One of my reading resolutions for 2011 is to embrace more contemporary fiction, and Sarah Waters’ superb novel The Little Stranger gave me a taste for the ghostly. Susan Hill’s novella The Small Hand is narrated by antiquarian book dealer Adam Snow, who discovers a derelict and spooky Edwardian house when visiting a client. As he explores the grounds, he experiences the terrifying sensation of small cold hand tightly gripping his own. Although there is nobody to be seen, Adam continues to haunted by this strange presence, which even pursues him to a remote monastery in France. As a consequence, he suffers repeated panic attacks and an overwhelming compulsion to kill himself. When confiding in his brother, Adam gradually discovers that an event in their misty past is responsible for his current terrors.
Although set in the present day, the narrator’s profession and scenes of dusty libraries give the story a timeless quality. Hill expertly builds the mystery and suspense in well-crafted layers, and then delivers a number of deftly-aimed narrative shocks. Her writing is atmospheric and well-paced, leading to a satisfying and tragic conclusion. The story is very short and best suited to a single sitting, preferably with a leftover Terry’s Chocolate Orange* and a cup of tea.
The Small Hand is available in a Kindle edition, but for the same price, it would be a shame to miss out on the lovely embossed dust jacket.
* Other snacks are available
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We were talking about Susan Hill at one of my books groups yesterday morning and saying what a gift she has for capturing precisely what she wants to convey succinctly and yet without losing anything of the magic of her creation. (We had just been complaining about the number of novels we’d read over Christmas that would have been better culled by 100 pages or so.) None of us had got hold of a copy of this as yet, but I can see it is going to be another favourite.
Yes, I found the brevity rather appealing after reading so many three-deckers last year!
This has nothing to do with the book, because I haven’t read it. (I’d like to, at some point.) BUT, have you tried the Terry’s Chocolate Orange with popping candy in it? AMAZING. One got Mr D and me through the drive from Glasgow to Edinburgh over Xmas.
A Chocolate Orange with popping candy? How frightfully modern! In the interests of empirical research, I might have to give that a go.