Review Detail

Phew! What a roller coaster of a read. The Turning, a modern day retelling of the Turn of the Screw, is a thrill ride full of twists and shadows. I picked up the book one evening and could not go to sleep until I knew how it would end! As a reader, I began to question what was real and what might be an illusion. Can I rely on the stories given to me by the narrators? Who is telling the truth?

The Turning is an epistolary novel, or a story told through letters. This is a great writing device for a thriller novel. The reader must either trust each narrator or be left in shadows of doubt. This helps build suspense throughout the novel. I loved the two children in the novel- unusual and a little out of time, they bring a sense of creepy evil to the novel. Jack, the main character, soon like a childhood friend. Who wouldn't hate being in a house with no TV, wifi or telephone? But who wouldn't take a job that paid well? But I kept asking myself . . . Is everything what is seems?

This is a great book to read on a fall evening when tree branches are scraping the side of the house while the wind makes everyone creak and moan in unfamiliar ways.