The Place

by T.M. Wright

Wright offers another hallucinatory, episodic, almost plotless story in this novel about bright, self-possessed eight-year-old Greta King, whose daydreams transport her to an idyllic fantasy world. While out for a drive, Greta's father, mother and younger brother are threatened by a madman with a rifle; Greta, meanwhile, is worried when she arrives at an empty home. While she waits at a neighbor's, Greta's father unwittingly tips off the psychopath to her wherabouts. The demented creature sees in Greta a kindred spirit: he too has a dreamworld, blood-red and foul, and it exists at the edges of Greta's blue and lovely one. The man wishes to take Greta into his world--and somewhere between the two is the mysterious place where Greta's mother and brother have been hidden. This eerie, teasing tale, unfolding in dreamlike fashion, clearly depicts Greta's confusion, vulnerability and easy victimization by thoughtless adults.

Genres: Horror, Fiction

278 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1989

About the author

Terrance Michael Wright (AKA T. M. Wright) is best known as a writer of horror fiction, speculative fiction, and poetry. He has written over 25 novels, novellas, and short stories over the last 40 years. His first novel, 1978's Strange Seed, was nominated for a World Fantasy Award, and his 2003 novel Cold House was nominated for a Bram Stoker Award. His novels have been translated into many different languages around the world. His works have been reviewed by Kirkus Reviews, Publishers Weekly, Library Journal, Booklist, and many genre magazines.

Reviews

[Kasia · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was quite a find, I got it in an ebay auction when it came in a box of horror books, that happened years ago and suddenly one day I just picked this up had had to read it. My first time reading T.M Wright was a blast, I laughed at some of the scenes and shook my head in surprise, this author certainly has skill and some wild imagination, that's for sure. I absolutely loved the characters of Greta and Mrs. Thompson, my eyes followed their every move and word like a set of puppy dogs, I couldn't ever predict what would be said next. Imagine your family on a trip to their potential new home, gone off the road in search of a short cut, stalked and harassed by a silent stranger that makes the wife and son disappear, now you are the father, you hide and stalk to find your kidnapper and potential killer that might be next to you, hiding and waiting in the familiar dark forest, playing a game of sorts, one that you don't know the rules to. This is what happens to the King's, their nine year old Greta is on a school bus but pretty soon something happens, they don't come back, something snap inside of Greta and she knows, something is wrong, what happens next is just wild, but also a lot of fun.

The Place is a real phenomenon in this book, once the reader starts they get an introduction to it and later some more insight, it's a wild and twisted journey but one that I have enjoyed, it's best to simply pick it up and read it, it's different from most books out there, more reminiscent of my favorite 80's horror with no apologies and full of force of some good, intense writing. This is story is like a fusion of Agatha Christie, Stephen King and Salvador Dali all in print form, strange and mysterious at the same time, you can't wait to find what happens next.

[Craig · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is one of Wright's best-written and least-known novels. He takes elements from the horror genre and mixes them rather equally and seamlessly with elements of high fantasy, with viewpoints of childish innocence and adult cynicism alternating and eventually -perhaps- joining. It's a very existential and philosophical piece that's oddly structured and lacks a traditional conclusion. Some of the imagery is rather disturbing. It's like an impressionist geometric sculpture that you think is quite nice, but you'll never know if you quite got what you meant to from it.

[Graham P · Rating 2 out of 5]

2 1/2 stars. **.5.

T.M. Wright novels are standard supernatural novels given a surreal twist that really can fill a reader with a proper dose of unease. But his style is....weird, and I mean that in a difficult obtuse way. While 'The Island' (with its great setting of a house submerged deep in a lake) and 'The Playground' with its softly doom-ridden hauntings (of a town plagued by the dead, a town in which is inhabited by downtrodden psychics), 'The Place' is idea first, and execution last. One of the biggest problems is Wright doesn't capture real dialogue. How most characters typically ask questions, "Are you okay, Greta?" "Are you tired, Greta?" "Did you see anything, Greta?" It becomes laughable at points. And to be honest, Greta is a one-dimensional brat despite her otherworldly ability, and the cult-leader villain has as much inherent fear as a limpdick Freddy Kreuger rip off. I think Wright needed a revision (or two) on this one. More is more sometimes, and to lay it on a bit thicker could have elevated this short novel into something more wild, cohesive, and memorable.

But still, but still...the middle really touches/glimpses at some interesting things. The dual places where our protagonists hide in their own imaginary lands, the cult buried deep in the Ithaca woods, the ghostly figures moving through these same woods, ones that we're not quite sure are harmful or harmless but slyly getting under our skin.

The last quarter, and especially the ending, is a chore and kind of an outright bore. As if written in a weekend with a deadline on Monday.

I wanted to like this like I did 'The Island' and 'The Playground.' Hunt down those instead.

[Jon Von · Rating 4 out of 5]

While this book isn’t going to be for everyone, I was surprised by how much I vibed with the interesting metaphor this book presents and the generally clever philosophical tone. There’s a sort of religious significance to the abstract tone. A family, flawed but loving, trying to love themselves and one another but feeling lost. A brilliant little girl whose gift alienates her from the people around her struggling to find a balance between the real world and the world of her mind. A villain who represents a potential trap, a sort of cult leader picking on the estranged with his toxic promises of belonging. And then there’s the way in which many people endeavor to help, but fail to, out of ignorance, confusion, self-doubt and impotence. It’s a meaningful book about a difficult time in a gifted child’s life and the allure of bitterness and resentment. It’s a spooky horror novel with magical realism and psychic boundaries. It’s a moving meditation on how we can have faith in our ability to help one another even when it seems hopeless, and how misguided help can often cause greater pain for everyone involved. As a mainstream horror novel it’s a curiosity, as a poetic metaphor for a gifted mind trying to find itself in a confused and frustrating world it’s actually kind of beautiful. This is my second TM Wright book after Laughing Man and I enjoyed them both but this is the better imo. Look forward to more. A delightful find.

[Robert · Rating 3 out of 5]

A nicely rendered, rather existentialist coming-of-age story wrapped up in the tropes of a supernatural thriller - a supernatural thriller of the child-with-a-strange-power variety. Wright strikes me as a writer who is more conceptual than plot-driven at heart, and some of his characterizations and subplots do get a bit short-changed at times - but he also avoids the tendency towards bloat (we all know too many novelists with a form of writer's logorrhea **cough Stephen King cough ** who have produced their share of ginormous, 500+ page monsters that could have been - perhaps should have been - considerably reduced in page count). Ultimately, The Place came together for me with literally one concise yet quite subtle paragraph on the final page.

[Stephen · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good psychological horror tale to stand the hairs on your neck. Dark corners of the mind of a young girl beyond her years. Tangles with some unforgiving evil, that fears her strength.

[B.J. Burgess · Rating 3 out of 5]

Have you ever read a book and said to yourself, "What the hell did I just read?"

Well, that's exactly how I would describe my thoughts the moment I finished reading the final page of The Place. It's a bizarre dark fantasy novel that's written really well for the first half and then falls completely apart for the rest.&nbsp

While the main character is an eight-year-old, the novel shouldn't be read by children. It's like a messed up, darker version of Alice in Wonderland. Like I already mentioned, the novel is well-written with detailed descriptions. I don't have a problem with the actual writing but my only issue is with the latter half as the story gets weirdly confusing and the endings leaves too questions unanswered.

Overall, The Place is an unusual read that I somewhat liked but also disliked at the same time. After reading the novel, I learned T.M. Wright had died in 2015. He wrote many horror novels during his lifetime. If I ever find any of his titles, I'll definitely be getting them.

[James Cunningham · Rating 2 out of 5]

This started strong and then took a real dive. I just can't get into all the Clive Barkeresque fantastical dreamscape ... willing your essence to change direction through the ether ... nonsense. And it also started out seeming like this author could really write real-feeling characters, but then, through repetition and beating the horse to death, he turned them all into cliches -- it was like watching Rodney Dangerfield do his "No respect" bit when he was 80 years old. I had high hopes for this guy because he was so prolific, but this is the second book I've read by him and it's old already; I don't do enough drugs to appreciate his work.

[Leaf Album · Rating 2 out of 5]

I don't see how everyone is ranting and raving about this book being so good. Donna Thompson was a one dimensional character and there was barely any character development with the main character Greta. They kept repeating the same lines "are you ok?" and "do you think I'm stupid?" or my favorite, "Greta was silent". Toward the end of the book I kept wondering how in the world Wright is going to finish this story, logically speaking. Greta's world and the events in the book didn't really seem to matter in the end...

[Silvan Wright · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just thought other readers might like a little backstory:
I'm the original Greta. One day, while I was reading Susan Cooper and listening to my beloved 'Neverending Story' soundtrack cassette, dad came into my room and asked what I would call my imaginary world, if I had one. Now, I had several, but hadn't bothered to name them, so the best thing my little brain could conjure is now title of this book. Moral: never let your 8-year-old daughter name a horror novel.

[G. · Rating 1 out of 5]

This an incredibly chaotic ordeal, characters that were dull and because it was too short, they were left very one-dimensional. The story might have been compelling if it was written well, but the dialogue all rang fake and full of cheap one-liners. I wanted to like this book so much because Stephen King has recommended the author, but it was a huge disappointment.

[Kevin]

Not a single interesting character, coupled with a truly unlikeable little girl as protagonist, makes this book a slog. It's length, though not honestly that long, is bogged down by repetitive pacing issues where nothing actually happens, and what little does seems inconsequential.

[Horror Guy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Well written by meh overall, though I'm probably biased against it since I'm not a big fan of children as the leads in horror novels

[Athena · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a good book. The pace was slow and yet I found that I could not stop reading; I had to know what was going to happen.
Galway and his wife Ella, with their four year old son Justin in the back seat experience a life altering disaster in the woods with a creepy man by the name of Harlan DeVries. That's all I'm going to say about that.
"The Place" was where Greta King would be summoned, for lack of a better word, at random moments for various lengths of time. It didn't sound very interesting; two talking cats who discuss fleas, a smiling fox, and houses and people that she can't see up close. Greta is extremely smart for her eight years and thinks The Place is relaxing compared to the bustle of every day life; I can't blame her there. My real surprise about liking this story is that at the same time I managed to immensely dislike each of the characters, except for Justin who wasn't a main character. Greta was a repulsive beast, I had a hard time picturing an eight year old girl who lumbered over most of the kids her age and strong enough to overpower two adults; one being a police officer. I hate to say it but I was hoping she would die somewhere in the story and stop bothering me, but the plot must go on. Galway King almost died in the woods the first time when his wife and son went missing, so he decided to go back a second time, only to wind up in the hospital because he ran into a different creepy man in the woods.
Donna Thompson because of the word "dear" and because when Greta was actually doing something important and not screaming and demanding things she kept waking her up. So because of the characters and their flaws I had to find out what the outcome of their actions would be.

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

A re-read from my childhood. Thankfully my mom kept so many of our books. Thrilling and just the right amount of odd. A man believes he can transcend this world and control it and that only one other person can do the same, a little girl.

[Debra]

Stephen King recommended author: "T.M. Wright is a rare and blazing talent!"

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ending didn't wrap everything up, left with too many unanswered questions. good overall, though- kept me reading and ignoring the ringing phone