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The Search for Joseph Tully
In Brooklyn, in a historic part of that shambled borough, the flailing iron ball of the wrecker’s crane is at work. One of the few buildings still standing amid the rubble is the Brevoort House, older than memory. Its only remaining tenant is Peter Richardson. Abandoned. Menaced. Alone. The Brevoort has become an unbearable burden for him. Houses, like people, can go bad, and the Brevoort emanates an evilness, an undefined terror, aimed directly at him. The house—something in the house—is telling Richardson of his impending death.
In another part of Brooklyn, solicitor Matthew Willow arrives from London seeking a man who may not exist. He has one clue, the name of the wanted man’s ancestor: Joseph Tully. Willow’s search takes him into the fascinating world of the genealogical detective—and uncovers a relentless pursuit and quest for vengeance through centuries of reincarnation . . .
In another part of Brooklyn, solicitor Matthew Willow arrives from London seeking a man who may not exist. He has one clue, the name of the wanted man’s ancestor: Joseph Tully. Willow’s search takes him into the fascinating world of the genealogical detective—and uncovers a relentless pursuit and quest for vengeance through centuries of reincarnation . . .
283 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1974
69 people are currently reading
1355 people want to read
About the author
William H. Hallahan
19 books24 followersWilliam Henry Hallahan was an American writer, best known for his two occult novels, The Search for Joseph Tully and The Keeper of the Children.
Mr. Hallahan started in the advertising business and stayed in the business for most of his adult life, but in 1971 with the publication of his first novel, The Dead of Winter, he began a second career as a writer. Over the next seventeen years he would write eight novels. In the 1990's he switched from fiction to non-fiction.
Mr. Hallahan served in the United States Navy as a radio operator during World War II He is survived by his daughter and a brother. He passed away at the age of 92.
Mr. Hallahan started in the advertising business and stayed in the business for most of his adult life, but in 1971 with the publication of his first novel, The Dead of Winter, he began a second career as a writer. Over the next seventeen years he would write eight novels. In the 1990's he switched from fiction to non-fiction.
Mr. Hallahan served in the United States Navy as a radio operator during World War II He is survived by his daughter and a brother. He passed away at the age of 92.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 88 reviews
January 28, 2025
Whoosh!...
THE SEARCH FOR JOSEPH TULLY
by William H. Hallahan
No spoilers. 5 stars. The tenants of the Brevoort House in Brooklyn New York must relocate...
In fact, the entire block of old buildings and stores are to fall victim to the wrecking ball...
So all must go, and soon...
Of late, one tenant, Pete Richardson, has been awakened by a mysterious sound at night in his apartment...
Whoosh!...
Not unlike the sound of a golf club swinging...
Eventually...
All of the Brevoort tenants found other apartments and have moved out, leaving Richardson alone in the ancient building...
Whoosh!
Meanwhile...
Matthew Willow has arrived on the east coast from London to do a genealogy search. He's trying to locate any descendant of Mr. Joseph Tully...
Willow's search will take him through many old graveyards and dusty church registers and libraries before he's satisfied that none exists...
5 stars for this creepy horror thriller. This is one of those rare stories that is good to the last sentence. It was very atmospheric and full of shadows.
Written in the 70s, this novel is better than some of the current stories by today's popular horror authors. I'll definitely reread this one many times.
THE SEARCH FOR JOSEPH TULLY
by William H. Hallahan
No spoilers. 5 stars. The tenants of the Brevoort House in Brooklyn New York must relocate...
In fact, the entire block of old buildings and stores are to fall victim to the wrecking ball...
So all must go, and soon...
Of late, one tenant, Pete Richardson, has been awakened by a mysterious sound at night in his apartment...
Whoosh!...
Not unlike the sound of a golf club swinging...
Eventually...
All of the Brevoort tenants found other apartments and have moved out, leaving Richardson alone in the ancient building...
Whoosh!
Meanwhile...
Matthew Willow has arrived on the east coast from London to do a genealogy search. He's trying to locate any descendant of Mr. Joseph Tully...
Willow's search will take him through many old graveyards and dusty church registers and libraries before he's satisfied that none exists...
5 stars for this creepy horror thriller. This is one of those rare stories that is good to the last sentence. It was very atmospheric and full of shadows.
Written in the 70s, this novel is better than some of the current stories by today's popular horror authors. I'll definitely reread this one many times.
August 28, 2017
Colonial American history meets a super-bleak depiction of NYC in the Seventies in a book teaching that age old lesson, you can't escape the decapitation that's waiting for you. So cold you'll get frostbitten fingers turning the pages.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 1, 2016
Another bestselling title unknown and forgotten to the general public today, but which gets spoken of with much awe and respect by genre fans, is 'The Search for Joseph Tully.' Creating an inescapable mood of wintry dread hanging over a soon-to-be-demolished historical apartment building in a disused part of Brooklyn, author William H. Hallahan skillfully brings together two disparate stories in a frigid climax of suggestive '70s horror. Its use of seances, hypnosis, medieval occult thought, and Catholic heresy dates it enjoyably, its genealogical-research angle is more effective than anyone would think, and Hallahan's smooth spare style gives you just enough detail to let your imagination do some work. Sure, modern horror fiction fans might find it too spare and too tame, might find that it doesn't give the goods except in tiny measured doses at too-distant intervals; they might find it that, true, but I found it highly readable and satisfying.
I reveled in the novel's lonely, despairing, fatalistic tone. Chapters are short, enigmatic, vaguely existential - indeed we get several references to the idea that the birth of existential man was in the death camps of WWII. There are lots of people looking forlornly out of windows onto landscapes of frozen fields and streets and rundown cities trapped in snowy desolation, while the apartment building slowly "empties out beneath swirling winds and high clouds moving out towards the black waters of the North Atlantic." Everywhere there is palpable cold and frost and snow and slush, and all the while terrors whisper across generations, mysterious terrors of vengeance and lost souls unmoored from justice and eternal rest, which only man can render unto man, no matter what.
Full review: http://toomuchhorrorfiction.blogspot....
I reveled in the novel's lonely, despairing, fatalistic tone. Chapters are short, enigmatic, vaguely existential - indeed we get several references to the idea that the birth of existential man was in the death camps of WWII. There are lots of people looking forlornly out of windows onto landscapes of frozen fields and streets and rundown cities trapped in snowy desolation, while the apartment building slowly "empties out beneath swirling winds and high clouds moving out towards the black waters of the North Atlantic." Everywhere there is palpable cold and frost and snow and slush, and all the while terrors whisper across generations, mysterious terrors of vengeance and lost souls unmoored from justice and eternal rest, which only man can render unto man, no matter what.
Full review: http://toomuchhorrorfiction.blogspot....
January 29, 2020
An atmospheric '70's horror/thriller about a Brooklyn apartment building awaiting the wrecking ball.....a building where one of the final tenants finds himself plagued by nightmares and noises that threaten his sanity.
Set in the dead of winter, the frigid temperatures bring intense atmosphere to the tale....you can feel the wind coming off the pages, chilling you to the bone as powerfully as the creeping terror that plays out within the apartment of a man hounded by something he can't identify.
Highly recommended.
Set in the dead of winter, the frigid temperatures bring intense atmosphere to the tale....you can feel the wind coming off the pages, chilling you to the bone as powerfully as the creeping terror that plays out within the apartment of a man hounded by something he can't identify.
Highly recommended.
January 6, 2024
Whoosh...
Very atmospheric read by Hallahan, set (largely) in a brutally cold Brooklyn winter; the iciness, along with the creepy story, helped to send a shivers down my spine. This one took a little bit to get into, than I was enthralled, but the denouement? Meh. I understand now why the ratings of this 'classic' are a little mixed.
The story opens with rotating POVs of several people in an apartment building in Brooklyn. Although the building has some historic value, it, along with several surrounding blocks, is being 'redeveloped', which means at first torn down. I loved how the narrative paced along side the destruction of the buildings surrounding the building! The ice cold wind blowing brick dust and snow really set the tone of the story. Basically, the people in the building have to move pretty soon as it too will be demolished. After introducing the tenants, we go to a party one of them hosts-- a last hurrah before they all move.
Hallahan introduces another story arc shortly thereafter. A man named Willow arrives in NYC from London and starts doing some digging into the genealogy of a man named (you guessed it) Joseph Tully. Somehow these two story arcs will cross, but why constitutes the key mystery, but not a very complicated one: you know one of the tenants must be a descendent of Tully, who lived in the 18th century. I really enjoyed the historical and genealogical aspects, with Willow searching all kinds of records and giving historical context to the people he finds. For me, this was the highlight of the text.
Whoosh...
The plot, however, is pretty simplistic and the denouement not very satisfying to say the least. Definite 5 stars for the atmosphere, the genealogy parts rocked, but the overall story? Just ok. 3 stars!!
Very atmospheric read by Hallahan, set (largely) in a brutally cold Brooklyn winter; the iciness, along with the creepy story, helped to send a shivers down my spine. This one took a little bit to get into, than I was enthralled, but the denouement? Meh. I understand now why the ratings of this 'classic' are a little mixed.
The story opens with rotating POVs of several people in an apartment building in Brooklyn. Although the building has some historic value, it, along with several surrounding blocks, is being 'redeveloped', which means at first torn down. I loved how the narrative paced along side the destruction of the buildings surrounding the building! The ice cold wind blowing brick dust and snow really set the tone of the story. Basically, the people in the building have to move pretty soon as it too will be demolished. After introducing the tenants, we go to a party one of them hosts-- a last hurrah before they all move.
Hallahan introduces another story arc shortly thereafter. A man named Willow arrives in NYC from London and starts doing some digging into the genealogy of a man named (you guessed it) Joseph Tully. Somehow these two story arcs will cross, but why constitutes the key mystery, but not a very complicated one: you know one of the tenants must be a descendent of Tully, who lived in the 18th century. I really enjoyed the historical and genealogical aspects, with Willow searching all kinds of records and giving historical context to the people he finds. For me, this was the highlight of the text.
Whoosh...
The plot, however, is pretty simplistic and the denouement not very satisfying to say the least. Definite 5 stars for the atmosphere, the genealogy parts rocked, but the overall story? Just ok. 3 stars!!
December 14, 2017
This is without a doubt the most fun read I've had all year. This is a fairly short novel, coming in around 60,000 words, written in a clipped, almost pulp noir style and yet it has a thicker atmosphere than novels twice its length.
The story follows two different, converging paths...
The first is a gritty urban plot about an old apartment building in Brooklyn that is slated for the wrecking ball. In the midst of a cold winter the tenants watch the surrounding neighborhood being slowly demolished and they leave one by one, leaving the tenant Peter Richardson increasingly alone. Peter is becoming convinced he's losing his mind, or is haunted by an unseen force in the ancient building.
The other plotline follows a British genealogical researcher Matthew Willow who comes to America to track down any remaining descendants of a British wine merchant from the 1700's. This leads him on a search throughout rural New England, seeking church records, courthouse files and overgrown graveyards.
So this is a book with gritty urban flavor, and yet much of the novel has an almost antiquarian feel to it like something out of M. R. James. This was a part of the book that didn't hook me at first, but I found it increasingly intriguing. It holds it's secrets well, I didn't connect all the dots literally until the last few pages.
Probably the most memorable element is the cold, wintry New England atmosphere that really comes alive. The cold is a character in itself, an ever-present force, the wind, the snow. People are constantly looking out at it, bundling up against it or struggling through it.
There's elements of occultism and spiritualism, and at some moments we could almost believe what is happening has a natural explanation. A really fun read, a palpable mood of paranoia and dread, great pacing, I could even see myself re-reading this one someday.
The story follows two different, converging paths...
The first is a gritty urban plot about an old apartment building in Brooklyn that is slated for the wrecking ball. In the midst of a cold winter the tenants watch the surrounding neighborhood being slowly demolished and they leave one by one, leaving the tenant Peter Richardson increasingly alone. Peter is becoming convinced he's losing his mind, or is haunted by an unseen force in the ancient building.
The other plotline follows a British genealogical researcher Matthew Willow who comes to America to track down any remaining descendants of a British wine merchant from the 1700's. This leads him on a search throughout rural New England, seeking church records, courthouse files and overgrown graveyards.
So this is a book with gritty urban flavor, and yet much of the novel has an almost antiquarian feel to it like something out of M. R. James. This was a part of the book that didn't hook me at first, but I found it increasingly intriguing. It holds it's secrets well, I didn't connect all the dots literally until the last few pages.
Probably the most memorable element is the cold, wintry New England atmosphere that really comes alive. The cold is a character in itself, an ever-present force, the wind, the snow. People are constantly looking out at it, bundling up against it or struggling through it.
There's elements of occultism and spiritualism, and at some moments we could almost believe what is happening has a natural explanation. A really fun read, a palpable mood of paranoia and dread, great pacing, I could even see myself re-reading this one someday.
July 16, 2012
"Page by page, Hallahan rams implosive power into his book which finally explodes in a climax that has no peer in modern literature for absolute terror."- The Cleveland Press
"Super-shocker."- Robert Bloch
"As horrifying as anything you'll read for a long time."- The Detroit Press
Reading these hyperbolic quotes that adorn the front and back of The Search for Joseph Tully, one would think they had gotten their hands on the most frightening horror novel of all time. Alas, I have learned yet again never to trust book jacket blurbs. The authors of these quotes were either two years old and unaccustomed to anything scarier than The Sesame Street Halloween special, or they were paid off. I'm leaning toward the latter. It is hard for me to believe that anyone could be "horrified" by The Search for Joseph Tully. Bored, yes; mildly surprised by the ending, sure. But outright terrified? How? It is not until the last 2 pages- literally- that the events of the previous 280 are explained to us, and by that point, I was so bored that the effect of the ending (which, I admit, was intelligently crafted and creepy) was inevitably dulled. There is no conflict, no tension to speak of in this book. How can there be, when the author does not tell us ANYTHING? Suspense depends upon the withholding of information- but not ALL information. If Hallahan had given the reader just a tiny morsel of backstory upon which we could feed, an explanation of Willow's- the man searching for Joseph Tully- motivations, the book would have been improved immeasurably.
I am only giving this three stars because I liked the writing, I liked the characters (though they could have been more developed) and I was intrigued by the ending- though not blown away by it, as I should have, were the story crafted by more skilled hands.
"Super-shocker."- Robert Bloch
"As horrifying as anything you'll read for a long time."- The Detroit Press
Reading these hyperbolic quotes that adorn the front and back of The Search for Joseph Tully, one would think they had gotten their hands on the most frightening horror novel of all time. Alas, I have learned yet again never to trust book jacket blurbs. The authors of these quotes were either two years old and unaccustomed to anything scarier than The Sesame Street Halloween special, or they were paid off. I'm leaning toward the latter. It is hard for me to believe that anyone could be "horrified" by The Search for Joseph Tully. Bored, yes; mildly surprised by the ending, sure. But outright terrified? How? It is not until the last 2 pages- literally- that the events of the previous 280 are explained to us, and by that point, I was so bored that the effect of the ending (which, I admit, was intelligently crafted and creepy) was inevitably dulled. There is no conflict, no tension to speak of in this book. How can there be, when the author does not tell us ANYTHING? Suspense depends upon the withholding of information- but not ALL information. If Hallahan had given the reader just a tiny morsel of backstory upon which we could feed, an explanation of Willow's- the man searching for Joseph Tully- motivations, the book would have been improved immeasurably.
I am only giving this three stars because I liked the writing, I liked the characters (though they could have been more developed) and I was intrigued by the ending- though not blown away by it, as I should have, were the story crafted by more skilled hands.
October 11, 2022
A favor de El reencarnado hay que decir que si a pesar de lo mejorable del texto traducido conseguí acabar el libro es que algo de interés tiene: la ambientación está muy conseguida, mantiene el suspense y el misterio bastante bien y, al desarrollarse como si de una investigación se tratase, se hace muy entretenido. Creo sinceramente que esta es una de esas novelas que se merece una traducción actualizada (del título sobre todo porque TOMA SPOILER) que la haría ganar infinito.
December 31, 2012
A supernatural horror tale. Pretty good read. Started a bit slow, after the opening scene, but it became a page turner about halfway through. Little bit of a genealogy detective as Willow tried to find "Tully". A bit of mysticism thrown in with seances and tarot card readings. And horror of a guy that is haunted with "whoosh" sound. Is he insane? A conspiracy? Have to wait until the end to find out. I liked it!
Read
August 29, 2023DNF @ 50%. I'll probably try this again some day. I think I was too tired and brain dead for this one to really track.
August 16, 2023
Ahh, seventies apartment horror. Where a neighbour throws you a seance when you're worried that someone wants to murder you, and another offers hypnosis when the seance doesn't work. Not particularly scary, but a pleasure to read.
September 29, 2020
On one side, a genealogist on an unclear quest. On the other, a paranoid divorcee is afraid of being killed by a whooshing sound. Nothing happens for 283 pages. Then, a jump scare out of RL Stine on the last page. What immense trash.
November 18, 2024
This old book from 1974 was recommended to me as an interesting genealogical horror mystery supernatural (you name it the book has it) novel. I had a bit of trouble finding the book and ended up buying a used copy on Amazon. I'm awfully glad I did because I loved the story and it was a very quick read for me. Not only did the story have all of the above but it was also partly set in my home territory so easy to follow that part of the developments as well.
Joseph Tully was a n Englishman who lived in the 1800s and a current day Englishman is in America trying to sort out the living descendants of Joseph Tully. The book involves reincarnation and the concept that a person is only reincarnated within his own ancestry. The story has a span beginning in 15th century Rome and ending up in 1974 America.
If you can find a copy and if you enjoy any of the above topics...go for it.
Joseph Tully was a n Englishman who lived in the 1800s and a current day Englishman is in America trying to sort out the living descendants of Joseph Tully. The book involves reincarnation and the concept that a person is only reincarnated within his own ancestry. The story has a span beginning in 15th century Rome and ending up in 1974 America.
If you can find a copy and if you enjoy any of the above topics...go for it.
May 25, 2025
This one wasn’t bad, but I’ll be damned if I could figure out what was happening. It was mainly written in short chapters with multiple viewpoints. There were sections surrounding the destruction of a house. There were sections dealing with genealogical research. And there were sections dealing with psychics. Ostensibly about the search for a man in the past named Joseph Tully. And then it had a twist ending in the last 10 pages. But again, I’d be hard pressed to really understand what occurred.
March 14, 2022
Very well written, very enigmatic in its approach. The writing and setting is so well written and effective, right from the start, I was very impressed. There are many things to like and even love about this book, but for me, at least, the ending was not one of them. There were long passages of the book that felt a little too detail heavy and I felt like these long, less than exciting passages would have to have a big payoff at the end. They do, I guess... have A payoff, but it was definitely less jaw dropping than I would have guessed given the sheer amount of pages dedicated to this aspect of the book. Overall, very much worth a read, higher quality writing than the vast majority of modern horror fiction. That said, for me, at least, the ending left much to be desired.
December 9, 2020
What a weird, chilly, fascinating little book. You’ll go from having no idea what’s going on to knowing exactly what’s going to happen, and yet it stays compulsively readable throughout and ends up being a masterclass in driving towards an inevitable ending and then stopping exactly where it needs to stop.
June 11, 2009
Gripping, well-written old-school chiller-diller from the 70s, notable for its exceptionally bleak, wintry atmosphere and overwhelming sense of encroaching doom. Builds to a scary climax, and the author knows just when turn off all the lights, metaphorically speaking.
September 23, 2011
Not as good as expected.
October 13, 2018
Bizzarely jumbled, uneven, and ultimately befuddling regarding what on earth it has to say.
January 23, 2019
4.5/5 stars. Very disturbing mystery/thriller. Perfect for reading on a cold winter afternoons.
November 3, 2022
Great book! It kept me guessing until the end...well near the end.
March 14, 2015
Έχει πολλά στοιχεία τρόμου, όπως και αρκετά μεταφυσικά, σατανικά, μαγικά πράγματα (δεν πρέπει να πω περισσότερα πάνω σ'αυτά), αλλά δεν είναι βιβλίο που θα το χαρακτήριζε κανείς "ο ορισμός του τρόμου", αλλά περισσότερο θρίλερ με μπόλικο σασπένς από την αρχή έως το εκπληκτικό τέλος. Δεν έχουν σημασία οι ταμπέλες όμως, το μόνο σίγουρο είναι ότι όποιος το διαβάσει θα μείνει αρκετά έως πολύ ευχαριστημένος.
Η κατάλληλη εποχή για να διαβαστεί το βιβλίο είναι όταν έξω κάνει παγωνιά, χιονίζει και ο αναγνώστης είναι μέσα σε ένα ζεστό δωμάτιο με μια κούπα ζεστό τσάι (ή και χωρίς τσάι, δεν έχει σημασία) και καθισμένος σε μια πολυθρόνα με το βιβλίο στα χέρια του.
Κάποια στοιχεία της υπόθεσης: Δεκαετία του 70', Νέα Υόρκη, σε γειτονιά όπου τα περισσότερα κτίρια κατεδαφίζονται και ένα παραμένει για λίγο ακόμα γεμάτο με ένοικους που σιγά-σιγά φεύγουν και αυτοί. Ένοικοι του κτιρίου είναι ένας αφορισμένος κληρικός, ένας ζωγράφος με διάφορες πνευματικές ικανότητες, διάφοροι άλλοι και ο Ρίτσαρντσον που βλέπει εφιάλτες τα βράδια και ακούει έναν περίεργο θόρυβο. Σαν χτύπημα από μπαστούνι του γκολφ... ή κάτι τελείως διαφορετικό. Επίσης ένας άλλος τύπος, σε άλλο μέρος, που κάνει ολόκληρη έρευνα και ταξίδια από το ένα μέρος στο άλλο για να βρει κάποιον Ιωσήφ Τάλυ, μέσω γενεαλογικών δέντρων, χωρίς να μαθαίνουμε για ποιο λόγο... μέχρι το φινάλε (όλα συνδέονται!).
Εξαιρετική ατμόσφαιρα και κλιμάκωση, καλοί και ενδιαφέροντες χαρακτήρες, εξαιρετικά ενδιαφέρουσα η έρευνα του άντρα μέσω γενεαλογικών δέντρων, μέσω των οποίων μαθαίνουμε την ιστορία των Τάλυ που πάει πολλές δεκάδες χρόνια πίσω, στην αμερικάνικη επανάσταση κλπ, γενικά ένα βιβλίο στο οποίο βυθίζεσαι και ξεχνάς όλα τα υπόλοιπα...
Η ελληνική έκδοση, ή τουλάχιστον το αντίτυπο που έχω στα χέρια μου, έχει κάποια λάθη, όπως η απουσία δεκάδων τελειών, δεν ξέρω πως έγινε κάτι τέτοιο, αλλά κατά τ'άλλα όλα καλά, η μετάφραση ήταν μια χαρά. Είναι ένα βιβλίο χαμηλού κόστους (το αγόρασα με 5 ευρώ στις 25/1/2010 ακριβώς!) που προσφέρει διασκέδαση... και σε τρομάζει και λίγο. Και επιτέλους έχει κάτι το διαφορετικό, κάτι το πρωτότυπο!
Η κατάλληλη εποχή για να διαβαστεί το βιβλίο είναι όταν έξω κάνει παγωνιά, χιονίζει και ο αναγνώστης είναι μέσα σε ένα ζεστό δωμάτιο με μια κούπα ζεστό τσάι (ή και χωρίς τσάι, δεν έχει σημασία) και καθισμένος σε μια πολυθρόνα με το βιβλίο στα χέρια του.
Κάποια στοιχεία της υπόθεσης: Δεκαετία του 70', Νέα Υόρκη, σε γειτονιά όπου τα περισσότερα κτίρια κατεδαφίζονται και ένα παραμένει για λίγο ακόμα γεμάτο με ένοικους που σιγά-σιγά φεύγουν και αυτοί. Ένοικοι του κτιρίου είναι ένας αφορισμένος κληρικός, ένας ζωγράφος με διάφορες πνευματικές ικανότητες, διάφοροι άλλοι και ο Ρίτσαρντσον που βλέπει εφιάλτες τα βράδια και ακούει έναν περίεργο θόρυβο. Σαν χτύπημα από μπαστούνι του γκολφ... ή κάτι τελείως διαφορετικό. Επίσης ένας άλλος τύπος, σε άλλο μέρος, που κάνει ολόκληρη έρευνα και ταξίδια από το ένα μέρος στο άλλο για να βρει κάποιον Ιωσήφ Τάλυ, μέσω γενεαλογικών δέντρων, χωρίς να μαθαίνουμε για ποιο λόγο... μέχρι το φινάλε (όλα συνδέονται!).
Εξαιρετική ατμόσφαιρα και κλιμάκωση, καλοί και ενδιαφέροντες χαρακτήρες, εξαιρετικά ενδιαφέρουσα η έρευνα του άντρα μέσω γενεαλογικών δέντρων, μέσω των οποίων μαθαίνουμε την ιστορία των Τάλυ που πάει πολλές δεκάδες χρόνια πίσω, στην αμερικάνικη επανάσταση κλπ, γενικά ένα βιβλίο στο οποίο βυθίζεσαι και ξεχνάς όλα τα υπόλοιπα...
Η ελληνική έκδοση, ή τουλάχιστον το αντίτυπο που έχω στα χέρια μου, έχει κάποια λάθη, όπως η απουσία δεκάδων τελειών, δεν ξέρω πως έγινε κάτι τέτοιο, αλλά κατά τ'άλλα όλα καλά, η μετάφραση ήταν μια χαρά. Είναι ένα βιβλίο χαμηλού κόστους (το αγόρασα με 5 ευρώ στις 25/1/2010 ακριβώς!) που προσφέρει διασκέδαση... και σε τρομάζει και λίγο. Και επιτέλους έχει κάτι το διαφορετικό, κάτι το πρωτότυπο!
September 14, 2023
The conclusion of The Search for Joseph Tully (1974) by William H. Hallahan hits like a thunderbolt. Unfortunately, its power to shock in the final pages comes at the expense of everything before it, which, at times, can feel as reserved and directionless as the genealogical search it describes. While I hesitate to say that the plot’s slackness is also its strongest point–a critical move that feels like a cheap trick–I will: Hallahan takes an experimental approach toward the process of reading and manipulates our attention in interesting ways. This is a risk and I appreciate him for taking it. But if you do not, there are plenty of other things to enjoy. The eerie setting alone is worth the read and the representation of 70s occultism is a major bonus.
The Search for Joseph Tully follows two seemingly unconnected characters: Peter Richardson and Matthew Willow. Richardson lives in the Brevoort building, an historically significant but condemned structure in Brooklyn, New York. The adjacent blocks have already been razed for new development and his apartment is scheduled for demolition. While the Brevoort’s other occupants–a quirky cast of characters including artists, mystics, and scholars–are finding new residences, Richardson, who is in the aftermath of a divorce and depressed by the destruction of his childhood neighborhood, continues to delay. One night, he hears a whoosh sound in his living room–like someone swinging a golf club in the darkness–and is suddenly struck with the inexplicable conviction that someone is coming to kill him. Who is his adversary and why do they want him dead? Meanwhile, Willow, a solicitor from London, has arrived in New York to track down the American descendents of Joseph Tully, an 18th century English wine merchant. Willow is politely vague about his purpose and, while genealogists, curators, and historians gently question his motives, the reasons behind his history project remain mysterious. As Richardson begins to lose his grip on reality, Willow moves steadily, implacably on with his search.
The novel achieves a Shyamalan-like climax by withholding vital information, thereby setting the stage for a major revelation at the end. As a result of this strategy, Willow is far less interesting than Richardson, and that’s a problem since his narrative makes up half of the book. Richardson is a fully developed character. We know what’s troubling him and possess insight into the social context–the relationships within the building–that condition his responses. He–and, by extension, we–wonder: Is there something to Clabber’s mysticism or is the eccentric old man setting him up? And while there is a riddle at the heart of Richardson’s personality–what is the memory that’s just out of reach?--we generally understand his motivations. Willow, on the other hand, is a complete enigma, and eventually you lose interest in figuring him out. Which is a shame because–and I am going to be elusive here so as not to spoil it–he and Richardson are pieces in the same epic game. The difference is that Willow knows it and Richardson does not. And his knowledge raises many questions: When did he learn of his spiritual crusade–there are suggestions that he was preparing for it as a teen–and how does he integrate it with his mundane concerns? Willow is an ordinary man with a flirtatious personality, a passion for sailing, and a law firm. But he is also extraordinary; and I want to know how he navigates between these two identities. Exploring the intersections between these vastly different positions would have made for a richer book, one with a less shocking conclusion but with a more profound story overall.
The human mind wants to make meaning, to discover patterns in what might be a random collection of facts. This tendency came to the fore while I was reading Willow’s chapters. Instead of boring me with his tedious and seemingly endless research, his character heightened my attention to the text, prompting me to concentrate on absolutely everything. Call it the buckshot approach to reading: Hunting for clues to his secret objectives, I registered every detail of his arduous work. From the minutiae of Tully’s ancestral line, to the impact of Parliamentary Acts on the colonies, to the development of viticulture in the northeast, I was present and focused. Thanks to Hallahan, I could give a lecture on the importance of disease-resistant rootstock and the role of itinerant preachers in unsettled landscapes.
I’m being ridiculous, of course, but it’s to make a point: All of these subjects are superfluous to the plot; they could be deleted with little effect on the overall “point” of the novel. So am I frustrated for having committed these digressions to memory? Remember–for all I knew, one of them could have been the key to this novel’s lock. Not at all! We’re not lock pickers here, and reading isn’t exclusively about plot–though a little helps. It’s about learning new things; and through these forays into colonial history, the novel exposed me to past struggles and innovations that I might not have known about otherwise. Ultimately, these diversions remind us that the past weighs on the present. And, without a doubt, that broad lesson is relevant to the whoosh in Richardson’s apartment.
When the questions around Willow finally resolve themselves, it feels like a let down; but in this book, it’s all about the journey and not the destination. If colonial history isn’t your thing, this novel still has so much else to offer. Take the setting: an historical apartment building ready for the wrecking ball and surrounded by a barren wasteland. As each tenant departs for new digs, the opportunities for horror expand exponentially. Their abandoned spaces, echoing with memories, yawn like dark mouths as creaky doors open, inviting Richardson, the lone resident, inside. A former tenant says to him, “Eerie, isn’t it, a light burning in an empty apartment.” Yes, it is. The desolation of the building is thematically echoed by the inhumanity of the weather. Taking pathetic fallacy to the next level, the February winter is a character in its own right, a presence at once reflecting and shaping the narrative from beginning to end.
Of all of the book’s strong suits–and there are many–one of the best is its easy and natural incorporation of 70s occultism. At a party hosted by Richardson and his artist friend Goulart, we witness tarot card readings, meet a “white witch,” and eavesdrop on conversations about spirituality, reincarnation, ESP and, of course, LSD. A distillation of how I imagine the 1970s, these enchanting scenes more than compensate for the less exciting genealogical deep dives.
The Search for Joseph Tully follows two seemingly unconnected characters: Peter Richardson and Matthew Willow. Richardson lives in the Brevoort building, an historically significant but condemned structure in Brooklyn, New York. The adjacent blocks have already been razed for new development and his apartment is scheduled for demolition. While the Brevoort’s other occupants–a quirky cast of characters including artists, mystics, and scholars–are finding new residences, Richardson, who is in the aftermath of a divorce and depressed by the destruction of his childhood neighborhood, continues to delay. One night, he hears a whoosh sound in his living room–like someone swinging a golf club in the darkness–and is suddenly struck with the inexplicable conviction that someone is coming to kill him. Who is his adversary and why do they want him dead? Meanwhile, Willow, a solicitor from London, has arrived in New York to track down the American descendents of Joseph Tully, an 18th century English wine merchant. Willow is politely vague about his purpose and, while genealogists, curators, and historians gently question his motives, the reasons behind his history project remain mysterious. As Richardson begins to lose his grip on reality, Willow moves steadily, implacably on with his search.
The novel achieves a Shyamalan-like climax by withholding vital information, thereby setting the stage for a major revelation at the end. As a result of this strategy, Willow is far less interesting than Richardson, and that’s a problem since his narrative makes up half of the book. Richardson is a fully developed character. We know what’s troubling him and possess insight into the social context–the relationships within the building–that condition his responses. He–and, by extension, we–wonder: Is there something to Clabber’s mysticism or is the eccentric old man setting him up? And while there is a riddle at the heart of Richardson’s personality–what is the memory that’s just out of reach?--we generally understand his motivations. Willow, on the other hand, is a complete enigma, and eventually you lose interest in figuring him out. Which is a shame because–and I am going to be elusive here so as not to spoil it–he and Richardson are pieces in the same epic game. The difference is that Willow knows it and Richardson does not. And his knowledge raises many questions: When did he learn of his spiritual crusade–there are suggestions that he was preparing for it as a teen–and how does he integrate it with his mundane concerns? Willow is an ordinary man with a flirtatious personality, a passion for sailing, and a law firm. But he is also extraordinary; and I want to know how he navigates between these two identities. Exploring the intersections between these vastly different positions would have made for a richer book, one with a less shocking conclusion but with a more profound story overall.
The human mind wants to make meaning, to discover patterns in what might be a random collection of facts. This tendency came to the fore while I was reading Willow’s chapters. Instead of boring me with his tedious and seemingly endless research, his character heightened my attention to the text, prompting me to concentrate on absolutely everything. Call it the buckshot approach to reading: Hunting for clues to his secret objectives, I registered every detail of his arduous work. From the minutiae of Tully’s ancestral line, to the impact of Parliamentary Acts on the colonies, to the development of viticulture in the northeast, I was present and focused. Thanks to Hallahan, I could give a lecture on the importance of disease-resistant rootstock and the role of itinerant preachers in unsettled landscapes.
I’m being ridiculous, of course, but it’s to make a point: All of these subjects are superfluous to the plot; they could be deleted with little effect on the overall “point” of the novel. So am I frustrated for having committed these digressions to memory? Remember–for all I knew, one of them could have been the key to this novel’s lock. Not at all! We’re not lock pickers here, and reading isn’t exclusively about plot–though a little helps. It’s about learning new things; and through these forays into colonial history, the novel exposed me to past struggles and innovations that I might not have known about otherwise. Ultimately, these diversions remind us that the past weighs on the present. And, without a doubt, that broad lesson is relevant to the whoosh in Richardson’s apartment.
When the questions around Willow finally resolve themselves, it feels like a let down; but in this book, it’s all about the journey and not the destination. If colonial history isn’t your thing, this novel still has so much else to offer. Take the setting: an historical apartment building ready for the wrecking ball and surrounded by a barren wasteland. As each tenant departs for new digs, the opportunities for horror expand exponentially. Their abandoned spaces, echoing with memories, yawn like dark mouths as creaky doors open, inviting Richardson, the lone resident, inside. A former tenant says to him, “Eerie, isn’t it, a light burning in an empty apartment.” Yes, it is. The desolation of the building is thematically echoed by the inhumanity of the weather. Taking pathetic fallacy to the next level, the February winter is a character in its own right, a presence at once reflecting and shaping the narrative from beginning to end.
Of all of the book’s strong suits–and there are many–one of the best is its easy and natural incorporation of 70s occultism. At a party hosted by Richardson and his artist friend Goulart, we witness tarot card readings, meet a “white witch,” and eavesdrop on conversations about spirituality, reincarnation, ESP and, of course, LSD. A distillation of how I imagine the 1970s, these enchanting scenes more than compensate for the less exciting genealogical deep dives.
March 30, 2018
This is the kind of book that begs the question; is the payoff worth what time and effort it takes to get there? In this instance, the answer in a firm "nuh-uh." The lion's share of "The Search for Joseph Tully" is, in the driest and mostly airless prose possible, literally just that. Huge portions of this slim story are given over to a man doing genealogical research. Meanwhile, a few paper-thin characters make blunt proclamations and...are cold because it is winter. There is no easy way to invest oneself in the proceedings owing to a strong remove from every single action and character. The (heavily telegraphed) payoff for the whole thing, when it comes, is more of a relief than anything else. It's the kind of false-profundity that would fare better at the end of a half-hour episode for Tales from the Crypt (one of the later seasons). Don't let the insanely-hyperbolic description of this book as "one of the finest horror novels ever written" fool you. I imagine that there was a better book written the very month that this one was published. It is not horrifying in the least. It is heavy-handed and the prose is void of any sort of authorly flourish or soul. I propose renaming this book "The Search for Why I Wasted My Time on This."
January 12, 2018
Peter Richardson is living in a building slated for demolition. As the tenants of the building move away, Peter's anxiety increases as he keeps hearing a whooshing sound in his apartment, that wakes him up. His anxiety results in recurring dreams and attempts to find an explanation, whether through medical test, tarot cards, etc.
Matthew Willow is an English solictior searching church records, graveyards, wills and property deeds, searching for the descendantsof Joseph Tully, an English wine merchant from the 18th century. When questioned, he admits that his search has nothing to do with an inheritance, or a interest in tracing genealogy.
We know that the two story lines are destined to meet, but the ending is unexpected. William Hallahan brings the reader along Peter Richardson's journey of mental anguish. The tension is offset by Matthew Willow's calm and methodical search of historical documents.
Matthew Willow is an English solictior searching church records, graveyards, wills and property deeds, searching for the descendantsof Joseph Tully, an English wine merchant from the 18th century. When questioned, he admits that his search has nothing to do with an inheritance, or a interest in tracing genealogy.
We know that the two story lines are destined to meet, but the ending is unexpected. William Hallahan brings the reader along Peter Richardson's journey of mental anguish. The tension is offset by Matthew Willow's calm and methodical search of historical documents.
March 2, 2018
One of the most engrossing books I've read; read it originally when it first came out in 1974, and it's been on my "Favorites" shelf ever since. Picked it for re-reading this year as part of my Challenge list. After opening with an horrific scene set in Renaissance Rome, it leaps to 20th-century New York and a young man experiencing a nightmarish premonition. It then introduces an English lawyer tracing a family line - and hoping that he will fail in the end. For the young man, the horror creeping upon him is reflected in the atmosphere of urban demolition and community dissolution around him. For the Englishman comes a lesson in the reality of history, dark and light, as he doggedly pursues his unforeseeable ends. The climax was a complete surprise my first time through, and I found that it still gave me a genuine chill upon reaching it this second time around. Highly recommended.
August 11, 2021
It left me thinking about nothing so much as the inherent foolishness of Willow's entire quest for vengeance. How many graves has he filled living lives where he's basically nothing but an accessory to his target? This prolonged state of existence seems magnitudes worse than something that happened to him 500 years ago. He's wasted centuries pursuing somebody who, at best, barely comprehends the reason he's being pursued at all. Living while fueled entirely by spite. All of that for at most a few seconds of catharsis that apparently isn't very satisfying considering he feels the need to repeat it. I guess I just don't understand his pain.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 27, 2019
Ιερά εξέταση,Αφορισμοί,βασανιστήρια,μυστήριοι ήχοι,εφιάλτες,ένας έμπορος κρασιού,ένα μέντιουμ,ένας περίεργος τύπος που ερευνά το γενεαλογικό δέντρο των Τάλυ,ένας ανεξήγητος θάνατος,ο πιο κρύος χειμώνας όλων των εποχών,μια γειτονιά υπό κατεδάφιση,και ένας μοναχικός γερανός,με την μπάλα κατεδάφισης να αιωρείται από την αλυσίδα...ταπ...ταπ...ταπ...
5⭐.
ΥΓ:Οι πολλές τελείες και τα αρκετά ερωτηματικά που έλειπαν από την ελληνική έκδοση,δεν ξέρω αν έγιναν από πρόχειρη επιμέλεια ή έτσι ήταν και το πρωτότυπο,πάντως δυσκόλεψαν αρκετά την ανάγνωση.
5⭐.
ΥΓ:Οι πολλές τελείες και τα αρκετά ερωτηματικά που έλειπαν από την ελληνική έκδοση,δεν ξέρω αν έγιναν από πρόχειρη επιμέλεια ή έτσι ήταν και το πρωτότυπο,πάντως δυσκόλεψαν αρκετά την ανάγνωση.
June 16, 2021
In a way, this novel is most valuable as a snapshot from a lost time: a New York City that seems to be further in the past than its setting in the 1970s. The inhabitants of a nineteenth century mansion converted into apartments, soon to be scattered by its imminent demolition, seem to have no connection to the crime and squalor that is the standard image of that era. Perhaps the steady demolition of the buildings on their block is a metaphor for the end of old New York. One of the characters even has a Dutch surname.
Not a frightening tale, but an eerie one.
Not a frightening tale, but an eerie one.
January 17, 2022
Wow! This was great. So well written by a virtually unknown author. The most terrifying element in this book was the encroaching and enveloping cold. What a bleak picture Hallahan draws of this apartment building and the main character’s growing fear. Parts of it were a little slow, such as the in- depth genealogy parts, but overall, it was highly readable and very scary. I enjoyed it! (Note- this book is hard to find. It wasn’t in any libraries so I bought it from Amazon and got one of the last copies available)
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