[Review] - The Wise Friend
The Wise Friend
By Ramsey Campbell
The Wise Friend was my first time reading Campbell, but it won’t be my last - this was a unique and intriguing tale that kept me interested throughout.
Patrick’s Aunt Thelma was a famous artist before falling to her death. Growing up, Patrick would spend a lot of time with her, up until his parents made it near impossible after Thelma started seeing a new, strange man. Now, years later with Thelma gone, Patrick’s underage son has been sucked into the story of Aunt Thelma. He quickly meets a girl who is just as interested (or more) in the mystery behind Thelma and the magical places she would visit for inspiration. Together, they start seeking out these places in an adventure that leaves Patrick uncomfortable and suspicious for various reasons.
Without going any further into the mystery of it all, I will say The Wise Friend is more dramatic than horrific as the story plays out. It didn’t necessarily feel like a slow-burn, but there’s little excitement until the end. That being said, the premise was interesting enough that I was glued to the book. There’s a dark magic in this story, and I found the blend between fantasy and supernatural suspense to be spot-on. I never felt bored, though I did find the characters in need of a good slap - do Campbell’s characters always treat each other so poorly?
Campbell has a particular narrative style that really attracted me, despite its odd use (or lack) of grammar. How much of this was due to my copy being an ARC, I am not sure; that being said, missing grammatical marks were a constant from page to page (which leads me to think it’s Campbell’s style). At times, I did have trouble keeping track of what character was saying what, and would have to re-read dialogue as a result. Otherwise, I found a comforting flow to Campbell’s writing, and I’m eager to explore it further.
The Wise Friend isn’t an all-out exciting story (or even scary), but it is quite fascinating. At the very least, I enjoyed it enough that I now want to dive into my other Campbell titles awaiting on the shelf.
Review by Aiden Merchant
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I received a paperback copy of this novel from the publisher, Flame Tree Press, for review consideration.