Thomas Tessier returns to form with the story of two couples whose lives intersect in the person of a mystic. Their stories swing from Connecticut to Ireland in a vivid tale that exemplifies the finest elements of horror fiction and demonstrates why Thomas Tessier is so highly regarded. With this book, the secret gets out .
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com Review
"His body flew into hers, his face into hers, a glimpse of an unbearably elongated eye rushing directly into hers. It felt as if she had been hit by a wave of frigid moisture, so shocking to her system that it nearly knocked her out, and at the same moment she could hear him shriek in agony--from within her body, the awful noise filling her, seeming to swell her brain and resound in the chambers of her heart, devastating her with shared pain."
A woman is horrified by visits from her dead father. Her cold psychopath of a husband thinks she's being ridiculous. Another husband and wife are getting messages from their long-lost daughter who died as an infant. The two couples consult a medium named Oona--a serious, moody teenager with Pre-Raphaelite hair. Sensing that their fates are intertwined, Oona introduces them and insists on conducting their séances together. Fog Heart is a dark, disturbing ghost story, one in which the living characters' inner torments and relationships with each other are more crucial than the supernatural events. The pacing is a little uneven, but Thomas Tessier--called "horror fiction's best kept secret" by the Washington Post--more than makes up for it with literary craftsmanship. The characters are richly evoked, the dialogue smooth and convincing, and the descriptions elegant, even musical.
From Publishers Weekly
Everyone seems to be chased by the dead in Tessier's (Secret Strangers) eighth novel, already published to critical acclaim in the U.K. In this atmospheric tale, a young Connecticut psychic draws two couples together, dramatically changing their lives and her own. Oona Muir has visionary trances that involve self-laceration, bleeding and fits. Expressing her visions in the disjointed, imagistic language of traditional prophecy, she convinces a few believers but lets more skeptical acquaintances scoff?until she hints at their own dark secrets. Her powers attract a sex-murderer who wants her as his accomplice and, in order to get to Oona, seduces her unwitting guardian half-sister. The other couple, Charley and Jan, are forced into a confrontation with the truth about their deceased infant daughter that has shocking repercussions. It's not easy to write an effective ghost story these days, but Tessier has managed it with literary flair.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
A Strange Ghost Story,
By
This review is from: Fog Heart (Hardcover)
The first two chapters compelled me to read on, but then the pace slowed until I had to push myself to read through it. Oona and Roz were the most interesting characters, if not a little weird. I thought Jan's story was heartbreaking, but the rest of the characters I found I didn't care much about. They were too self-absorbed. Mr. Tessier had a great start, fizzled at the middle, then came back with a fast-paced ending. This book requires patience and an open mind.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Psycho,
By
This review is from: Fog Heart (Paperback)
Though not particularly scary in a Stephen King sort of way, Fog Heart is an intriguingly different sort of mystery. Populated by a cast of psychologically crippled, twisted couples who are initially unknown to one another, the plot revolves around their coming together via their work with an exceedingly strange young medium, Oona. Is she gifted, or is she crazy? How does she know about her clients' deepest secrets? Are the visions that haunt these people real, or fragments of their own damaged personalities? Can Oona help them? Can any of them help Oona, who is tormented by a secret of her own?
Fog Heart is ultimately about the nature of love, truth, reality, relationships, life, and death. It raises some intriguing questions, most of which don't have simple answers.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Tessier in top form,
By
This review is from: Fog Heart (Paperback)
When Carrie Spence starts having visions of her dead father, she and her husband Oliver consult a young psychic named Oona Muir. Through Oona, they meet Charley and Jan O'Donnell, another couple who believes they are receiving messages from their infant daughter who died tragically in a fire. This eclectic mix of personalities generates disturbing results, as dark crimes from both the past and present are unearthed through Oona's traumatic seances. The truths revealed test the parties involved, driving them to madness, despair, and death.A book which promptly landed on many reviewers' short list for best novel of 1998, Fogheart is first rate work from a major talent. Tessier casts a dark spell through his gripping narrative--his characters live and breathe, the dialogue shines, and the atmosphere of dread he creates will unnerve even the most jaded reader. Fogheart proves that horror is alive and well, demonstrating that a familiar premise can gain new life in the hands of a capable writer. If Tessier remains "horror fiction's best kept secret" after this one, there is simply no justice.
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