Sundial

“Kids are mirrors, reflecting back everything that happens to them. You’ve got to make sure they’re surrounded by good things.” I can’t think of a better book to be reviewing on Halloween, because this one gave me ALL the heebie jeebies. Catriona Ward has done it again. She’s built another creepy house of mirrors where so much of what you see isn’t what you think it is, and even the parts that you think you’re seeing clearly change with each step. By nature, I’m not one who devours books in a day, and I’m no joke the wimpiest person I know when it comes to horror, but I stayed glued to these pages for hours, even when it was genuinely disturbing … and it IS. This is top notch psychological horror that will get inside your head and make itself at home for awhile. As with The Last House on Needless Street, there’s very little I can say about the plot that won’t be too much, but I’ll give the bare bones premise. Rob is a teacher, married to Irving, an English professor, and they have two daughters, Callie, twelve, and Annie, nine. On the outside, they’re a normal family living the suburban life, but inside their walls lie secrets, betrayals, and threats … and for Rob, a long-buried past at Sundial, her Mojave Desert childhood home, that she’s forced to confront when circumstances with Callie bring it screaming to the surface. The story is told in the past and present, mostly by Rob, with scattered chapters told by Callie and even some book within a book chapters. Callie’s chapters were 'chills up my spine' creepy and Rob’s were like a Pandora’s box that I was never sure I wanted to see inside of - each lift of the lid unveiling new horrors. It’s provocative, with content warnings galore, but it's also an extremely thought-provoking book about human nature and how much we can control it. I've put those content warnings below, so PLEASE DON'T read them if you don't want spoilers, but PLEASE DO read them if you have particular triggers you're concerned about. (I'm particularly looking at you, animal lovers). It’s a solid 4.5 star read, and I’ve debated whether to go up or down (it may still change), but for now I’m giving it 4 stars, due to some upsetting content and not being a huge fan of the book within a book chapters. I found them confusing and didn’t feel they added much to the story, but that’s just personal preference. All-in-all, it's an amazing follow-up to her last book. It's much more straightforward and less ‘mind-bendy’ than The Last House on Needless Street, but the wickedly good twists (and there were some doozies!), as well as the ideas about human nature, still blew my mind and leave me eagerly waiting for her next book! ★★★★ ½ ❤ Thanks to Macmillan-Tor/Forge, NetGalley and author Catriona Ward for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinions. It’s due for publication on March 1, 2022.

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SPOILERS: CONTENT WARNINGS Animal/Dog-Lovers: This will be a tough read for you in parts - especially dog lovers - and you may have to skim or skip some sections. I'm not a dog owner, and it was hard for me. There are various animal deaths (mostly after the fact or suggested) and animal cruelty (involving experiments based on actual historical events). It plays a significant role in the story rather than being gratuitous, but for some of you, it may be upsetting and knowing this fact may not be enough. People Triggers: physical/psychological/emotional abuse- both spousal, sibling and child, graphic depictions, self harm, suicidality, drug abuse, mental illness, infidelity