Book Review: Haunted by Patrick Wallace
Genre: Horror
Age: Adult
Format: Paperback
As evidenced by my “Mad Science” feature, I am always eager to read a horror book featuring or written by a fellow scientist. When DHR was offered the chance to review Haunted, a book that has both, I immediately requested a copy.
Wallace’s book focuses on Ellie Hawthorne, a physics professor struggling to obtain funding to continue her research. When an opportunity arises for her to gain funds by acting as the skeptic on a paranormal investigation team at the Bruker House, she reluctantly agrees. Ellie, and her faithful dog Hux, must face Bruker House, the believers on the rest of the team, and her own past trauma as she embarks on this journey to try finding evidence of the supernatural.
I enjoyed that Ellie was originally motivated by a rejected grant. Although I am not in the physics field, funding lapses are a trial faced by many scientists. After all, John Hammond’s offer to fund the dig site for a few years is how he got Dr. Grant and Dr. Sattler to check out Jurassic Park in the film. Ellie’s fear of losing funding and having to pause research for even a semester is a real concern, as it could not only negatively impact her but also her current students. She does not have tenure yet and faces the pressure to have a steady output of papers coming from her lab.
I giggled that she knew Thomas Huxley, whom her blue heeler is named after, but had not read any works by his grandson, Aldous Huxley, author of famous science fiction/dystopian novels like Brave New World. I also was shocked she was so inspired by a biologist. Anecdotally, as a biologist/ neuroscientist, I have met many physicists (or physical scientists in general) who have sneered at those of us in the life sciences as “lesser than”. This hinted to me that although Ellie is indeed a skeptic of the supernatural, she may be more open-minded than others in her discipline due to being a woman or her past experiences. She also mentions the difficulties faced by women in STEM. While these obstacles are something we all deal with, it can be much more challenging for women in the physical sciences or engineering. Her worries about being taken less seriously for participating in a paranormal research study are valid since she is a woman and still has not obtained tenure.
Ellie’s interactions with the other team members felt very real for a scientist too. She joins David, the team leader, Lou, the demonologist/pastor, Charlotte, the cryptozoologist, and Alaina, the clairvoyant. She is condescending to them and automatically thinks they are full of it, dismissing their claims or experiences with rational explanations. For admiring someone like Huxley, Ellie often approaches the paranormal/ supernatural with heavy bias.
Some of other team members could use more characterization but all are tied to one another through the experience of some type of trauma that has negatively impacted them. The house takes advantage of this by having them experience nightmares when they stay over a few nights. This connection of trauma does not negate their differences in belief/personality but allows the characters to relate to one another despite those stark disparities. When discussing the traumas, there are mentions of addiction, animal abuse, child death, CSA, child abuse/ domestic violence, and violence to the LGBT community. These are not too highly sensationalized in explicit detail, with Ellie’s trauma receiving the most focus. While I enjoyed that her trauma was not fully resolved by the end of the story, I felt like it was also glossed over in some ways. Of the other characters, Charlotte was a favorite of mine. Her and Ellie form a warm friendship that felt genuine. Although, I’m not sure if folks from Louisiana truly say things like “cher” as often as she did!
I felt like some of the references were a bit cliched, with blatant nods to Shirley Jackson, Poe, Lovecraft, and others. They did not bother me enough to dampen my reading experience, but I think the author was sometimes relying on these big names to get readers in the mood compared to setting his own. I felt like some plotlines/ characters could have been explored more as well.
MINOR SPOILERS FOLLOW FOR THE NEXT FEW SENTENCES
(skip to the following paragraph if you want to avoid)
For example, while I was concerned for Alaina after her disappearance, she felt the most separate from the group, so I was not as worried about her going missing as I would have been if it had been someone like Charlotte. However, since Charlotte is a trans character, I understand why the author may have chosen to let her survive unscathed. More information related to the Bruker House or family may have added eeriness to the story as well. The mysterious cave in the basement and bizarre grave of Helena Bruker could have been expanded on to perhaps creep out the reader more. On the other hand, I was very worried for Hux throughout the book, but dog lovers will be pleased to know he survives the story!
END SPOILERS
On an aesthetic note, the cover is simple and elegant, and I genuinely adored how there is a grey shadow slowly creeping down the first page of each as they progress. The shadows start at just the upper corners then approach closer and closer to the chapter number and the text as the reader advances through the book.
Overall, I enjoyed this book. Haunted was a quick, easy read that would be fun for any fans of media featuring paranormal investigation and haunted houses. Although written for adults, some YA readers would likely have fun reading it too.
Rating: B-
Purchase links:
Review by Dee
Twitter & Bluesky: @SirenofScience
I received a paperback from the author for review consideration.
