Self-declared all-around victim Ruth Gemmill, the heroine of Morris's debut suspense novel, flees her abusive lover and heads to the small northern England town of Greenwell for a surprise visit with her brother, Alex, a gay high school teacher. But Ruth is in for a surprise herself: Alex has disappeared, and few in Greenwell know or care where he has gone. Ruth's anxious inquiries bring to the surface her most disturbing memories and dreams of lurid childhood traumas, not to mention the unwelcome reappearance of the abusive lover, Matt. Meanwhile, the behavior of the Greenwell populace is so ominous Ruth suspects that even apparently helpful townsfolk like kindly Keith and lovely Liz may not be what they seem. Indeed, they are not. Ruth falls into the hands of rough policemen and the arms of friends of both sexes before winding up in the lonely places of the title, sites like the abandoned train station where Matt suffered the childhood rape that has made him so violent. Billed as "a novel of psychological suspense," the book is more like an over-the-top compendium of titillating terror, including scenes of pedophilia and sadomasochism. Morris's hallucinatory mixture of memory and nightmare, aggression and submission, pain and excitement will intrigue some readers and vex many others, as will the ending, which suggests Ruth's emotional roller-coaster ride was, like the town of Greenwell and its inhabitants, not at all what it appeared to be.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
From Library Journal
In his new novel, British author Morris branches out from his horror roots (Stitch, The Horror Club) into the arena of psychological suspense. Ruth Gemmill is still trying to escape the remnants of an abusive relationship when Alex, her brother and best friend, moves to the northern England town of Greenwell to take a job as a teacher. When she isn't able to get in touch with him, she becomes concerned. Her attempts to find him in Greenwell fail. He's disappeared without a trace, and the inhabitants of the town are increasingly hostile to Ruth's investigation. As the book plays out, it becomes more and more clear that nothing is as it seems. Morris's experience in writing horror is evident in the very tightly plotted story. Whether Ruth is awake or dreaming, each detail fits precisely into the story. Unfortunately, the conclusion of this taut thriller feels as if it were tacked on. Inexplicable events are explained all too abruptly, and the added twist at the end feels like just that an added twist. Recommended for larger public libraries. Jane Jorgenson, Madison P.L., WI
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
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