Book Review of SUNDIAL by Catriona Ward

SUNDIAL by Catriona Ward (Tor Nightfire, March 2022) Hardcover, 304 pages. ISBN # 9781250812681 

Synopsis on the Goodreads website . . . . .

Sundial is a new, twisty psychological horror novel from Catriona Ward, internationally bestselling author of The Last House on Needless Street.

You can't escape what's in your blood...

All Rob wanted was a normal life. She almost got it, too: a husband, two kids, a nice house in the suburbs. But Rob fears for her oldest daughter, Callie, who collects tiny bones and whispers to imaginary friends. Rob sees a darkness in Callie, one that reminds her too much of the family she left behind. 

She decides to take Callie back to her childhood home, to Sundial, deep in the Mojave Desert. And there she will have to make a terrible choice.

Callie is worried about her mother. Rob has begun to look at her strangely, and speaks of past secrets. And Callie fears that only one of them will leave Sundial alive…

The mother and daughter embark on a dark, desert journey to the past in the hopes of redeeming their future.

My Five-Star Review on the Goodreads website . . . . .

     SUNDIAL is pure psychological horror, often the most frightening kind. Nothing is more horrifying that what humans can do to each other. The story deals with dysfunctional families, manipulation, animal abuse, communes, the effects of childhood trauma on an entire lifetime, genetics and traits that may be passed on, suppression of violent tendencies, bonding, etc. I could go on.

     SUNDIAL is deeply disturbing and has left its mark on me. Sometimes the biggest scars are the internal ones that aren't visible but bruise just as much. I recommend this book to fans of literary horror and give it five stars, the best recommendation I can make to those brave enough to venture within its pages. I'm not going to soften the blows by detailing any significant parts of the story here.

     If you are a true horror aficionado, you'lll want to experience this.