Little Sister Death
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- £6.49
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- £6.49
Publisher Description
Little Sister Death is the stunning 'lost' horror novel of the late William Gay. Inspired by the famous 19th Century Bell Witch haunting of Tennessee, it follows the unravelling life of David Binder, a writer who moves his young family to a haunted farmstead to try and find inspiration for his faltering work...
Beautifully written and structured, Little Sister Death is a loving and faithful addition to the field of classic horror writing, eschewing any notions of irony or post-modern tricks as it aims, instead, straight for your soul.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
This horror story from the Southern gothic author Gay (Twilight), who died in 2012, takes the popular Bell Witch ghost tale as its direct inspiration. David Binder, a budding author in his early 30s, resides in Chicago with his wife, Corrie, where he works his day job at an aircraft parts plant. He breaks through when his debut novel is published in 1980 to much critical acclaim but only tepid commercial sales. After his follow-up novel gets rejected, Binder's literary agent advises him to write a horror novel, which is the current hot-selling genre. He decides to base his third novel on the Bell Witch legend and relocates his family, including his young daughter, Stephanie, to Beale Station, in his native state of Tennessee, to conduct book research. The Binders live in the old homestead, "a ruined backwoods mansion," where the Bell Witch ghost incidents occurred in the early 19th century. Gay inventively gives his version of the bizarre, often creepy back story about the legend. Though Gay's story feels a bit thin in spots, his signature muscular prose, authentic dialogue, and vivid setting combine to make this posthumous novel a worthwhile read.