’s new website, I discovered that he was going the route Adam Nevill has gone, in that he’s taking back control of most, if not all of his books, and I greatly admire that. I bought a few ebooks, signed up for his newsletter, clicked the ‘support my writing’ button and supported, and was excited for his next book – ‘This Does Not End Well.’ When Adrian’s newsletter sent out an email about potential digital ARC’s available, I signed up immediately. So, huge thanks to Adrian for sending one.
Now, I’ve rambled on long enough about how this book ended up on my Kindle. Let’s talk about the book.
And JESUS. CHRIST. The BOOK.
Recently, I read Michael Wehunt’s upcoming novel, ‘The October Film Haunt,’ and that truly messed with me. Gave me nightmares – which is very, very rare for books to do – and it threw me for a loop.
At the same time as starting that book, I started this one. And I had to pause this one. From the very beginning – even from the ominous cover of this book – I knew I wouldn’t be able to handle reading both of those books at the same time. This book has a dirt to its prose. Its dirty. Once you start reading it, you’ll smell mildew and wonder if the corners of your rooms are moving or decaying.
This book.
Jesus.
What I liked: The story follows Adam – husband and father, who is dealing with some difficult things in life. His father has early onset Alzheimer’s, which seems to be progressing. His son was ruthlessly bullied at school. And he’s had a bit of a mental break, destroying Christmas. All these things lead to him and his wife, Roisin, making the decision, that for his sake and the family’s wellbeing, they’ll leave London and move to France.
Adam goes ahead to find a place, and after he locates the perfect family home for them, he’s getting ready to leave when the realtor suggests he look at one more place. A bit remote, amply land, and quiet.
Yes, dear reader, this is the moment where we all collectively scream – DON’T LOOK AT IT! But, as you all already know, he does. And Adam is immediately spellbound. The land is wonderful, the trees are pristine and the house – though old and in need of major work – is just what they’re looking for.
From this point on, the book grows darker. It’s as though Walker managed to weave his fingers into my Kindle settings and dim the light ever so slightly. Adam, along with his father and son, go ahead to the home, to prepare it for his wife and daughter’s arrival in a few weeks. They’ll set up the furniture, get the hot water going and stock the fridge with food. Except that doesn’t happen. Upon arrival, they learn the furniture is delayed, the drive is in such poor condition they can’t get oil delivered to get hot water and every single local refuses to make eye contact with them – those who bought that house.
Throughout, we see a spiral. Or rather, we experience it. And, if this had been an author not as seasoned and experienced as Walker, I could see how it would all fall apart. But it doesn’t. Christ, it doesn’t. And honestly, that’s what makes me the most frustrated about this whole thing. I wanted it to fall apart. I didn’t want to go along for the ride, see how the house and the land withered and clutched these three. I wanted to get to the end and scoff and say – ‘Ah, too bad, if only the ending hadn’t ruined it for me.’ Because the ending didn’t ruin anything. It made the book all the better and all that worse. Because this book consistently and thoroughly breaks the fourth wall. Just when you’re least expecting it – BAM – Adam speaks directly to you, and it’s that element that ruthlessly twists how this book reads.
The final quarter of this book is borderline schizophrenic. But pristine. Written with a full-throttle mental anxiety element that is only heightened by the journal-aspect of how this is written. And no, this isn’t epistolary, not in the traditional sense. But the way it’s written and told to the reader works so very well to unsettle and unnerve.
And like I mentioned, the ending of this is heartbreaking and fantastic and seriously phenomenally deranged.
What I didn’t like: While I did love the journal aspect, I did miss the traditional formatting of Chapter One, Chapter Two etc. etc. But even then, the journal formatting allowed for this book to unravel in a way it couldn’t have if it had chapters, so maybe just ignore what I said, ha!
Why you should buy this: Of the thousand of so books I’ve read in the last decade, very few books have effected me the way this one has. In fact, I could probably list maybe ten (?) maybe, that unnerved me to the level that this one did, but also emotionally effected me in the same way. The title isn’t misleading. It isn’t a ‘gotcha’ phrase or twisty take, the title is exactly what you’ll get. But Walker decides to absolutely mess with you, take you by the neck and hold you against the wall while you look into your own eyes and all the while you’ll be questioning whether any of that is happening or not. Because it isn’t. Because it is.
A novel that will force you to take a long, hot shower once done, this one also forces you to want to return right to the start and re-read it immediately upon finishing it. Because it’ll take hold of you. By the neck. With your own hand. And won’t let go. Or maybe it will. Or maybe it won’t.
Given an ARC by the author, whose writing I always enjoy, I put off reading it because it was described as a horror story. But I had promised a review so I dove in. Thankfully it is not a horror story. What it is, is a delightful build up of suspense. It describes the descent of a man into something. Madness? Paranormal haunting? A psychotic break? Set in a remote house in France this is a beautifully crafted story. The change of atmosphere as things worsen builds and echoes across the senses. I don’t want to write too much in case I spoil it for you. What I will say is this book is as brilliant as The End of the World Running Club. Whilst it is a new departure in Adrian Walker’s writing, it is gripping and you should read it. Don’t be put off by the horror tag. It is not a horror story. It is creepy and tense and well written.
My only criticism is the overuse of the word traipsed.
I became a fan of Adrian J Walkers work about 13 years ago after reading From The Storm I've followed the author since, reading everything he's published.
This Does Not End Well is his latest stand alone novel.
Well, you can't judge a book by it's cover? Absolutely not true of this book, the moody, dark, creepy cover perfectly sets the scene.
Holy smoke this is a disturbing read.
The book reads like a journal. It's Adams journal after all.
Adam, after suffering a breakdown, flees London’s chaos with hopes of a fresh start in an isolated French farmhouse. Right from the start the house draws him in. As he awaits the arrival of his wife and daughter, he’s left to navigate the eerie quiet with his ailing father, whose dementia blurs the line between memory and madness, and his withdrawn son, still reeling from relentless bullying.
But when a violent storm seals them off from the outside world, the atmosphere shifts.
The house begins to breathe with secrets—whispers in the dark, shifting shadows, a creeping sense that they are not alone. What began as a quest for solace quickly spirals into a descent through the fragile edges of reality… and the house may not let them leave.
This Does Not End Well....and with a gasp I went back to the start and read it again.
I love Adrian J Walker. I don’t think enough people know about his work and if you go to his website, you’ll see that he really doesn’t seem to be looking for fame.
This one is quite different from the others I’ve read of his. It’s darker, twistier and left me feeling quite confused. Overall, the ending left a few things unresolved so I couldnt give it more than 3.5
+ the diary entry style hooked me in straight away and I felt as though I knew Adam. + the unreliable narrator thing was done well. I was left wondering if Adam really did do some of the things people around him were saying. + the whole book was intriguing, but that could just be me as I love Walker’s writing style.
- unclear. The psychological thriller genre will do this of course but questions need to be answered clearly by the end. - the dream sequences were too long and took me out of the plot, esp in the last quarter of the book.
Strange one, this. I mean literally, it's a strange book. I won't go in to the plot because there are plenty of reviews doing just that, but I will say that I enjoyed most of it, I am confused by the ending and will do some reading around what other people made of it, but yeah, this book was okay even if it didn't blow me away like some other recent psychological horror books I've read.
EDIT: Ok, maybe I won't do further reading about it because it doesn't seem like there's much about, which is a shame because it's certainly a book that deserves a good discussion. I am assuming Adam has a breakdown, a full breakdown, by the end. But how much of what happened really happened? How much was in his head? Were they ever really in France? Why is he now locked up? He's clearly lost the plot, but when did his reality really slip away from him? Who does he think he is now? Adam? Merton? The girl? Too many questions!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Adam is on the verge of some sort of breakdown when he moves to France to escape the pressures of his life in London. But things go from bad to worse and spiral out of control, pushing him to the limits of his sanity in this part psychological, part supernatural thriller.
Very atmospheric. The symbolism and slow build-up of tension was deeply disturbing.
Great characters. Authentic and relatable.
Great plot. Twists and turns and ups and downs gradually revealing the big picture and building to the inevitable tragic conclusion that the title suggests.
When I realised this book was a haunted house story, I was a bit concerned (pre-release book read), as many of the authors I’ve read do the haunted house story badly (sometimes feeling like an end of career book). Don’t be put off… this is not a standard haunted house tale! The story has some themes that could be expanded into a series of books, I’ll not elaborate beyond saying that there is an entire mythology that plays only a small part of this book. The climax of the story is fast paced, and for me this was genuinely un-put-down-able. If this was filmed, I think they’d struggle to get this pace to work. A fantastic read
Everyone has a past. So do places. And you may have no idea how terrifying theirs can be. From stress and burnout, one might try to escape into a cliché — a house in the French countryside, perhaps — because sometimes a well-worn dream feels like the only way out of hopelessness. But what will you do when your perfect cliché turns out to be far more frightening than the chaos you left behind? Survive it — if you enjoy being afraid. Read it — if you dare not to be.
I loved The Human Son by Adrian Walker and was excited to read his newest novel.
It didn’t disappoint. An engrossing story with an unusual delivery system which was integral to the plot and really worked, drawing the reader in and cleverly building tension. And making me second guess every creak in my house at night. Believable characters (esp loved the grandad), an enchanting, creepy as hell setting that leeches into your mind before you realise it’s got you by the throat. Enjoy!
Wow, what a mind f...Creepy dread. Psychological trip. Really pushes what is real or not, are my dreams the reality. Who is the point of view. This one leaves lingering quandary of, who, what, why, how.... This will stick with me a while.
A little slow in the middle but a good read! Love the authors realism’s how the character talks and describes middle aged anxieties and shenanigans. I wasn’t really sure where it was going either which was good.
I really enjoyed reading this book and was invested in all the characters and their flaws. I could visualise L'asile and it creepers me out from the start. I have so many questions though...