Book Review of THE VESSEL by Adam Nevill

THE VESSEL by Adam Nevill (Ritual Ltd., October 2022) Trade paperback, 177 pages. ISBN # 9781739788612 Synopsis on the Goodreads website . . . . . . 

A watcher may remark that after sleeping for so long, the building appears to have been roused.’

Struggling with money, raising a child alone and fleeing a volatile ex, Jess McMachen accepts a job caring for an elderly patient. Flo Gardner—a disturbed shut-in and invalid. But if Jess can hold this job down, she and her daughter, Izzy, can begin a new life.

Flo's vast home, Nerthus House, may resemble a stately vicarage in an idyllic village, but the labyrinthine interior is a dark, cluttered warren filled with pagan artifacts.

And Nerthus House lives in the shadow of a malevolent secret. A sinister enigma determined to reveal itself to Jess and to drive her to the end of her tether. Not only is she stricken by the malign manipulation of the Vicarage's bleak past, but mercurial Flo is soon casting a baleful influence over young Izzy. What appeared to be a routine job soon becomes a battle for Jess's sanity and the control of her child.

It's as if an ancient ritual was triggered when Jess crossed the threshold of the vicarage. A rite leading her and Izzy to a terrifying critical mass, where all will be lost or saved.

An eerie folk horror novel from the author of Cunning Folk, The Reddening, The Ritual, No One Gets Out Alive and the four times winner of the August Derleth Award for Best Horror Novel.

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

     This short novel began as a film script before it became a novel. It does have a cinematic feel to it with great imagery and short chapters -- like scene breaks in a film.

     Nevill excels at folk horror and alluding to ancient pagan rites and beliefs which establishes an air of creepiness throughout the novel.

     THE VESSEL serves as a mini-morality play for those who wish to look deeper into the story. The final chapters seemed quite abrupt and quick compared to the rest of the story, like in a movie where the final act needs to wrap it all up and things move faster. Still, the final resolution was very satisfying.

     THE VESSEL is a very engaging read that can easily be read in one sitting and enjoyed.