Little Sister Death

by William Gay

David Binder is a young, successful writer living in Chicago and suffering from writer’s block. He stares at the blank page, and the blank page stares back—until inspiration strikes in the form of a ghost story that captivated him as a child.

With his pregnant wife and young daughter in tow, he sets out to explore the myth of Virginia Beale, Faery Queen of the Haunted Dell. But as his investigation takes him deeper and deeper into the legacy of blood and violence that casts its shadow over the old Beale farm, Binder finds himself obsessed with a force that’s as wicked as it is seductive.

A stirring literary rendition of Tennessee’s famed Curse of the Bell Witch, Little Sister Death skillfully toes the line between Southern Gothic and horror, and further cements William Gay’s legacy as not only one of the South’s finest writers, but among the best that American literature has to offer.

Genres: Horror, Fiction, Southern Gothic, Gothic, Southern, Paranormal, Ghosts

224 pages, Hardcover

First published September 7, 2015

About the author

William Elbert Gay was the author of the novels Provinces of Night, The Long Home, and Twilight and the short story collection I Hate to See That Evening Sun Go Down. He was the winner of the 1999 William Peden Award and the 1999 James A. Michener Memorial Prize and the recipient of a 2002 Guggenheim Fellowship.

Reviews

[Lori · Rating 3 out of 5]

All the creatures, dangers, legends, and magics described in this book were, until very recently, accepted as real and true by ordinary people living and working in a civilized and Christian Europe.” Geraldine McCaughrean, The Stones Are Hatching, 1999

The black dog always reminds me of McCaughren. It seems to have settled in nicely in it's new Tennesse home along with some other malevolent spirits.


Bell House, circa 1909

No angle seemed to be true to the eye’s expectation. The horizontal seemed slightly out of level, the vertical just a fraction out of plumb. Perhaps this very imbalance lay at the root of things; an eye perpetually beguiled and a brain constantly reevaluating these images might insanity to it like a comforter. Yet he knew the evil predated the house, and he looked farther to the land itself, the sedgefield running stonily down the hill to the outbuildings, to what must have been the carriage house, and far beyond that, the ruins of the slave cabins.

It was an evil perhaps indigenous to the slope and rise of the land, to the stark austerity of the woods surrounding the ruined plantation. For whatever course, it was a verifiable fact that evil had happened here.

A creepy ghost story based on a local legend. A writer struggling with his second book moves with his family into a haunted house to write about the ghost. He clearly a different takeaway message from reading The Shining than I did, so it seemed like a good idea. There’s a fantastic buildup of suspense jumping back and forth from 1785 to 1982 with some stops in between. And then, it stops. Not some vaguely dissatisfying shortfall where all the loose ends aren’t tied up. He just slams the door in your face. Figuratively, of course.

It’s better than that sounds. Tom Franklin wrote a lovely memorial and introduction to his friend and fellow author. Gay was in poor health when he wrote this his last novel, maybe he was a little to peaked for a better ending.






*********************************************************
Little Sister Death (Paperback)
by William Gay, Narrated by T. Ryder Smith; Published by Recorded Books, Inc.

https://electricliterature.com/the-wr...
https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/bo...
https://www.tor.com/2015/10/06/book-r...
https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-re...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bell_Witch

[Delee · Rating 3 out of 5]

Like Father said down the long and lonely light-rays you might see Jesus walking, like. And the good Saint Francis that said Little Sister Death, that never had a sister.

William Faulkner

I really wanted to like LITTLE SISTER DEATH more than I did- but I am afraid my favorite part of this reading experience happened right at the very beginning. Tom Franklin's introduction was wonderful...and gave a little peek into what William Gay was really like- from one of the few allowed into his inner circle.

If I had looked a bit more closely before requesting this from NetGalley I may not have gone there. Most times I have issue reading something that wasn't meant to be released. Was there a reason Mr. Gay didn't have this story published in his life time?

...and when I saw this title I had no idea of its history. I knew William Gay by name- I had heard of his works..and knew he had passed- but not knowing a lot about him- I assumed this was being re-released. I didn't know that the pages were found among his things- gathered and patched together by others. To me- it is obvious after reading it. It feels unfinished.



William Gay takes The Bell Witch tale- and makes a few changes, with the family now being called Beale...and then adds David Binder to the mix.



David Binder had a bit of success with his first book- but is having trouble coming up with a second. His agent suggests throwing together a horror story to tide him and his family over- during his slump.



...and while doing some research- the story of The Beale family draws him in. So much so- that he packs up his family and moves right onto the Beale property in Tennessee.



...and soon becomes acquainted with some of the evil- that drove men before him to do unspeakable things.





Taking place in three different timelines- LITTLE SISTER DEATH tells of where it all began with the Beales>>to the Swaws>>to the Binders- All living with... or dying because of the curse of The Beale Witch.

I didn't love this book- and I am going to make a promise to read other works by this author, to see him at his best. I think he deserves that. I don't think the people trusted with his estate or those who helped finish his works- did him any favors. If it were me, I would have wanted to end things on a high note, and left unfinished works alone- but I will wait to pass total judgement until the other two come out as well.

Thanks NetGally.

[Diane S ☔ · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have been trying to define what to say, to put my feelings for this novel into words. For the first 40% of this novel, I was avidly reading, turning the pages, but...... than my problems started. The last part of the novel was a mishmash, confusing at times, characters except for Binder poorly fleshed out. Although loosely based on the Bell witch haunting in Tennessee, whose recounting of the real story ends the book, I ended up neither liking nor hating this story. A man who slowly becomes consumed by the mystery behind the story to the point where his real life, his family, pretty much mean nothing.

Yes, there are many creepy happenings in the old house, but except for the opening none were particularly scary and seemed thrown in hither and non. So more creepy than scary. I understand, and have read another by this author that I liked more, that this is not representative of this author's work, so I will read another by him soon.

[Blair · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ah, William...after 6 books, I'm feeling like we're almost pals. And like a good friend, you never let me down. Your love of language, of words and sentences, come across with every page. Lush, vivid prose, the connection to nature - the ominous song of a lone whippoorwill, your love of the dark. And yes, the humor! That surprising, sly, dark sense of humor you have!
But I'm sad my friend. I'm sad because just when I'm getting to know and love you so much, I know our time is short. I've only a few more books of yours left to read.
This last one, this Little Sister Death, wouldve been so great if you had the chance to finish it. Before you left us so soon. Your many admirers found the manuscript among your stuff and felt the world needed to see it. I'm glad they did but I hope you're not mad. I was not familiar with the legend of the Bell Witch Haunting. Your fictionalized treatment of it, I thought was some pretty scary shit. One reviewer commented its like 'as if William Faulkner wrote The Shining'. Were you a King fan William?
I know, I know...if you were alive today, you never wouldve let the manuscript see the light of day. Not without re-working it, polishing it. But it's still pretty damn good, and I'm grateful for it buddy.
Rest easy.

[Lawyer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Little Sister Death: A Posthumously Published Work by William Gay

Little Sister Death by William Gay was selected as a group read by members of On the Southern Literary Trail for October, 2015. Special thanks to Trail member Doug H for nominating this work.

William Gay, Hohenwald, Tennessee, October 27, 1941 – February 23, 2012

Moderator's entry, "On the Southern Literary Trail" April 24, 2012:

I'm sad to report that I just learned that William Gay, whose novel Twilightwas nominated earlier today for our May read died February 23, 2012, at the age of 68 of an apparent heart attack. He was found dead in his home in Hoenwald, Tennessee.

Gay was a unique voice in contemporary Southern literature, strongly influenced by Faulkner and McCarthy. He was scheduled to appear at the Southern Festival of Books in October of this year. I will miss him. My meetings with him were always pleasant encounters. Quiet and unassuming, at readings he was soft spoken, so one had to lean forward to hear him read. My first encounter with him was at The Alabama Booksmith in Homewood, Alabama. When he entered the shop I figured he was a fellow who had stepped into the wrong place and was looking for directions. He was dressed in clean carpenter's overalls and a white shirt. He asked where the bathroom was. When he came out he asked if he had time to "burn one" before the reading and signing started. Jake the owner told him, of course, he had time. So I stepped out and "burned one" with him. I really liked the man and I loved his writing. We have lost a wonderful writer. He was at work on a novel he'd been crafting for several years. Should it be published, it will be unfinished.

So, I'm stepping out on the screened porch and burnin' one for William Gay. And I'll lift a shot of Gentleman Jack in his direction.

Funny, I had begun to write a biographical entry for him on our group page because of the interest expressed in his writing. And that led to my discovery of his death. Following is a link regarding his life:

http://www.commentarymagazine.com/201... (less)

Lawyer Stevens"

Then the news came out about year or so ago that William Gay's unpublished works would be appearing. The first one would be this one, Little Sister Death. Here's the scoop.

From: Faber buys 'lost' horror from William Gay;Published February 2, 2015. By Caroline Carpenter; http://www.thebookseller.com/news/fab... .

Faber and Faber will publish a "lost" horror novel by the late American writer William Gay.

Editorial director Angus Cargill bought the UK rights from Clare Conville at Conville & Walsh.

Cargill said: “On Friday 31st October last year I was sent a manuscript entitled Little Sister, Death - by our late author William Gay - a novel which we did not previously know about the existence of. You only need to read a very few pages of Little Sister, Death to know you’re in the hands of a master, and if it’s one you have the stomach for. We will publish for Halloween this year to mark what would have been William’s 74th birthday.”

Dzanc Books has acquired the book in the US and will also publish it on 31st October.

Little Sister, Death takes its inspiration from the 19th century Bell Witch haunting of Tennessee, before the story moves into the late 20th century, where a troubled writer moves to a haunted farmstead. Cargill described it as “a sublime piece of writing - with a terrifying fore-shadow of a first chapter”.

He added: “Beautifully written and structured, it is a loving and faithful addition to the field of classic horror, eschewing any notions of irony or post-modern tricks as it aims, instead, straight for your soul. It is a novel we hope - in the wake of recent successes such as The Babadook and N0S4R2 - to make the horror moment of 2015.”

Conville said: “It was so exciting to be told a lost manuscript by the late master of Southern Gothic William Gay had been discovered among his papers. I read Little Sister, Death in one sitting and found it brilliantly constructed, utterly engrossing and deeply frightening. It is thrilling to think that a new generation of readers can now discover William’s work for themselves.”

Little Sister, Death will be followed by Gay’s final novel, The Lost Country, in late 2016.

In short, Dzanc will be providing William Gay admirers with all of his unfinished and unpublished works. A blessing or a curse? The original manuscripts are in the Special Collections of Sewanee University. As a reader who greatly admired all of William Gay's writing published before his death, it's an opportunity to see what Gay was working on at the time of his death. Those who read these works can only speculate what Gay might have intended to finish and what he chose to abandon.

What appears in Little Sister Death contains some vintage William Gay. There are story lines here that hook the reader. Gay chose the classic Bell Witch haunting as the underpinnings for this novel. The Bell family traveled from Kentucky to Robertson County, Tennessee, in the early 1800s. Basically, the Bell family was haunted by a female spirit whose goal was to torment the family until the paterfamilias John Bell died. John's daughter, Elizabeth, or Betsy, was subject to falling into trances when the spirit appeared and proceeded to entertain the citizenry who congregated at the Bell place with graphic sexual descriptions of Elizabeth's behavior and explicitly bawdy humor.

The classic American ghost story has been sought to be proved true and a hoax through the years. Needless to say, folks are opinionated on these things.

But, William Gay gave his own dark spin to Tennessee folklore, jockeying through time with an obvious degree of relish. The Bell family become the Beale family. Through the original landowners to the present, decidedly bad things happen to folks who live on the Beale place.

The most recent occupant is one Binder. A writer. With wife, Corrie. And daughter, Stephie. Binder has written one novel. Completed a second. However, his publisher isn't pleased with the second. Enter Agent who suggests a quick paperback sale. Something commercial. Get the juices flowing. Money in the bank. Food on the table.

Binder's got it. Go to Tennessee. Rent the Beale house. Write first hand the story of the Beale haunting. Well, sure, some locals say sometimes such things are better left alone. But Binder's in a bind. Soon he's drawn deeper and deeper into the Beale story. Binder begins to experience some haunting similarities suffered by previous occupants.

Oooh, who is that flaxen haired girl that appears to Binder in his dreams? Oh, any man would ache for her. Finding the secrets of the Beale haunting make the blood in Binder's veins turn to ice. His obsession is becoming more important than wife and child.

William Gay gives you the shudders with the same ability as Stephen King, who counted himself among Gay's admirers. King considered William Gay's Twilight the best horror novel published in 2006. Readers will find enough "REDRUM" in Little Sister Death to remind them of King's The Shining. There's sex. There's violence. There's evil. You are flipping the pages like mad.

But...then. It. Just. Ends.

Sigh.

And that's the true possibility of posthumously published works.

You pays your money. You takes your chances. Damn. I miss William Gay.

Tom Franklin wrote the introduction to this edition. It is a loving tribute to a man I wish I had gotten to spend a lot more time with than I did.

For the first time William Gay reader, this one should lead you to his other works. For the reader who reads every word Gay wrote, you have to read it.

I think I'll go burn one.

[Zoeytron · Rating 3 out of 5]

'Hunkered there in the darkness, he felt before himself a door, madness already raising the hand to knock.'

The dead are keeping watch over grave secrets in the cemetery. Unfortunate happenings, an evil spirit with a voice that trills truths and lies, guaranteed to stir up a stink. A big black dog, the compassionless eyes of a cat, a man who imagines his wife and daughters are starting to resemble pigs. A house that feeds off life, with everything a shade or so darker than anywhere else, diseased, malevolent, waiting.

There was some good stuff in here, but somehow the mesh of it was off for me. Still and yet, a decent read.

[Eloise Blaise | Bibliophel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ya know what…pop off little sister, but stay away from me please and ty xxxx

[Tom Mathews · Rating 3 out of 5]

When I joined the Southern Literary Trail group a few months ago I started hearing a lot of talk about an author named William Gay whose books were regularly discussed alongside those of Southern gothic masters as William Faulkner and Cormac McCarthy. I was embarrassed to admit that I had never heard of someone who belonged in such august company until I found out a little more about him. Gay, who died in 2012 at age 70, wrote regularly from age 15 but never published a word of it until he was almost 60. From 1999 until his death the former carpenter and housepainter published six critically acclaimed books including The Long Home and Twilight (not the sparkly one). Now, three years after his death, a new book has been published, "compiled and transcribed from [Gay's] handwritten notebooks and a typescript discovered among his papers".

Little Sister Death is a great blend of Southern gothic and horror that draws much of its strength from early American folklore and popular superstitions. David Binder, a young author researching a new book, moves with his pregnant wife and daughter to and old Tennessee farm once owned by the famous Beale Witch (nudge, wink). In a story that alternates from the past to the present, telling of past crimes and hauntings, then moving forward in time to Binder and his increased obsession with a dark story that spans the centuries and now threatens to destroy yet another family. Joy’s telling shows flashes of brilliance and positively drips dread with every paragraph. Being a lover of folklore and mythology, I particularly loved the mysterious black dog that appeared off and on throughout the story. Black dogs are historically considered a harbinger of death and seldom bode well for those who see one.

That’s the good news. The bad news is that, due to William Gay’s own meeting with the black dog, the story lacks a conclusion. The story that Gay’s publisher cobbled together from his notes doesn’t so much end as it just stops. When a story sinks its hook this deeply and then fails to deliver, well, it’s kind of like sex without the satisfaction. It leaves one mighty grumpy.

That said. I am still very impressed with William Joy’s talent but am less than satisfied with this particular book. I suggest readers try one of the books mentioned above rather than this one or any other books published posthumously.

FYI: On a 5-point scale I assign stars based on my assessment of what the book needs in the way of improvements:
*5 Stars – Nothing at all. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
*4 Stars – It could stand for a few tweaks here and there but it’s pretty good as it is.
*3 Stars – A solid C grade. Some serious rewriting would be needed in order for this book to be considered great or memorable.
*2 Stars – This book needs a lot of work. A good start would be to change the plot, the character development, the writing style and the ending.
*1 Star - The only thing that would improve this book is a good bonfire.

[Sam Quixote · Rating 2 out of 5]

Set in the early ‘80s, David Binder is a novelist stuck for inspiration for a follow-up to his well-received first book. He decides to explore an old interest of his and write a haunted house story. Of course, he can’t just write about a haunted house in his regular house because he seemingly has no imagination. So he moves into a haunted house in the south with his family in order to write his novel. Some things go bump in the night and eventually it ends.

Posthumously published following William Gay’s passing in 2012, Little Sister Death is unfortunately a bit of a crap horror novella. In terms of the subject matter and Gay’s approach, it’s an uneasy hybrid of Stephen King’s The Shining by way of Cormac McCarthy’s writing style, and Gay falls far short of both writers.

The story itself is very poor. There are some flashback chapters set in the past where we see bad things happening and then the narrative jumps back to the present where Binder sits about ponderin’ things, southern-style. Lots of good ole boys drawlin’ bout this’n’that fills up a lot of the book before we get into the amateur night theatrics of the “horror” - a girl sat on a gravestone (or did he imagine it?!!) followed by slamming doors and strange sounds. Weak sauce, Mr Gay.

None of the characters were especially interesting. Binder was the only one you could say was well-written and he was a pillock. A pretentious wanker thinking up writerly sentences that’ll win awards rather than write anything worthwhile. That’s basically the lot of the literary writer: they can’t tell a good story so they tell a crap one and obfuscate it with lofty prose. And dragging his family into his crap? What a jerk. The other characters are just sort of there - props essentially.

You couldn’t really call this a horror story as so much of it is focused on ordinary people living in the south. And that ending was simply pathetic. The narrative was already dawdling along for most of the book but to end it there? It was like Gay just didn’t feel like writing anymore. Rubbish.

The essay at the end about the Bell Witch is sort of interesting as is the intro by Tom Franklin who reminisces about William Gay, and generally it was well-written. But Little Sister Death is a pretty awful addition to the canon of southern gothic/the haunted house subgenre. If you want to read a good haunted house story this Halloween, check out Shirley Jackson’s The Haunting of Hill House or Stephen King’s The Shining instead.

[Lizz · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don’t write reviews.

This story was published posthumously so it’s ragged and a bit unfinished. Gay painted such an amazing picture with the seeming scraps of stories knitted together. His words never fail to carry me away and leave me adrift, floating on images and ideas that reach deep into my heart. The afterword about Gay’s experience with the Bell Witch was quite compelling as well.

[Josh · Rating 3 out of 5]

The last few months have been "non-reading" months due primarily to a new job position. I am breaking that radio silence for two reasons: 1) A much needed vacation with the family; 2) William Gay (arguably my favorite author) has a new posthumously published short novel.

The book focuses on a tale loosely structured around the Bell Witch tale which Gay had personally brushed upon in more than a few ways. This legend (I guess) was one every Tennessee elementary school child from my youth was taught about in Tennessee History (4th grade if memory serves me). What a blend of all things that would draw me in. Surely a 5 star right?

Well, for me, this one had PARTS which drew me in, but it lacked the same "stick with me" that I have grown so use to- the intensity of thought that normally lingers will not be there. It was nostalgic for a fan boy to get an unexpected publication with words that were clearly combined by Mr. Gay, but it lacked the depth his other works had. I wonder about how this one would have turned out if further distilled by an agent and editor? It's fine writing, and there are pieces to it I LOVED, but primarily because I could see glimpses of the author I admire coming through. It lacked the descriptions, the core motivations, and the humor found in his other works.

I will read every word published in the future from William Gay, and look forward to future "discoveries" which are hinted at in the afterword. That said, I would recommend a new reader start with Provinces of Night...which is my favorite by a few lengths. I would say Tom Franklin's forward was worth the cost of the book, but stop there, get to know William like Tom did- through his other works, THEN revisit this one. To find out the backstory behind The Paperhanger, my favorite story- perhaps of all time- whoa. Thank you Tom Franklin

[Diane Barnes · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have loved the William Gay works I've read in the past - dark and eerie with hints of evil. The language is lush and beautiful no matter what he's saying. But I have to agree with other reviewers on this one; it missed the mark for me. I have to think it was unfinished and was an early draft that he never had time to re-work, it never went anywhere. I would get all primed for something to scare the devil out of me, then it would fizzle......and nothing.

I also agree that Tom Franklin's forward was a wonderful piece, as was Gay's personal tale of his (maybe) own involvement with the Bell Witch at the end. And I'll read the other posthumous books hinted at in the afterward.

[La loca de los libros · Rating 4 out of 5]

🏚️ "Hay algo que va muy mal en esta casa, abriga en sus extrañas un tumor maligno que va desgranando los segundos como una bomba de relojería. En sus intestinos parecía residir una malignidad muy oscura. Y tras llegar a esa conclusión, Corrie tomó conciencia del olor. Detrás del olor a pintura y barniz, del olor a limpio del tejido nuevo, se distinguía un efluvio subterráneo de malevolencia, un olor que por mucho que se limpiara nunca se iba, el hedor supurante y persistente, marrón y amarillento, de la habitación de un enfermo de cáncer que sufre una muerte lenta." 🖤

La lectura conjunta de este mes con Devoradora de libros me ha parecido muy buena, también es cierto que el desenlace me dejó con ganas de más, aunque gran parte de este tipo de historias tampoco lo tendrán como tal y ahí radica lo realmente perturbador.
Pero vayamos por partes ⤵️
Es la segunda novela que leo de la editorial, me estrené con "La maldición gitana", del gran Harry Crews y la sorpresa fue mayúscula, ahora me inicio con las letras de William Gay y ya tengo en lista "El hogar eterno", también editada por DW, porque he quedado muy contenta con el desarrollo y la capacidad de Gay para crear ambientes malsanos, con imágenes que lograrán sacarte más de un cosquilleo en la nuca 😱

Ya solo con el prólogo de la mano de Tom Franklin, otro autor al que le tengo tremendas ganas y leeré muy pronto, de hecho ya tengo su novela "Letra torcida, letra torcida" esperando pacientemente su turno, nombrando al tito King me ha conquistado por completo. En ese prólogo, Tom nos contará como conoció a Gay y diversas anécdotas curiosas de la vida de este que nos sacarán más de una sonrisa.
Me ha encantado.

Lo que nos cuenta "Hermana muerte" no es nada novedoso, pero sí lo es la manera en la que Gay aborda el tema.
Basándose en un conocido caso real, La Bruja de Bell, se trata del primer caso documentado de los EE.UU en los que un ente fue responsable de la muerte de una persona, tal y como afirman los diversos testigos y documentos que así lo atestiguan, Gay nos presenta la historia de un escritor frustrado; David Binder, quien se muda con su mujer y su hija a una casa en las inmediaciones del susodicho inmueble maldito, ya que de la original no quedan más que escombros.
Los hechos paranormales no tardarán en hacer aparición: ruidos en mitad de la noche, un gran perro negro que parece observarlos cuando pasean por los campos...
William Gay se vale de todos esos testimonios para deleitarnos con una metaficción literaria que hará las delicias de todo amante de este tipo de fenómenos paranormales.

A través de varias líneas temporales conoceremos los hechos que iniciaron la maldición en la región durante el siglo XIX con un primer capítulo realmente acojonante, en esa línea temporal conoceremos a John Beale y su familia y como poco a poco sus vidas se irán derrumbando por una presencia que parece querer destruirlo todo.
Junto con la trama de Binder en 1980 y su obsesión con todo lo que rodea a esa casa y su ambiente corrupto, llegando incluso a tener reminiscencias de una de mis novelas favoritas de Stephen King; "El Resplandor."
Lo dicho, una gozada.
Esta estructura alternando pasado y presente le aporta muchísima fluidez a la trama y hará que devores la novela casi sin darte cuenta, las ansias por saber que está ocurriendo y cómo se resolverá todo te mantendrán en vilo y mirando por el rabillo del ojo en cuanto oigas el mínimo ruido a tus espaldas.
Pero, porque aquí he encontrado uno bien grande, es que hay una trama que no se cierra satisfactoriamente, y me ha dejado con cara de, ¿ya?, ¿y qué pasó con esto?.
Su primer capítulo me pareció escalofriante, y el resto de la historia también, no así su cierre, pero aún así es una novela que no dudaré en recomendar, porque reúne todos los elementos necesarios para que el disfrute y el pavor estén más que asegurados.

¿A quién no le gusta una buena historia de fantasmas? Yo no me puedo resistir, es leer casas encantadas, apariciones o entes varios, y me tiro de cabeza 😂
Ya sabes, el que entra en esa casa, no podrá salir. Porque al final es uno mismo el que deja entrar esas cosas 🖤

Si te gusta el tema no dudes en buscar la historia original en la que se basa y algunas películas que tienen también como sustento gran parte de esta maldición ⤵️

🎥🎞️🍿 La conocida "El proyecto de la bruja de Blair" así como "Maleficio: an american haunting", están basadas en esta popular leyenda.

🏚️ "La casa parecía absorberlo todo, ensombrecerlo todo, succionarle la vida y dejar una cáscara seca."

https://m.facebook.com/profile.php/?i... 💀📚🖤

[Devoradora De Libros · Rating 3 out of 5]

Esta ha sido la lectura que La loca de los libros ha seleccionado para nuestra conjunta del mes de Septiembre.
Tengo sentimientos encontrados con esta novela y va a requerir una relectura en un futuro porque creo que no ha sido el momento y no la he disfrutado como se merece.

Tenemos entre manos una historia de fantasmas, en concreto lo que ocurrió en la casa Bale, la maldición que los asolaba.

Narrada a dos tiempos nos va contando lo que los propios Bale vivieron y lo que fueron experimentando los últimos habitantes de la mansión, la familia de David Binder un escritor que va en busca de inspiración para su siguiente novela.

Como dije al principio, creo que no he estado al cien por cien y no he podido disfrutarla como se merece, por lo que dejaré en barbecho mis impresiones hasta que vuelva a leerla con la atención que merece.

[Maika · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tennessee siglo XIX, cuenta la leyenda que tras una lucha sin tregua entre dos familias los Bell y los Batts enfrentados por tierras, cosechas y esclavos, una buena noche de 1817 John Bell vio un animal en su maizal parecido a un perro negro y que cuando le disparó, éste despareció. A raíz de este suceso en casa de los Bell comenzaron los ruidos, los tirones de pelo, bofetadas en mitad de la noche …en definitiva de fenómenos paranormales. La bruja de la casa Bell o el Ente había llegado para no marcharse.

¿Por qué comienzo mi reseña así? Porque a mí personalmente al leer esta novela me hubiese gustado tener estos datos inicialmente para haberla disfrutado mucho más mientras la leía, la experiencia, creo, es mucho más gratificante e interesante conociendo que se basa en la Leyenda de la Bruja de la Casa de Bell. En mi caso una vez finalizada me lancé a la búsqueda de información sobre este fenómeno y para mi sorpresa es uno de los fenómenos paranormales más conocidos de la historia de EEUU.

Preparados, listos…comenzamos.

El prólogo de manos de Tom Franklin sobre el autor William Gay es una delicia. Disfrutadlo, por allí aparece hasta un señor llamado Stephen King, creo que a algunos os sonará 😁.

Con un primer capítulo que ya te deja sin resuello, comenzamos a conocer a David Binder un escritor que tras su ópera prima sufre un bloqueo importante, para salir del mismo nada mejor que escribir una novela de terror sobre la Leyenda de Virginia Beale “la Reina de las Hadas del Valle Embrujado” y escribirla in situ. Alquilará la casa de los Beale y en este viaje le acompañarán su hija y esposa.
Narrada en varios espacios temporales alternando pasado y presente nos vamos a encontrar una historia turbia con unos pasajes escalofriantes y que en algunos momentos me recordó al “Resplandor”, si bien es cierto que su final me dejo bastante fría, y por ello no le doy sus 5🌟.
Una novela que a mí me ha dejado poso. Muy disfrutable.

“… hay algo que va muy mal en esta casa, abriga en sus entrañas un tumor maligno que va desgranando los segundos como una bomba de relojería…”

“…Al final es uno mismo el que deja entrar esas cosas…”

[Doug H · Rating 3 out of 5]

“Binder rode in silence then, watching the country slip past, the ends of cornrows clocking past like spokes in a neverending wheel, fields of heat-blighted corn segueing into dusty fencerows of sumac and honeysuckle and elderberry, all talcumed alike with thick accretions of dust from the slipstreams of passing automobiles.”

The introduction by Tom Franklin of (Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter) is worth the price of admission on its own. It provides an intimate look at both William Gay and Tom Franklin as writers, as readers, as human beings, as friends. Priceless stuff.

Regarding Little Sister Death itself, my rating is more about Gay's lush descriptive writing than the story. I want to hold off on talking about the story itself until the rest of On the Southern Literary Trail (a Goodreads club I recently joined) has read it and is ready for discussion. I'm very much looking forward to that.

Something else to look forward to: An endnote in this publication indicates that Little Sister Death is the first of several of Gay's works to be published posthumously. I knew there was at least one more coming, but the thought of "several " makes me feel like dancing.

[LA · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is an unpolished pile of stones, rather than the solid, winding wall that we'd normally see built by William Gay, leading us to private gardens of thought. He had notebooks with this ghost story somewhat laid out, and his writer friends posthumously published it. They did not do a good job of it, as there are inconsistencies, a menacing character who threateningly shows up once and then is somehow forgotten by Gay's buddies.

The 3.5 stars Im giving it is for the separate sections of writing and the fear I felt toward that silvered toolshed - not for the completeness of the book. Shame on his friends, but if you already know Gay's work, you'll enjoy this. Just look out for copperheads in the stone pile.

[Fabian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Straight outta nowhere, the impact of this o-so ordinary haunted house/ghost tale lies within the prose. Between The O.G. and the N.G. (G standing for Goth, of the American variety) is this writer: incredibly intense, morbidly beautiful words to describe stuff from the Shining (women apparitions, alcoholism leading to maddness leading to murder, familial and societal seclusion), from The Amytiville Horror (animal kingdom/pests in revolt, talking walls, earthquakes), from Faulkner (American G. themes like cursed family bloodlines and the change of character names, depending on whose POV we are experiencing). Basically, Gay took from the best. The most frightful anecdotes, the thread of a fate, of destiny. The episodes of gore explode from nothing; disembodied voiced that have "always been here"... this is incredible, powerful stuff.

The O.G.? Nathaniel Hawthorne, 'course. The "new" one? Stephen King. Inside their two circles is this, my newest literary discovery all year!

[Nancy Oakes · Rating 4 out of 5]

wowza. If only Gay had had more time with this book, it would have been a knockout, I'm sure.

more to come on this one. For now: I'm just happy I read it during the day. Creepsville all the way.

[Maxine (Booklover Catlady) · Rating 2 out of 5]

What a let down this one was for me. I was so excited by the synopsis and the hype around this author. Sadly the book just dos not hit the mark for me at all.

It's really a ghost story, however a rather wordy and confusing one. I feel it lacked the true chill factor that a ghost story should have. Highly over-descriptive you seem to spend pages on the most minute of matters.

In saying that the writing is quite beautiful but I don't feel it suited this book, or genre of book. I was so keen to read this but needed to give an honest review.

I received a copy of this book thanks to the publisher via NetGalley.

[Ctgt · Rating 4 out of 5]

The cornfield seemed darker toward its center. Light entered at the rows’ end, ran like liquid down the middles, getting shallower and shallower. There seemed at the convergence of the rows some mass of shadows light could not defray.

William Gay takes a crack at the Bell Witch legend in this novella that was published posthumously. As with any work published without the direct involvement of the author there are plenty of questions about this story. Was this a work in progress? Was it finished but Gay didn't like it for some reason? Did he ever intend to publish the story? Unless something is discovered in his papers we will never know. It certainly seems unfinished, there are many threads hanging at the conclusion of the story and the ending is abrupt. This would be the logical interpretation of the work. I do admit to taking a "weird fiction" view of the story. What I enjoy about weird fiction are the unanswered questions, the plot mysteries that keep forcing their way back in to my thinking, the threads left dangling. So I think I ended up enjoying this more than most.

After the unexpected success of his first book, a young author struggles to come up with a second and decides to move his family onto the property where the Bell Witch hauntings took place. Needless to say, the family gets more than they bargained for:


He found himself waiting, staring intently at the doorway of the toolshed, a rectangle of Cimmerian darkness that seemed beyond darkness, darkness multiplied by itself, and he was thinking, Something is going to happen. He sensed a change in the air.


He felt watched. He turned. Some faint noise, perhaps a whisper of wind in the dry cornstalks. A black dog watched him stoically from the edge of the cornfield. An enormous dog, high-shouldered and lean, standing cold and still as ice.

Hunkered there in the darkness, he felt before himself a door, madness already raising the hand to knock. Madness sniffing at his tracks like an unwanted dog. Madness would escort him the rest of the way there, clutching at him and whispering adulterous secrets in his ear.

I really enjoyed this story but your mileage may vary.

8/10

[David Joy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gay had an ability to toy with language like McCarthy. He understood the tensile strength of a story, could stretch the tension until it was right on the edge of breaking. LITTLE SISTER DEATH is no exception. My favorite passage reminds me most of why I've loved his work so long:

“Swaw was used to hard times. He had known no other. He was used to field peas and cornbread when he had them and he was used to not having it too. He was used to shotgun shacks with cracks you could have thrown a good-sized housecat through and floors through whose cracks a man could watch his chickens scratching for worms, if he was lucky enough to possess any chickens. In 1933 a man on Swaw’s status level was a good deal more likely to possess a housecat than he was a chicken, and Swaw was no exception.

“He was used to bonechilling cold in the wintertime with everyone crowded around a tin woodstove trying their best to keep it warm and kicking through snow to cut wood that was frozen to the heart. A sharecropper didn’t have time to cut his wood in the summertime. In July and August he was used to heat that wouldn’t abate even at night, when you’re exhausted but awake, feeling the droplets of sweat sliding across your naked ribs, wanting to cry out Great God is the place afire, listening through the thin board walls to the woods just outside your door, the whippoorwills and crickets and owls, and knowing that day was coming and another day’s work but the harder you tried to sleep the more elusive it became.

“He wasn’t one like the colored man in the story. A white man and a colored man went hunting together and killed a turkey and a buzzard. At the end of the day they divided up the game. Well, the white man said, it’s all the same to me. You take the buzzard and I’ll take the turkey or you take the turkey and I’ll take the buzzard. The colored man considered this for a time. Well, he said. It shore sounds fair but seems like I wind up with the buzzard most of the time.

“Swaw was used to getting the buzzard, and he was pretty sure he had it now. He was getting more of it every day, piece by scrawny piece...”

[Katherine]

"Sabía que en aquel momento la casa estaba despierta, podía plantarse en su centro y sentir su corazón batiendo a su alrededor, acompasado al suyo, tomando aliento cuando él lo tomaba, sentir cómo fijaba su atención en él, alerta y concentrada como un gato al acecho de un pájaro con un ala rota."

Una interesante lectura y la que he disfrutado.
Al inicio me atrapó por completo, el misterio en torno a la casa y contexto en el que se desarrollaba su comienzo.
Luego me encontré con la típica idea del escritor que se va a un lugar a escribir no me atrajo tanto, y es que nunca me atrae ese enunciado, pero me ha gustado la forma en la que el autor abordo los elementos que van surgiendo en la historia, la simpleza y amena que resulta su pluma me atrapó, además que la estructura de la historia hace que la lectura sea dinámica y muy interesante de ir conociendo.

Claramente recuerda directamente a otra y otras historias muy conocidas con el mismo tópico (escritor que se aisla para escribir), y esa parte no la rescato mucho en realidad más que para base de lo que nos narra, pero me ha gustado la esencia que tiene y cómo fue planteando todo desde diferentes ángulos, con la historia de la bruja de la casa Bell, la maldición y todo lo que enfoca durante la lectura de la tan conocida historia que hay detrás.

Espero leer más del autor.

[Jessica Woodbury · Rating 3 out of 5]

Posthumously published, it's best to know going in that this is put together from Gay's writings found after his death. You should not expect a complete and cohesive work, though there's still plenty to enjoy here from the patchwork we have. Luckily Horror is a genre that doesn't require you to really spell it all out, it is okay for mysteries to remain unsolved, the provenance of ghosts to be unexplained. We see enough of the repeating themes across the century or two on this piece of Tennessee land to get most of the way there.

It is a little bit too purple of prose for me personally, a little bit too meandering for my taste, but I still found it effective. In fact, the most horrifying moments are some of the best I've seen. (Swaw's murderous rage is as good as any I can recall reading. A scene of a child's movie that turns bloody will definitely stick in my head for a long time.) Because that's what I really like, I wish Gay had leaned into it more. But that's just me. For "literary horror" folks, there's a lot here to enjoy, though.

[Tina · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've sat on this one a few days trying to dissect my true feelings about this book. I did not hate it and I didn't love it either. Would I recommend it to others? Not sure. Bottom line, it was not the writing, but the story. It seemed unfinished. Started with a bang and ended with a fizzle. So, middle of the road. Likable, but not great and it certainly would not keep me from reading more by William Gay. However, this probably was not the best of his books for me to start with.

[Nerea Bosch · Rating 4 out of 5]

Una lectura oscura con escenas bastante turbias.

No me ha convencido la forma de terminar la novela, está bien lo de los finales abiertos, pero aquí, literalmente, no creo que podamos hablar de un “final” como tal. Me he quedado con ganas de presenciar un clímax en la trama y de saber mucho más de la historia.

Podría haber sido una historia de casas encantadas casi perfecta… pero bueno, aún así, la recomiendo por las sensaciones que consigue crear en el lector.

[Lynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

A ghost story with awesome potential but William Gay didn't finish it. I was left wanting more of an ending, but still glad I read what he left us. Tom Franklin's introduction was great.

[Paul · Rating 3 out of 5]

Little Sister Death – A Ghostly Enterprise

Like others before me, I was confused by the end, but I am not angry about that, because to me that is the great thing about this ghost story. This is a lost novel from William Gay that his friends and his executor have put together from left manuscripts. Gay’s strong narrative that was present in his previous books is still present.

This book is a ghost story rather than a sweeping gothic novel that retells the Tennessee Bell Witch Haunting that is said to have taken place sometime in the nineteenth century. This story is told through the unravelling of author David Binder and his family, who has moved to the Beal Homestead as he hopes to find inspiration for a new novel.

The reader is bounced all over the years and in no particular order, so it seems, but it does come together after a fashion towards the end. We follow the families that had previously inhabited the Beale homestead so we bounce across the years 1785, 1933, 1956-1965, 1980 and 1982 so we get the haunting of those families.

This maybe one of the shortest William Gay books but you certainly have to work at it to get a grip of the overarching story. Little Sister Death gives us a ride around while I enjoyed the ghost side of the story but with so many characters involved it can become confusing. Saying that I certainly enjoyed the book.

[Still · Rating 5 out of 5]

An author and his family move into a house known to be haunted by the legendary Bell Witch of Tennessee.
Slowly the young author ceases to be the loving father and husband he once was.
"If you don't answer the door, it cain't get in" a longtime resident advises.

This book is comprised of a novella, a short, nonfiction piece about William Gay's own experiences with the Bell Witch aka "The Beale Witch", and wonderful piece by Tom Franklin on his friend William Gay.
I read Tom Franklin's piece last as with these posthumously discovered and published works of William Gay, I was afraid the introduction might provide an inadvertent spoiler or two.

I enjoyed this book a great deal as I've enjoyed -hell, loved- everything I've read by William Gay.
I'm so glad I discovered his writing.
Better late than never.
There won't be anymore.

I would recommend it to everyone but especially readers who crave more from William Gay who is of course no longer with us.
I love his writing as much as I love the writing of Faulkner, Cormac McCarthy, Flannery O'Connor or you name 'em.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thinking........