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Audrey's Door
Built on the Upper West Side, the elegant Breviary claims a regal history. But despite 14B's astonishingly low rental price, the recent tragedy within its walls has frightened away all potential tenants... except for Audrey Lucas.
No stranger to tragedy at thirty-two—a survivor of a fatherless childhood and a mother's hopeless dementia— Audrey is obsessively determined to make her own way in a city that often strangles the weak. But is it something otherworldly or Audrey's own increasing instability that's to blame for the dark visions that haunt her... and for the voice that demands that she build a door? A door it would be true madness to open...
No stranger to tragedy at thirty-two—a survivor of a fatherless childhood and a mother's hopeless dementia— Audrey is obsessively determined to make her own way in a city that often strangles the weak. But is it something otherworldly or Audrey's own increasing instability that's to blame for the dark visions that haunt her... and for the voice that demands that she build a door? A door it would be true madness to open...
412 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published September 16, 2009
41 people are currently reading
3263 people want to read
About the author
Sarah Langan
53 books903 followersSarah grew up on Long Island, got her MFA in creative writing from Columbia University, her MS in environmental toxicology from NYU, and currently lives in Los Angeles with her family, two rabbits, and three chickens.
Her next novel TRAD WIFE is due out from S&S and Tor UK in Summer, 2026.
Her most recent works include A BETTER WORLD, GOOD NEIGHBORS, PAM KOWOLSKI IS A MONSTER, YOU HAVE THE PRETTIEST MASK, "Does Harlen Lattner Dream of Electric Sheep?," "Squid Teeth," "The Devil's Children," and "I Miss You Too Much."
*I acknowledge that I have massacred the punctuation surrounding the above quotations marks. I will now resume talking about myself in the third person.*
Her books have received favorite of the year distinctions from NPR, Newsweek, The Irish Times, Publisher's Weekly, and the AARP (best of the last five years).
She is also three-time Bram Stoker award winner for outstanding novel in 2007 - The Missing, outstanding short story in 2008 - The Lost, and outstanding novel in 2009 - Audrey's Door.
Blog:https://sarahlangan.com/blog/
Her next novel TRAD WIFE is due out from S&S and Tor UK in Summer, 2026.
Her most recent works include A BETTER WORLD, GOOD NEIGHBORS, PAM KOWOLSKI IS A MONSTER, YOU HAVE THE PRETTIEST MASK, "Does Harlen Lattner Dream of Electric Sheep?," "Squid Teeth," "The Devil's Children," and "I Miss You Too Much."
*I acknowledge that I have massacred the punctuation surrounding the above quotations marks. I will now resume talking about myself in the third person.*
Her books have received favorite of the year distinctions from NPR, Newsweek, The Irish Times, Publisher's Weekly, and the AARP (best of the last five years).
She is also three-time Bram Stoker award winner for outstanding novel in 2007 - The Missing, outstanding short story in 2008 - The Lost, and outstanding novel in 2009 - Audrey's Door.
Blog:https://sarahlangan.com/blog/
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May 3, 2011
Well...I had to take a moment after reading this book to think about things. Whether I wanted to continue living in a world where this book can be published was the biggest question in my mind. The next was whether or not the smoke alarms in my building would go off if I did to this book what I really wanted to.
Audrey's Door is the third novel by Ms. Langan. Keep that in mind. She's a thrice published author, and that must mean that she knows how to write well enough. That being said, the only reason I can think she plotted and peopled this book with the characters she did was that she has an intense, burning hatred of people who read.
One of the primary mantras of fiction writing is to show, not tell. Ms. Langan apparently made it all the way through the Masters Program at Columbia without picking that up. Maybe they don't teach that there at Columbia. I dunno. All I do know is that the book doesn't just hold the reader's hand. It drives you there while delicately spoon feeding you everything it thinks you need, and a lot of things you don't.
The plot is simple enough. Woman moves into creepy building with horrible history, and then creepy things begin to happen to her. How can you mess that up? Easily. Spend more than half of the novel away from the haunted building. Which of course, Ms. Langan does. Or you could keep jumping to other characters who have very little to do with that plot. Audrey's boss is given a lot of time on the page, and does nothing to move the plot forward. Seriously...drop that character from the book and you lose nothing. Instead of dropping her, Ms. Langan FEATURES her more than once.
She has her main character, the titular Audrey, plus her finacee, plus her boss (suffering from a tragedy of her own), all of whom are given their own chapters of the book. Really. Audrey is traumatized by her past, at the hands of what appears to be radical lunacy on her mother's behalf. Additionally, she has just fled from her fiancee after confirming that she suffers from OCD, hence the need for a new place to live.
Knowing this, you might guess that the author would play with the reader, teasing us with hints that Audrey's instability and past traumas may be deluding her into thinking her building his haunted. No. No such luck. On her first night in the new place, a crazy old man materializes in front of her and plays a piano in her room. Audrey is crazy...AND her apartment is haunted. The two don't really have anything to do with one another. In fact the biggest factor that ties Audrey to the haunted building is the fact that she's an architect. That's it. Goodnight folks.
This goes back to being told, not shown. The reader endures pages of exposition (not internal monologue) as the author tells you all about the characters, instead of letting them tell you themselves through conversation or action. Blocks and blocks of biography cloud up the narrative. When the characters do talk about things, there is usually some kind of exclamation at the end to make sure the reader gets the point. As an example, after Audrey talks about an instance from her childhood where her mother wound up cutting her throat with a kitchen knife, her wacky neighbor exclaims "We are so fucked up!" GOT THAT READER! MY PROTAG HAS DEEP PSYCHOLOGICAL ISSUES STEMMING FROM AN ABUSIVE MOTHER. REMEMBER THAT!
Speaking of the wacky neighbor...a comic, even an aspiring one, does not need to keep saying "I'm funny!" They just are, and you know that because you laugh at their jokes. Now there is a likely possibility that Jayne (wacky neighbor de jour) keeps telling us she's funny because she knows she's as funny as colon cancer. It was hard to tell. It was hard to tell, because as I've said, the author will tell you something before she shows you. I'm told Jayne is funny with the same dexterity that I've been told Audrey was a troubled youth.
Also, when you foreshadow a bad thing for a character, you might not want to wait 133 PAGES to let the hammer fall on them. Just saying...Ms Langan's pacing might be a little off. In the same way that the sun is a little hot.
We also get info dumps on the history of the building in the form of newspaper articles that precede each section of the book (and a few thrown into the story for good measure). During the rising action just before the climax, we are treated to a 10 PAGE article about someone else's research into the building. By that point in the book I was ready to throw the whole thing out...but I pressed on, gleefully curious at how awful this book could get.
I was not disappointed in the awfulness. The ending is a cluster of rapid fire images and quick pieces of dialogue that are supposed to be profound but are in fact, kinda ridiculous. Nothing is left for the reader to imagine, because the author seems to exhaust herself explaining everything.
The characters were all tragically flawed (a fact that was beaten into my head twice on every page) to the point where I wanted Audrey to finish the damn door so that they would all be horribly murdered. I really only finished this book because I think you should finish a book if you start one, and I like testing the limits of how much I can hurt myself.
This book made me want to punch kittens. NOT RECOMMENDED.
Audrey's Door is the third novel by Ms. Langan. Keep that in mind. She's a thrice published author, and that must mean that she knows how to write well enough. That being said, the only reason I can think she plotted and peopled this book with the characters she did was that she has an intense, burning hatred of people who read.
One of the primary mantras of fiction writing is to show, not tell. Ms. Langan apparently made it all the way through the Masters Program at Columbia without picking that up. Maybe they don't teach that there at Columbia. I dunno. All I do know is that the book doesn't just hold the reader's hand. It drives you there while delicately spoon feeding you everything it thinks you need, and a lot of things you don't.
The plot is simple enough. Woman moves into creepy building with horrible history, and then creepy things begin to happen to her. How can you mess that up? Easily. Spend more than half of the novel away from the haunted building. Which of course, Ms. Langan does. Or you could keep jumping to other characters who have very little to do with that plot. Audrey's boss is given a lot of time on the page, and does nothing to move the plot forward. Seriously...drop that character from the book and you lose nothing. Instead of dropping her, Ms. Langan FEATURES her more than once.
She has her main character, the titular Audrey, plus her finacee, plus her boss (suffering from a tragedy of her own), all of whom are given their own chapters of the book. Really. Audrey is traumatized by her past, at the hands of what appears to be radical lunacy on her mother's behalf. Additionally, she has just fled from her fiancee after confirming that she suffers from OCD, hence the need for a new place to live.
Knowing this, you might guess that the author would play with the reader, teasing us with hints that Audrey's instability and past traumas may be deluding her into thinking her building his haunted. No. No such luck. On her first night in the new place, a crazy old man materializes in front of her and plays a piano in her room. Audrey is crazy...AND her apartment is haunted. The two don't really have anything to do with one another. In fact the biggest factor that ties Audrey to the haunted building is the fact that she's an architect. That's it. Goodnight folks.
This goes back to being told, not shown. The reader endures pages of exposition (not internal monologue) as the author tells you all about the characters, instead of letting them tell you themselves through conversation or action. Blocks and blocks of biography cloud up the narrative. When the characters do talk about things, there is usually some kind of exclamation at the end to make sure the reader gets the point. As an example, after Audrey talks about an instance from her childhood where her mother wound up cutting her throat with a kitchen knife, her wacky neighbor exclaims "We are so fucked up!" GOT THAT READER! MY PROTAG HAS DEEP PSYCHOLOGICAL ISSUES STEMMING FROM AN ABUSIVE MOTHER. REMEMBER THAT!
Speaking of the wacky neighbor...a comic, even an aspiring one, does not need to keep saying "I'm funny!" They just are, and you know that because you laugh at their jokes. Now there is a likely possibility that Jayne (wacky neighbor de jour) keeps telling us she's funny because she knows she's as funny as colon cancer. It was hard to tell. It was hard to tell, because as I've said, the author will tell you something before she shows you. I'm told Jayne is funny with the same dexterity that I've been told Audrey was a troubled youth.
Also, when you foreshadow a bad thing for a character, you might not want to wait 133 PAGES to let the hammer fall on them. Just saying...Ms Langan's pacing might be a little off. In the same way that the sun is a little hot.
We also get info dumps on the history of the building in the form of newspaper articles that precede each section of the book (and a few thrown into the story for good measure). During the rising action just before the climax, we are treated to a 10 PAGE article about someone else's research into the building. By that point in the book I was ready to throw the whole thing out...but I pressed on, gleefully curious at how awful this book could get.
I was not disappointed in the awfulness. The ending is a cluster of rapid fire images and quick pieces of dialogue that are supposed to be profound but are in fact, kinda ridiculous. Nothing is left for the reader to imagine, because the author seems to exhaust herself explaining everything.
The characters were all tragically flawed (a fact that was beaten into my head twice on every page) to the point where I wanted Audrey to finish the damn door so that they would all be horribly murdered. I really only finished this book because I think you should finish a book if you start one, and I like testing the limits of how much I can hurt myself.
This book made me want to punch kittens. NOT RECOMMENDED.
January 11, 2022
Audrey, a young Architect, has found a home in a Manhattan apartment, The Breviary. She can't believe the price. She is trying to get her life on track. Her mother has a mental illness and she needs space from her boyfriend. Strange things start happen, including the weird neighbors that start appearing. We are left wondering if Audrey is having a nervous breakdown. I know I was halfway through. The book is a super slow burn. Which I hate because by the time things start happening I am barely paying attention.
April 8, 2010
Audrey's Door is a chilling read about cults and architecture reminiscent of Rosemary's Baby. Audrey Lucas runs from a painful childhood, a bi-polar mother, a demanding job, and a fiance, right into the welcoming arms of the Breviary, an old Manhattan apartment building with a questionable history of tenant suicides and murders. But the rent is cheap and the deal too good to pass up.
The incestuous, elderly, trust fund baby tenants of the Breviary need a door to the Other Side built, and through new rental trial and error they're closer than ever to seeing it happen. The tenant before Audrey got close, but her door wasn't finished because of a tragedy that struck her and her children. The elderly clan who run the Breviary are creepy, watchful, and "selfish as the day is long" to quote Minnie Castevet from Rosemary's Baby.
Slowly Audrey begins losing touch with reality and wakes feeling battered and bruised. Her breakdown is brought on by fevered and exhausting dreams about building a door...to where? And what wants to come through it? Is she working too hard? Is it her OCD? As her past and present fuse together, what or whom will she sacrifice to give they tenants what they desire?
Through the smallest of details Sarah Langan builds upon the layers of even her minor characters, making Audrey's Door believable and horrifying. Even Audrey's boyfriend Saraub and his mother are treated as fully-fleshed characters and not mere tools to move the plot along. This book has made me a Langan fan.
The incestuous, elderly, trust fund baby tenants of the Breviary need a door to the Other Side built, and through new rental trial and error they're closer than ever to seeing it happen. The tenant before Audrey got close, but her door wasn't finished because of a tragedy that struck her and her children. The elderly clan who run the Breviary are creepy, watchful, and "selfish as the day is long" to quote Minnie Castevet from Rosemary's Baby.
Slowly Audrey begins losing touch with reality and wakes feeling battered and bruised. Her breakdown is brought on by fevered and exhausting dreams about building a door...to where? And what wants to come through it? Is she working too hard? Is it her OCD? As her past and present fuse together, what or whom will she sacrifice to give they tenants what they desire?
Through the smallest of details Sarah Langan builds upon the layers of even her minor characters, making Audrey's Door believable and horrifying. Even Audrey's boyfriend Saraub and his mother are treated as fully-fleshed characters and not mere tools to move the plot along. This book has made me a Langan fan.
May 16, 2011
I absolutely adored this book, it was easy to read and it left me completely absorbed in the eerie, creepy Breviary building on the upper west side of Manhattan. In the novel, Audrey is a young architect who breaks up with her fiancée and moves into the strange building with low rent, perhaps the murder that took place there scared off everyone and the low price attracted it's next victim, Audrey was happy to live there at first, but then strange things started to happen. Voices and shadows, horrific illusions or men and women in her apartment and creepy neighbors were just the beginning. The book is a mix of horror, bit of romance, mystery and thriller, the reader is never sure whether Audrey is the one cracking up or of the building is really haunted, well that is best savored and read, so I won't spoil anything by adding any more details but many things happen, some not so good and some really shocking.
This was my first time reading Sara Langan's work and I must simply say that she's marvelous. Very creative and meticulous, she weaves an extraordinary tale with enough to raise Goosebumps. I wish more books were like this, rich and full of good bits and pieces. For fans of Roman Polanski's "The Tenant" this will be a great read that has a similar feel and mood.
This was my first time reading Sara Langan's work and I must simply say that she's marvelous. Very creative and meticulous, she weaves an extraordinary tale with enough to raise Goosebumps. I wish more books were like this, rich and full of good bits and pieces. For fans of Roman Polanski's "The Tenant" this will be a great read that has a similar feel and mood.
December 28, 2012
4.5 Stars! A very creepy haunted house story, in the vein of The Haunting of Hill House. Loved it!
November 21, 2016
Women in horror. Why don’t women write more horror novels? Or more accurately, why are more women horror authors not singled out for awards in the genre of horror. Only three books by women authors have won the Bram Stoker Award for Superior Achievement in the last 10 years. Two of those novels were by Sarah Langan. Only seven novels by women authors have been nominated in the last 10 years. Again, Sarah Langan represents two of the seven. Women have made great strides in other genre works, especially in fantasy and increasingly in science fiction. Why then do they keep lagging in the horror field? The reason for this little tirade at the beginning of this review is because I love horror writing and I wanted to try and read some women horror writers. Boy, was I disappointed by the Bram Stoker award list. Now I understand that the British Fantasy Society’s August Derleth Award is a little better with 12 novels by women nominated in the last 10 years, but there is a caveat. Only 7 women are represented by those 12 books, and there were only 2 female winners in the last 10 years. I can’t help but wonder, are women authors unable to write good horror fiction, or is this a case of them being overlooked? Just something to think about.
Ok I will now get off my soap box and get on with my review.
It seems that good old-fashioned ghost stories may be coming back into vogue, at least they were back in the 00’s. I am just getting around to reading books from this time, so for me 2016 was the year of the ghost story. Joe Hill’s Heart-Shaped Box was one such example I read this year (It was not good) and now Sarah Langan’s Audrey’s Door. In my opinion Ms. Langan was miles more successful in her attempt to modernize the ghost story.
For one thing, Ms. Langan sets her novel in the bustle of a NY apartment. When one thinks of a “haunted house” one rarely thinks of an apartment. I mean the name itself haunted HOUSE, pretty much tells you where you expect the haunting to occur. So, setting the haunting in a NYC apartment turns the expectations of the reader right from the start.
I also enjoyed the idea that Audrey is a brilliant but deeply damaged character that is still trying to make good of herself. I felt the same feelings towards Audrey in this book as I did by Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre. I want to see both characters succeed, because both characters suffer so much in their younger years, and despite it all still strive to make their lives a success. Everyone loves an underdog.
Plus, the story was full of excitement and suspense. Each chapter adds layers of horror, that left this reader breathlessly turning the pages. The story was not slowed by the drifting back in time in the form of memories recalled by Audrey, instead they added to the suspense of what was going on in the present.
There was a dream-like, or more appropriately labeled nightmare quality about the story. It seemed like Audrey drifted from one horrible event to the next, I never felt like I was living Audrey’s life, but was more a voyeur in her nightmares. Although I enjoyed the ending quite a bit, it almost felt like the ending of the original “Nightmare on Elm Street” movie. The door opens, it is sunny but there still feels like there is an undercurrent of an unfinished horror waiting just around the corner to drag the characters back to the horror they just escaped from. It left me feeling like there was just unfinished business. I’ don’t know there was just something about the ending that bothered me. Maybe it just seemed a little too pat.
All in all, Sarah Langan was a wonderful find and I look forward to reading more of the writings.
Ok I will now get off my soap box and get on with my review.
It seems that good old-fashioned ghost stories may be coming back into vogue, at least they were back in the 00’s. I am just getting around to reading books from this time, so for me 2016 was the year of the ghost story. Joe Hill’s Heart-Shaped Box was one such example I read this year (It was not good) and now Sarah Langan’s Audrey’s Door. In my opinion Ms. Langan was miles more successful in her attempt to modernize the ghost story.
For one thing, Ms. Langan sets her novel in the bustle of a NY apartment. When one thinks of a “haunted house” one rarely thinks of an apartment. I mean the name itself haunted HOUSE, pretty much tells you where you expect the haunting to occur. So, setting the haunting in a NYC apartment turns the expectations of the reader right from the start.
I also enjoyed the idea that Audrey is a brilliant but deeply damaged character that is still trying to make good of herself. I felt the same feelings towards Audrey in this book as I did by Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre. I want to see both characters succeed, because both characters suffer so much in their younger years, and despite it all still strive to make their lives a success. Everyone loves an underdog.
Plus, the story was full of excitement and suspense. Each chapter adds layers of horror, that left this reader breathlessly turning the pages. The story was not slowed by the drifting back in time in the form of memories recalled by Audrey, instead they added to the suspense of what was going on in the present.
There was a dream-like, or more appropriately labeled nightmare quality about the story. It seemed like Audrey drifted from one horrible event to the next, I never felt like I was living Audrey’s life, but was more a voyeur in her nightmares. Although I enjoyed the ending quite a bit, it almost felt like the ending of the original “Nightmare on Elm Street” movie. The door opens, it is sunny but there still feels like there is an undercurrent of an unfinished horror waiting just around the corner to drag the characters back to the horror they just escaped from. It left me feeling like there was just unfinished business. I’ don’t know there was just something about the ending that bothered me. Maybe it just seemed a little too pat.
All in all, Sarah Langan was a wonderful find and I look forward to reading more of the writings.
June 14, 2019
I'd really say 3 1/2 stars, but I'll be nice and round up for the rating.
October 13, 2013
I'd never heard of Sarah Langan before, but this book drew my attention when I found it in the used bookstore. The cover was intriguing, and the description indicated that the book my share some similarities with Rosemary's Baby, which I loved. So I bought it, and then it sat on my shelf for over a year, waiting for me to get around to reading it. (As is the case with a lot of my random purchases.)
This is a story reminiscent of some of the classics - The Shining, Rosemary's Baby, Hell House, The Haunting of Hill House - and on top of that, there are psychological thriller aspects as well, which I thought worked extremely well. I never knew whether anything associated with Audrey was real or not, or whether it was all in her head.
First things first, there were a lot of editing mistakes in this book, and for a Bram Stoker Award winning book traditionally published by HarperCollins, one is too many. There were times when I wasn't sure if they were intentional or not (to make newspaper articles or websites seem authentic, or to indicate Audrey's increasing psychological strain?), but after a while though, I realized that they were unintentional, and was disappointed in them.
There were misplaced apostrophes, an instance of Audrey's name changing mysteriously to "Rachael" (Audrey's middle name, we find out later, is "Rachel"), typos (Franics instead of Francis), but what irritated me the most, especially for an award-winning, multiple-published author, was her trouble with homophones.
Some examples:
"Ringing wet" should have been "wringing wet".
You "broach" a subject, you wear a "brooch".
You "pique" your interest, not "peak"/"peek" it. (This is a HUGE pet peeve of mine.)
These are just a few examples that are fresh in my mind. There were far too many littering this book, and considering that in the acknowledgements in the beginning of the book she says, "I'm also grateful to my editors Sarah Durand and Diana Gill, both of whom gave me the time to get it right," it is pretty inexcusable for there to be so many easily correctable errors still there.
Leaving aside the glaring errors, I did really enjoy Langan's writing, and appreciated how the story took its time to build up, give the history and the background not only of the main character, but of the building and its inhabitants as well. It's one of those stories that, if pushed too fast, will collapse in on itself because the foundation is missing.
I appreciated the way that this information was provided as well. Mostly in the form of old newspaper articles about the property, but some websites, etc as well. Personally, I thought that these worked pretty well as info-dumps that didn't feel tedious to read. There was one newspaper article that Audrey finds, and in it, the author of the article talks about his own history, and only mentions the building toward the end of the 3-4 page piece. I admit to questioning what the point was for including the whole thing, but later, the narrative explains details that fit together and it makes sense.
I also really enjoyed the unpredictability of this book. In the end, things worked out pretty much how I thought they would, but there was a point where a thing happened that changed everything, and I was like "Oh shit! What's going to happen now?" There was a real sense of tension throughout much of the book, and the haunting/psychological aspects fit together perfectly to edge it up and up.
Overall, I liked it, though I'd have liked it more if it was better edited. I may still pick up another of Langan's books if I stumble across one, but I don't think I'll be seeking them out.
This is a story reminiscent of some of the classics - The Shining, Rosemary's Baby, Hell House, The Haunting of Hill House - and on top of that, there are psychological thriller aspects as well, which I thought worked extremely well. I never knew whether anything associated with Audrey was real or not, or whether it was all in her head.
First things first, there were a lot of editing mistakes in this book, and for a Bram Stoker Award winning book traditionally published by HarperCollins, one is too many. There were times when I wasn't sure if they were intentional or not (to make newspaper articles or websites seem authentic, or to indicate Audrey's increasing psychological strain?), but after a while though, I realized that they were unintentional, and was disappointed in them.
There were misplaced apostrophes, an instance of Audrey's name changing mysteriously to "Rachael" (Audrey's middle name, we find out later, is "Rachel"), typos (Franics instead of Francis), but what irritated me the most, especially for an award-winning, multiple-published author, was her trouble with homophones.
Some examples:
"Ringing wet" should have been "wringing wet".
You "broach" a subject, you wear a "brooch".
You "pique" your interest, not "peak"/"peek" it. (This is a HUGE pet peeve of mine.)
These are just a few examples that are fresh in my mind. There were far too many littering this book, and considering that in the acknowledgements in the beginning of the book she says, "I'm also grateful to my editors Sarah Durand and Diana Gill, both of whom gave me the time to get it right," it is pretty inexcusable for there to be so many easily correctable errors still there.
Leaving aside the glaring errors, I did really enjoy Langan's writing, and appreciated how the story took its time to build up, give the history and the background not only of the main character, but of the building and its inhabitants as well. It's one of those stories that, if pushed too fast, will collapse in on itself because the foundation is missing.
I appreciated the way that this information was provided as well. Mostly in the form of old newspaper articles about the property, but some websites, etc as well. Personally, I thought that these worked pretty well as info-dumps that didn't feel tedious to read. There was one newspaper article that Audrey finds, and in it, the author of the article talks about his own history, and only mentions the building toward the end of the 3-4 page piece. I admit to questioning what the point was for including the whole thing, but later, the narrative explains details that fit together and it makes sense.
I also really enjoyed the unpredictability of this book. In the end, things worked out pretty much how I thought they would, but there was a point where a thing happened that changed everything, and I was like "Oh shit! What's going to happen now?" There was a real sense of tension throughout much of the book, and the haunting/psychological aspects fit together perfectly to edge it up and up.
Overall, I liked it, though I'd have liked it more if it was better edited. I may still pick up another of Langan's books if I stumble across one, but I don't think I'll be seeking them out.
December 17, 2013
I like this author and this was another good story but dear lord did it move slow. If the the first 75% were condensed into the first 25% this could have been five stars for me but those first 3/4 of the novel was one long boring romance that had very little impact on the story as a whole. The last 25% was awesome though - I can't let that go unsaid.
February 27, 2024
Tenía una premisa muy interesante rollo Apartamento 16, pero la historia se me desinfla…
Read
December 20, 2017DNF at 20%. I was kind of enjoying this for the first 10%, but there are not enough characters to interest me or keep the story moving. The main character is kind of annoying, and her relationship with her ex-boyfriend is even more annoying. I think Sarah Langan has a way with words, and I would like to try her other books eventually but this just wasn't for me.
DNF. Not rating.
DNF. Not rating.
May 12, 2016
<3 <3 <3
I was kind of meh about her first two books, but this one knocked it out of the park for me. I kept putting off reading the ending...I didn't want it to end. How often do you say that for a horror novel?
Such VOICE. I loved it.
I was kind of meh about her first two books, but this one knocked it out of the park for me. I kept putting off reading the ending...I didn't want it to end. How often do you say that for a horror novel?
Such VOICE. I loved it.
Read
December 16, 2013I had to set this aside. I don't know that I'll come back to this one. The writing was good, but the main character's asides and interior voice got on my nerves.
September 24, 2009
“Casualties of Chaotic Naturalism”
“Audrey’s Door” is a modern haunted house story, with a measure of Stephen King’s “The Shining,” a sprig of Ira Levin’s “Rosemary's Baby,” and a dash of Shirley Jackson’s “The Haunting of Hill House.” Sarah Langan embodies her nightmarish psychological-and-occult horror theme in a mesmerizing plot, and as we read deeper into the tragic story of Audrey Lucas we can't help but share her vision…so much so that I often found myself lost between Audrey’s compulsion and the story’s nightmare. The book generally maintained a detailed yet captivating storyline.
Our heroine (or victim), Audrey Lucas, suffers from a minor bout of naïveté, and a classic yet severe case of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder. A thirty-something single professional, Audrey is haunted by her tragic past. Audrey fought through a wrecked and violent childhood, without a father figure, without a sane and loving mother, yearning for a way out of her wretched reality. Her obsession to control and take back her life is exemplified by her determination to survive in a dog-eat-dog city that shows neither compassion nor clemency to the weak and feeble. She moved out of her boyfriend’s place and into an unbelievably cheap apartment in a pre-war landmark building. It seems that her talents were recognized not only by a high-class NYC architectural firm, but also by supernatural forces behind the walls of the Breviary. Built on the Upper West Side, the Breviary’s unique Chaotic Naturalist architecture claims a majestic yet ominous history. Despite the low rent in the upscale Morning Heights neighborhood, something seems to scare away all prospective tenants. Until Audrey.
The story teeters between an ethereal horror and Audrey’s terrible compulsion and volatility… unclear whether either or both were responsible for her recent and strange obsession to build a door in her room, unclear of the significance of the door, unclear of the function of the door.
The cheap rent, along with the dire warnings by the building’s superintendant, would have been the first (and only) signs not to move in… at least for me. There were also the "Was that the wind?" moments when a mysterious voice in her head whispered “murder” and encouraged her to “build the door.” Does Zoloft save the day? Does our ill-fated mess-of-a-heroine discover herself at the right moment and break out of her self-loathing to kick butt? The book was well-written, favored psychological chills to gore, and presented a convincing set of characters. The level and style of writing has enough acuity and symbolism to distinguish Langan from the run-of-the-mill authors falling under the horror genre.
The other compelling feature of this novel that captured my interest is Langan’s attention to detail. I was impressed with the degree of time and effort spent in the narrative on developing the Breviary and the fictitious religion/architectural style referred to as Chaotic Naturalism. My vision of the Breviary is something along the lines of Deconstructivism-slash-Modernisme, maybe akin to Gaudi-meets-Gehry. As for the fabricated cult… it was described so realistically and with sufficient detail, I was convinced enough to have googled it. Well done, Langan!
Overall, I highly enjoyed reading the book. I was between 4 or 5 stars, in anticipation and expectation of Langan’s future work, as preambled by “Audrey’s Door,” to be a most capable and promising career in horror novels. I recommend “Audrey’s Door” to fans of haunted house stories.
Note: My understanding is that a film (based on the novel) is in the works. I am not too familiar with the directors/screenwriters JT Petty or Jeremy Saulnier, but checking out their IMDB profiles I am a bit worried. A true coin flip… this can be either a sleeper hit or a snoozer. I am anxious for the release.
“Audrey’s Door” is a modern haunted house story, with a measure of Stephen King’s “The Shining,” a sprig of Ira Levin’s “Rosemary's Baby,” and a dash of Shirley Jackson’s “The Haunting of Hill House.” Sarah Langan embodies her nightmarish psychological-and-occult horror theme in a mesmerizing plot, and as we read deeper into the tragic story of Audrey Lucas we can't help but share her vision…so much so that I often found myself lost between Audrey’s compulsion and the story’s nightmare. The book generally maintained a detailed yet captivating storyline.
Our heroine (or victim), Audrey Lucas, suffers from a minor bout of naïveté, and a classic yet severe case of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder. A thirty-something single professional, Audrey is haunted by her tragic past. Audrey fought through a wrecked and violent childhood, without a father figure, without a sane and loving mother, yearning for a way out of her wretched reality. Her obsession to control and take back her life is exemplified by her determination to survive in a dog-eat-dog city that shows neither compassion nor clemency to the weak and feeble. She moved out of her boyfriend’s place and into an unbelievably cheap apartment in a pre-war landmark building. It seems that her talents were recognized not only by a high-class NYC architectural firm, but also by supernatural forces behind the walls of the Breviary. Built on the Upper West Side, the Breviary’s unique Chaotic Naturalist architecture claims a majestic yet ominous history. Despite the low rent in the upscale Morning Heights neighborhood, something seems to scare away all prospective tenants. Until Audrey.
The story teeters between an ethereal horror and Audrey’s terrible compulsion and volatility… unclear whether either or both were responsible for her recent and strange obsession to build a door in her room, unclear of the significance of the door, unclear of the function of the door.
The cheap rent, along with the dire warnings by the building’s superintendant, would have been the first (and only) signs not to move in… at least for me. There were also the "Was that the wind?" moments when a mysterious voice in her head whispered “murder” and encouraged her to “build the door.” Does Zoloft save the day? Does our ill-fated mess-of-a-heroine discover herself at the right moment and break out of her self-loathing to kick butt? The book was well-written, favored psychological chills to gore, and presented a convincing set of characters. The level and style of writing has enough acuity and symbolism to distinguish Langan from the run-of-the-mill authors falling under the horror genre.
The other compelling feature of this novel that captured my interest is Langan’s attention to detail. I was impressed with the degree of time and effort spent in the narrative on developing the Breviary and the fictitious religion/architectural style referred to as Chaotic Naturalism. My vision of the Breviary is something along the lines of Deconstructivism-slash-Modernisme, maybe akin to Gaudi-meets-Gehry. As for the fabricated cult… it was described so realistically and with sufficient detail, I was convinced enough to have googled it. Well done, Langan!
Overall, I highly enjoyed reading the book. I was between 4 or 5 stars, in anticipation and expectation of Langan’s future work, as preambled by “Audrey’s Door,” to be a most capable and promising career in horror novels. I recommend “Audrey’s Door” to fans of haunted house stories.
Note: My understanding is that a film (based on the novel) is in the works. I am not too familiar with the directors/screenwriters JT Petty or Jeremy Saulnier, but checking out their IMDB profiles I am a bit worried. A true coin flip… this can be either a sleeper hit or a snoozer. I am anxious for the release.
September 27, 2014
After breaking up with her boyfriend, Audrey finds herself on the lookout for a new place to live, but it needs to be cheap. Then she finds The Breviary, a beautiful apartment that not only works for her wallet, but seduces the architect in her. To Audrey, her new apartment is almost too good to be true. Unfortunately, that's because it is. There is evil in this apartment that speaks to her in her dreams, begging her to build a door.
Audrey's Door is the October selection for calico_reaction's bookclub. Although I don't read too much horror, the title seemed more than appropriate the Halloween season, making me quite interested in reading it. Unfortunately, it didn't take too long before I realized that something was very wrong. I had a really, really hard time connecting with the main character. I didn't even really feel all that sorry for her. Given the fact that her life had been so traumatic, this was shocking to me. In fact, Audrey kind of drove me a little nuts, and the secondary cast wasn't that much better. This made it really hard for me to look forward to reading this book.
Unfortunately, my issues with Audrey's Door go beyond characterization and into plot as well. Everything seems to set up nicely at the beginning. This is clearly a classic haunted house story, with the twists being the fact that its an apartment and the horrors that exist inside Audrey's mind are what's the most terrifying. But it wasn't too long before the book began to feel awfully repetitive. We're delivered scene after scene of Audrey's nightmares, and moments where Audrey acts crazy. These were fine at the beginning but they began to grow old rather fast. The horror elements of the novel also didn't always work for me. Maybe it's because I prefer more subtle kind of horror but Andrey's Door (especially near the end) felt way too over the top to me, even to the point where the book was border lining on comical instead of creepy. I also found the writing to be a little week to be honest, as the author seemed to occasionally fall into the old trap of telling instead of showing.
Final Thoughts: I always feel a little guilty about giving negative reviews (not just in this case where the author lives here in Maine, meaning I might actually run into her one of these days. There aren't that many people up here), but despite an interesting set up in the beginning, this book really didn't work well for me. Perhaps it's because I don't read a ton of horror but I found the horror elements to be a over the top and therefore ineffective, the plot to be repetitive, and the characters to be unsympathetic. I have no plans on picking up any other books by Sarah Langan.
Audrey's Door is the October selection for calico_reaction's bookclub. Although I don't read too much horror, the title seemed more than appropriate the Halloween season, making me quite interested in reading it. Unfortunately, it didn't take too long before I realized that something was very wrong. I had a really, really hard time connecting with the main character. I didn't even really feel all that sorry for her. Given the fact that her life had been so traumatic, this was shocking to me. In fact, Audrey kind of drove me a little nuts, and the secondary cast wasn't that much better. This made it really hard for me to look forward to reading this book.
Unfortunately, my issues with Audrey's Door go beyond characterization and into plot as well. Everything seems to set up nicely at the beginning. This is clearly a classic haunted house story, with the twists being the fact that its an apartment and the horrors that exist inside Audrey's mind are what's the most terrifying. But it wasn't too long before the book began to feel awfully repetitive. We're delivered scene after scene of Audrey's nightmares, and moments where Audrey acts crazy. These were fine at the beginning but they began to grow old rather fast. The horror elements of the novel also didn't always work for me. Maybe it's because I prefer more subtle kind of horror but Andrey's Door (especially near the end) felt way too over the top to me, even to the point where the book was border lining on comical instead of creepy. I also found the writing to be a little week to be honest, as the author seemed to occasionally fall into the old trap of telling instead of showing.
Final Thoughts: I always feel a little guilty about giving negative reviews (not just in this case where the author lives here in Maine, meaning I might actually run into her one of these days. There aren't that many people up here), but despite an interesting set up in the beginning, this book really didn't work well for me. Perhaps it's because I don't read a ton of horror but I found the horror elements to be a over the top and therefore ineffective, the plot to be repetitive, and the characters to be unsympathetic. I have no plans on picking up any other books by Sarah Langan.
August 27, 2010
OH MY GOD I LOVE THIS BOOK!
Overwhelmed by even the smallest and clearest of changes and life decisions Audrey came to New York to make a new life for herself. Her outlook colored by the darkness of her childhood and early adulthood she has trouble truly breaking free of the past that so haunts her and accepting the potential of a new and separate life with fiance Saraub. Looking for an escape route from her confusion and uncertainty she rents a dream apartment in The Breviary at a ridiculously cheap rate.
The Breviary is of course no escape and has its own dark past which soon begins to affect Audrey. It's a pattern that's come to affect each of the tenants who reside there all of whom are compelled to construct a door to allow something through and all of whom have thus far failed. Now its up to Audrey to build a door.
The first very well done haunted house book I've read in a very long time Audrey's Door is also an original tale about a woman who is just as haunted by herself and her past as the building in which she comes to live. The pacing is wonderful, the plot is both believable and engrossing and the whole of the book is peppered with pieces of history and the air of New York itself.
Through Audrey's eyes we see the desperation many face in the city and how easy it is to get lost not only in the crowd but in our own struggle to achieve our goals and the recognition that we hope to achieve with them. I felt the book was original in its portrayal of both the building's past and the cause of its possessed state. Blending these elements with bits of the real New York's history and the desperation of a deeply troubled woman's desire to keep self destructing rather than moving on made for an excellent book that kept you interested from opening to close.
Overwhelmed by even the smallest and clearest of changes and life decisions Audrey came to New York to make a new life for herself. Her outlook colored by the darkness of her childhood and early adulthood she has trouble truly breaking free of the past that so haunts her and accepting the potential of a new and separate life with fiance Saraub. Looking for an escape route from her confusion and uncertainty she rents a dream apartment in The Breviary at a ridiculously cheap rate.
The Breviary is of course no escape and has its own dark past which soon begins to affect Audrey. It's a pattern that's come to affect each of the tenants who reside there all of whom are compelled to construct a door to allow something through and all of whom have thus far failed. Now its up to Audrey to build a door.
The first very well done haunted house book I've read in a very long time Audrey's Door is also an original tale about a woman who is just as haunted by herself and her past as the building in which she comes to live. The pacing is wonderful, the plot is both believable and engrossing and the whole of the book is peppered with pieces of history and the air of New York itself.
Through Audrey's eyes we see the desperation many face in the city and how easy it is to get lost not only in the crowd but in our own struggle to achieve our goals and the recognition that we hope to achieve with them. I felt the book was original in its portrayal of both the building's past and the cause of its possessed state. Blending these elements with bits of the real New York's history and the desperation of a deeply troubled woman's desire to keep self destructing rather than moving on made for an excellent book that kept you interested from opening to close.
March 24, 2014
Familial dysfunction, mental illness, dissolving relationships oh, and an incredibly creepy, old Manhattan apartment building featuring architecture that would feel right at home in the nightmares of, say, M.C. Escher. Langan skillfully builds suspense with an is she really experiencing this or is she crazy style.
Audrey of the title is a driven thirty-something single woman. Having grown up with a mother suffering from serious mental illness, she has never had the chance to blossom into her own woman. In New York she works for a high profile architecture firm where her talent outshines that of her co-workers and possibly draws the resentment of her boss. When we meet Audrey she is fresh out of her first real relationship and hunting for an apartment of her own. Meet the Breviary, a building so exclusive the majority of its tenants are the descendants of the original inhabitants from a century and a half ago. You will never look at a pianist the same way again. This is a keep the lights on read.
Audrey of the title is a driven thirty-something single woman. Having grown up with a mother suffering from serious mental illness, she has never had the chance to blossom into her own woman. In New York she works for a high profile architecture firm where her talent outshines that of her co-workers and possibly draws the resentment of her boss. When we meet Audrey she is fresh out of her first real relationship and hunting for an apartment of her own. Meet the Breviary, a building so exclusive the majority of its tenants are the descendants of the original inhabitants from a century and a half ago. You will never look at a pianist the same way again. This is a keep the lights on read.
January 30, 2017
Terrible. I can't even summon a good rant about how much this sucked. Sloppy & overwritten; whiny, boring protagonists (especially Audrey herself -- mental issues & an awful childhood don't give free passes for rudeness & holier-than-thou bullshit because 'nobody understands meeeee!!'); hideously dull plot that was MIA for the first 75%; overload of mundane minutiae; cartoony nonsense in the climax.
Sorry, but if your book cites Hill House, The Shining, & Rosemary's Baby as primary influences -- lists them BY NAME, no less -- you better deliver the goods. This was an epic fail in all ways. (And don't even get me started on the pretentious chapter titles or the Google search interwoven with a play-by-play of Sex & the City as 'background noise.' WTF WAS THIS.)
Sorry, but if your book cites Hill House, The Shining, & Rosemary's Baby as primary influences -- lists them BY NAME, no less -- you better deliver the goods. This was an epic fail in all ways. (And don't even get me started on the pretentious chapter titles or the Google search interwoven with a play-by-play of Sex & the City as 'background noise.' WTF WAS THIS.)
July 18, 2010
Audrey Lucas is a girl with problems. Growing up she bounced from town to town with her crazy mother, drifting herself for awhile until she manages to pull her life together enough to get a degree in architecture and take back her life; as much as one can with a mentally ill mother and a healthy dose of OCD battle.
After breaking up with her boyfriend she needs to find a place to live and like mana from heaven The Breviary lands in her lap. It's cheap, it's big and it's the last of it's kind with a unique architectural history that someone with Audrey's background and passion can appreciate. Of course there's a catch; a recent tragedy has stained the walls within and the whole place seems to hum with the hunger of what happened.
It's not long after she moves in that the truth begins to unravel and she begins to learn about the history of the Breviary...something is haunting her. Her dreams are fevered and her life begins to fall apart. Someone is demanding that build a door...
The book, a modern haunted house story is full of charm and character. The story unfolds nicely and the pace keeps up; for the most part. I stumbled over some of the language used as it was far to forced. There were parts were it felt like Langan was trying too hard to get across the message of the horrors of Audrey's childhood and her demented mother which have now made her into the damaged woman she is today. However, you need the background to explain the obsessive nature in which Audrey is trying to take back her; a nature which lands her at the Breviary.
The story is not just about a haunted house but about how we are also are own architects. If you were a house, what sort of foundation would you have? What have your walls seen? Who has resided with you? Ultimately, it's up to us to keep standing tall and not let our walls crumble.
After breaking up with her boyfriend she needs to find a place to live and like mana from heaven The Breviary lands in her lap. It's cheap, it's big and it's the last of it's kind with a unique architectural history that someone with Audrey's background and passion can appreciate. Of course there's a catch; a recent tragedy has stained the walls within and the whole place seems to hum with the hunger of what happened.
It's not long after she moves in that the truth begins to unravel and she begins to learn about the history of the Breviary...something is haunting her. Her dreams are fevered and her life begins to fall apart. Someone is demanding that build a door...
The book, a modern haunted house story is full of charm and character. The story unfolds nicely and the pace keeps up; for the most part. I stumbled over some of the language used as it was far to forced. There were parts were it felt like Langan was trying too hard to get across the message of the horrors of Audrey's childhood and her demented mother which have now made her into the damaged woman she is today. However, you need the background to explain the obsessive nature in which Audrey is trying to take back her; a nature which lands her at the Breviary.
The story is not just about a haunted house but about how we are also are own architects. If you were a house, what sort of foundation would you have? What have your walls seen? Who has resided with you? Ultimately, it's up to us to keep standing tall and not let our walls crumble.
March 13, 2013
This is my second attempt at a novel by Sarah Langan. She is a good writer but tends to take a long time to say anything. Building background and atmosphere can be a good thing unless it takes over the plot. Audrey's Door is part haunted house story and part psychological thriller. It's the psychological thriller that falls flat. Essentially, without giving too much away, the plot hinges around a young architect that moves into a strange apartment building with strange residents. She begins to get messages to build a door. Much of the time we are wondering if Audrey is dreaming, experiencing a strange reality or just insane. Our protagonist is not hinged well herself and this is part of the problem. In The Shining, Jack Torrance is a nice guy who struggles with his demons. In The Haunting of Hill House, Eleanor is barely together but has a delicate innocence that makes her vulnerable yet likable. In Rosemary's Baby, Rosemary has all the hopes of a new mother and we read at edge as we watch her hopes destroyed. I mentioned these three novels because Audrey's Door has a little of each in its tale but Audrey never really comes alive for me. Her back story doesn't blend with the horrors to come and way too much time is spent on it. The last ten percent of this book really soars . Langan can scare the pants off the reader when she wants. But she takes forever to do it. While I found this better than her previous The Keeper, it just wasn't interesting enough. AS far as haunted house novels go, I just can't recommend it.
October 7, 2015
Langan draws inspiration from masterpiece haunted house stories such as The Haunting of Hill House and The Shining for her novel about Audrey Lucas's encounter with a haunted apartment buidling. That said, it's a tough standard to live up to, and though it showed its influences, it falls short.
The story follows Audrey who after taking a new job in New York, and breaking up with her fiance finds herself at a cheap apartment at the old Breviary. Needless to say it isn't a good choice. And yet before the supernatural manifestations begin to escalate, they hang in the background while the story focuses on Audrey's past as well as her professional and personal life. And while it was a bit of a surprise, this made the pacing a bit of a slog, and the supernatural elements backlogged for the plot. Despite the uneveness, Langan can write, and her characterization is sharp. I found myself more engaged with Audrey's life than what was happening at the Breviary which felt almost like an afterthought.
Overall, I enjoyed Audrey's Door for its characterization and writing. The ghost elements in the book were interesting and original, but not weaved seamlessly through the story. It's a solid entry for the haunted house/ghost story genre. 3.5 stars
The story follows Audrey who after taking a new job in New York, and breaking up with her fiance finds herself at a cheap apartment at the old Breviary. Needless to say it isn't a good choice. And yet before the supernatural manifestations begin to escalate, they hang in the background while the story focuses on Audrey's past as well as her professional and personal life. And while it was a bit of a surprise, this made the pacing a bit of a slog, and the supernatural elements backlogged for the plot. Despite the uneveness, Langan can write, and her characterization is sharp. I found myself more engaged with Audrey's life than what was happening at the Breviary which felt almost like an afterthought.
Overall, I enjoyed Audrey's Door for its characterization and writing. The ghost elements in the book were interesting and original, but not weaved seamlessly through the story. It's a solid entry for the haunted house/ghost story genre. 3.5 stars
February 1, 2012
Wow - this horror hit me in all the right (wrong?) places. Mental illness has always terrified me. Not knowing what is real? Awful. Also, having your home be the center of evil is another terror I could not face. No ma'am; my home is my haven. And what a slew of horrofic images, especially towards the end. I loved the "news bulletins" in between some chapters. This is a fascinating, yet horrifying read.
October 16, 2014
A nice book with a very slow build up. I argue with the perception that this is a true horror novel. Yes, at the very end we get some sort of horror elements, but until then it really is a study into the mindset of one character and how she desperately tries to keep herself together, and how she slowly unwinds. Very psychological this novel is very good but nothing you expect it to be. Horror it is not.
February 5, 2013
The premise: ganked from Amazon.com: Built on the Upper West Side, the elegant Breviary claims a regal history. But despite 14B's astonishingly low rental price, the recent tragedy within its walls has frightened away all potential tenants . . . except for Audrey Lucas.
No stranger to tragedy at thirty-two—a survivor of a fatherless childhood and a mother's hopeless dementia— Audrey is obsessively determined to make her own way in a city that often strangles the weak. But is it something otherworldly or Audrey's own increasing instability that's to blame for the dark visions that haunt her . . . and for the voice that demands that she build a door? A door it would be true madness to open . . .
My Rating: Problematic, but Promising
I can see what excites people about this book. There's definitely some promise there, and the question of what it really means to be haunted and who's really doing the haunting. That's great stuff. My problem was I was never fully invested in the characters enough to care about what happened to them, nor was I invested in the Breviary enough to want it to win. With horror, you've got to be rooting for someone, and I was rooting to finish the book as soon as I could. What really pulled me out of the potential immersion was the writing style. It's fast, easy-to-read, but I found it bland and rather generic, with some stylistic choices that make my inner work-shopper itch for a red pen. I'd love to hear what regular horror readers think of this and how it compares to other horror novels (particularly since it won the Stoker), and I'm also curious if anyone else has read anything else by Langan, and how this compares to the author's own work? For my own part, I don't see myself picking up another book by this author unless the premise really, really speaks to me, but I'm never adverse to reading horror either. It's just a matter of the premise really, really speaking to me. Horror, as a whole, is a genre that's meant to engage the mind and the emotions. For me, Audrey's Door didn't come close, but what shining moments it had were promising.
Spoilers, yay or nay?: Yay. As with all book club selections, there will be spoilers, so if you're trying to avoid them, do not read the full review at my blog. However, if you've read the book or don't care about spoilers, comments and discussion are most welcome. Just click the link below to go directly to the review!
REVIEW: Sarah Langan's AUDREY'S DOOR
Happy Reading!
No stranger to tragedy at thirty-two—a survivor of a fatherless childhood and a mother's hopeless dementia— Audrey is obsessively determined to make her own way in a city that often strangles the weak. But is it something otherworldly or Audrey's own increasing instability that's to blame for the dark visions that haunt her . . . and for the voice that demands that she build a door? A door it would be true madness to open . . .
My Rating: Problematic, but Promising
I can see what excites people about this book. There's definitely some promise there, and the question of what it really means to be haunted and who's really doing the haunting. That's great stuff. My problem was I was never fully invested in the characters enough to care about what happened to them, nor was I invested in the Breviary enough to want it to win. With horror, you've got to be rooting for someone, and I was rooting to finish the book as soon as I could. What really pulled me out of the potential immersion was the writing style. It's fast, easy-to-read, but I found it bland and rather generic, with some stylistic choices that make my inner work-shopper itch for a red pen. I'd love to hear what regular horror readers think of this and how it compares to other horror novels (particularly since it won the Stoker), and I'm also curious if anyone else has read anything else by Langan, and how this compares to the author's own work? For my own part, I don't see myself picking up another book by this author unless the premise really, really speaks to me, but I'm never adverse to reading horror either. It's just a matter of the premise really, really speaking to me. Horror, as a whole, is a genre that's meant to engage the mind and the emotions. For me, Audrey's Door didn't come close, but what shining moments it had were promising.
Spoilers, yay or nay?: Yay. As with all book club selections, there will be spoilers, so if you're trying to avoid them, do not read the full review at my blog. However, if you've read the book or don't care about spoilers, comments and discussion are most welcome. Just click the link below to go directly to the review!
REVIEW: Sarah Langan's AUDREY'S DOOR
Happy Reading!
October 23, 2009
After Sarah Langan's most excellent novels The Keeper and The Missing, I was very much hoping to hit the proverbial third-time charm with her new horror novel, Audrey's Door. Survey says? She didn't hit it quite out of the park like she did with the first two; Audrey's Door has some issues, but it's still a good solid read.
Audrey Lucas is a woman with a whole hell of a lot of neuroses on her plate: she's escaped a destructive relationship with her psychotic mother and more or less established a life for herself in New York, even to the point of being engaged to be married, but her victory hasn't come without cost. She's got OCD, enough that it's driven a wedge between her and her fiance Saraub, and when the book opens she's elected to move out of the apartment she shares with him--and into an old house called the Breviary, infamous for its Chaotic Naturalist architecture. The fact that a gruesome murder occurred in the space she renting almost puts her off. But as this is a horror novel, "almost" is as far as she gets.
The Breviary is of course haunted like you would not believe, and soon enough the place begins exerting its influence. Something in it is very aware of Audrey, and it insists that she build it a door of mysterious purpose. Nor is it above driving her mad to get her to do it, and threatening the tenuous life she's established for herself.
There's decent creepiness in this book; the residents of the Breviary, ancient husks of men and women who have long been warped by their residence in the place, are truly unnerving. But a whole lot of the book's early mileage is spent on developing the backstory for Audrey, her traumatic childhood with her mother, and her not-terribly-healthy relationship with Saraub. A good stretch of that I found to just be depressing rather than creepy, because of the seemingly unending litany of ways in which poor Audrey's life and mind were screwed up.
Not until the last act of the book does Saraub rise above his unsympathetic portrayal, and unfortunately, Audrey never quite manages to pull off the same ascent. The ending therefore felt strangely tacked on to me. Overall, three stars.
Audrey Lucas is a woman with a whole hell of a lot of neuroses on her plate: she's escaped a destructive relationship with her psychotic mother and more or less established a life for herself in New York, even to the point of being engaged to be married, but her victory hasn't come without cost. She's got OCD, enough that it's driven a wedge between her and her fiance Saraub, and when the book opens she's elected to move out of the apartment she shares with him--and into an old house called the Breviary, infamous for its Chaotic Naturalist architecture. The fact that a gruesome murder occurred in the space she renting almost puts her off. But as this is a horror novel, "almost" is as far as she gets.
The Breviary is of course haunted like you would not believe, and soon enough the place begins exerting its influence. Something in it is very aware of Audrey, and it insists that she build it a door of mysterious purpose. Nor is it above driving her mad to get her to do it, and threatening the tenuous life she's established for herself.
There's decent creepiness in this book; the residents of the Breviary, ancient husks of men and women who have long been warped by their residence in the place, are truly unnerving. But a whole lot of the book's early mileage is spent on developing the backstory for Audrey, her traumatic childhood with her mother, and her not-terribly-healthy relationship with Saraub. A good stretch of that I found to just be depressing rather than creepy, because of the seemingly unending litany of ways in which poor Audrey's life and mind were screwed up.
Not until the last act of the book does Saraub rise above his unsympathetic portrayal, and unfortunately, Audrey never quite manages to pull off the same ascent. The ending therefore felt strangely tacked on to me. Overall, three stars.
November 28, 2010
For me this was more a story about mental illness than haunted house. I felt like I was walking around in a pair of high heels with one heel a scant quarter of an inch short - not enough to trip me up but definitely kept me unbalanced. It took forever to finish because I would stop to mark interesting passages or read aloud to my husband a description that fit crazy Aunt Penny or, dare I say it, our mothers. (Neither one can operate a computer so I'm safe writing this.) We’d laugh but it was an uneasy laugh.
I liked Audrey, the main character, but I wouldn’t want to spend any time alone with her. I’m still not sure if Audrey was a victim of nature or nurture. She grew up with crazy but maybe she inherited some funky genes, as well. Probably both. There’s an interesting passage where Audrey is describing the high points and low points of her childhood with her mother. They are both the same because “crazy is often fun.”
The story begins with Audrey telling us that, “Sometimes you get so tired of living in your own skin that you’ll do anything to peel it off. Even the hardest thing: change.” But she’s so messed up it’s hard to imagine how she’ll instigate these changes. A fry cook once told her, “You’re pretty weird. Like somebody broke you, and you keep trying to put yourself back together, only you do it wrong.” And later, after she moves into the Breviary, one of the tenets tells her, “When you have to raise yourself, you never really grow up.”
The Breviary, by the way, is an old, skewed apartment complex filled with crazy/ancient/possibly inbred people who are trying to get a tenant to build a door to let the dark out – they’re freaking nuts! They follow chaotic naturalism, a religion that worships all things wrong in the world.
A disturbing journey, this book would be perfect for a book club. There’s so much to discuss.
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Some other passages I marked just because:
• Audrey’s mother is in a suicide gone wrong coma. Jayne tells Audrey, “It hurts more because you wish it could have been different. And now it might not ever be.”
• lobotomies = brain abortions.
• “Leave it to Saraub (Audrey’s fiancé) to make lemons out of lemonade.”
I liked Audrey, the main character, but I wouldn’t want to spend any time alone with her. I’m still not sure if Audrey was a victim of nature or nurture. She grew up with crazy but maybe she inherited some funky genes, as well. Probably both. There’s an interesting passage where Audrey is describing the high points and low points of her childhood with her mother. They are both the same because “crazy is often fun.”
The story begins with Audrey telling us that, “Sometimes you get so tired of living in your own skin that you’ll do anything to peel it off. Even the hardest thing: change.” But she’s so messed up it’s hard to imagine how she’ll instigate these changes. A fry cook once told her, “You’re pretty weird. Like somebody broke you, and you keep trying to put yourself back together, only you do it wrong.” And later, after she moves into the Breviary, one of the tenets tells her, “When you have to raise yourself, you never really grow up.”
The Breviary, by the way, is an old, skewed apartment complex filled with crazy/ancient/possibly inbred people who are trying to get a tenant to build a door to let the dark out – they’re freaking nuts! They follow chaotic naturalism, a religion that worships all things wrong in the world.
A disturbing journey, this book would be perfect for a book club. There’s so much to discuss.
------
Some other passages I marked just because:
• Audrey’s mother is in a suicide gone wrong coma. Jayne tells Audrey, “It hurts more because you wish it could have been different. And now it might not ever be.”
• lobotomies = brain abortions.
• “Leave it to Saraub (Audrey’s fiancé) to make lemons out of lemonade.”
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 25, 2012
This book got off to a bad start-the main character felt bitchy and closed minded, the writing felt... unpolitically correct? It felt submissively racist, in small parts. Near the beginning of the novel the author whines about how life has never been easy for her and she had to work at both university cafeterias just to afford her books-UH, YEAH most everyone has to have 2 jobs in college, and you're pretty lucky if they're university jobs. Later in the book, she's fairly justified in her whining-we find out that her mom is pretty crazy, she grew up almost homeless, traveling, starving, etc., and has developed some pretty full-fledged cases of craziness and OCD herself. But before you know all that, it feels a little like whining.
However, after the initial dislike, I found a lot to like. This story is basically a haunted house story, where the building itself if an alive character and changes everyone who lives in it, as well as seeks out the "right" people to live in it. The bits of truth here and there are very intriguing-this religion of chaotic naturalism and the buildings it inspired-I believe there is some truth sprinkled in that inspired the writer. I would love to learn more. Creepy people, creepy happenings, creepy imagery, and a writer who can convincingly convey dream worlds, haunted worlds, and reality all at the same time without even confusing the reader, I very much enjoyed. And the more you learn about Audrey, the more you love her and her crazy mom. Also, her boyfriend is an overweight man who's family is from India-and he's an unsuccessful independent film maker, so it was nice having a romance with someone who's more or less normal.
However, after the initial dislike, I found a lot to like. This story is basically a haunted house story, where the building itself if an alive character and changes everyone who lives in it, as well as seeks out the "right" people to live in it. The bits of truth here and there are very intriguing-this religion of chaotic naturalism and the buildings it inspired-I believe there is some truth sprinkled in that inspired the writer. I would love to learn more. Creepy people, creepy happenings, creepy imagery, and a writer who can convincingly convey dream worlds, haunted worlds, and reality all at the same time without even confusing the reader, I very much enjoyed. And the more you learn about Audrey, the more you love her and her crazy mom. Also, her boyfriend is an overweight man who's family is from India-and he's an unsuccessful independent film maker, so it was nice having a romance with someone who's more or less normal.
December 6, 2010
Wow--no wonder Sarah Langan's won the Bram Stoker Award two years now, with only three books to her name. "Audrey's Door" is a fun, scary, and eerily haunting novel about a woman who moves into an old, oddly-styled apartment building, and ends up facing some of her own past demons as well as some very real supernatural demons that come with the house.
The woman at the center of the story arrives in New York after years of living with her psychotic mother, she herself overloaded with psychological tics and anxieties. She tries to make a living at being an architect, and it goes OK at first, but she seems to be constantly on the edge of a breakdown.
This isn't helped when she's told of some mysterious suicides, the deaths of past residents at her new home; and it certainly isn't help when she begins hearing voices and seeing, or possibly seeing, things that shouldn't be there. She's pushed even further when she wakes having no recollection of building a strange "door" in her closet, made out of cardboard, some kind of door to another world perhaps.
The secondary characters are top-notch in Langan's book. Audrey's neighbor, Jayne, in particular, and some of the crazier, more suspicious residents of the house.
Excellent pacing, good dialogue, and very human, very real characters, make this an excellent haunted house story, and I look forward to reading more of Langan's novels.
The woman at the center of the story arrives in New York after years of living with her psychotic mother, she herself overloaded with psychological tics and anxieties. She tries to make a living at being an architect, and it goes OK at first, but she seems to be constantly on the edge of a breakdown.
This isn't helped when she's told of some mysterious suicides, the deaths of past residents at her new home; and it certainly isn't help when she begins hearing voices and seeing, or possibly seeing, things that shouldn't be there. She's pushed even further when she wakes having no recollection of building a strange "door" in her closet, made out of cardboard, some kind of door to another world perhaps.
The secondary characters are top-notch in Langan's book. Audrey's neighbor, Jayne, in particular, and some of the crazier, more suspicious residents of the house.
Excellent pacing, good dialogue, and very human, very real characters, make this an excellent haunted house story, and I look forward to reading more of Langan's novels.
May 23, 2015
$999 for a 14th floor apartment in The Breviary, one of the only remaining structures in the world designed following the chaotic naturalism principal, built on the edge of Central Park in Manhattan. What a deal! There is a catch of course, the apartment was constructed by evil and evil needs a doorway to escape and destroy the world.[return][return]The main character, Audrey, is a flawed protagonist. She has OCD, potential mental illness and is a perfectionist despite a very troubling childhood. Audrey's mother suffered from a bipolar disorder and the events surrounding Audrey's early years in life are quite disturbing. Her mother's instability naturally left Audrey with many questions regarding her own sanity. The Breviary latched on to Audrey's insecurities like a leech when she moved in, forcing her to act as its conduit.[return][return]The story itself was so-so. I had trouble connecting with the main character and I perceived that the mental illness portions of the story took center stage over the far more interesting haunted house aspects. Sarah Langan's writing is solid and the story is a page turner, but it hit a point for me where I just wanted to jump ahead 100 pages to see what is going to happen within the apartment building. I won't spoil that part for you. I would recommend this story for fans of psychological horror fiction.
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