Review: Abigale Hall by Lauren A. Forry

I remember one night, several years ago, I set down Daphne Du Maurier's Rebecca and proclaimed to my husband, "That was amazing. I can't believe I didn't read it a long time ago!"  Rebecca was surprisingly good, like most of the classics I've read. Obviously, that's not a shocker for most readers, but I have a hard time with classics. I start out thinking that I won't like it and it'll be really slow and boring. I talk myself out of starting the title in question multiple times before I do actually commit to reading it. Even though many have been rather slow-moving when compared to what I normally read, there's just something about those stories and their characters that hooks me. Books like Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte and Rebecca will forever be on my favorites list.

Abigale Hall by Lauren A. Forry is very reminiscent of Rebecca, right down to the (maybe?) evil housekeeper.  It's obvious right away that this was no accident on Forry's part.  The story follows two sisters, Eliza and Rebecca, who are left orphaned in London after the chaos of WWII.  Eliza just wants to get married to her boyfriend and move far away from all the sadness of her life. Unfortunately for her, their aunt decides she can no longer afford to keep the girls and sells them off as indentured servants to a mysterious Mr. Brownwell who lives in the sprawling Abigale Hall. This estate could be Manderley's little sister with its once grandiose architecture, haunting portraits of a beautiful woman, and the sweeping moors that surround it.  Rumored about town to hold terrible secrets, Abigale Hall itself seems to be a character in this novel. Eliza, being older than her sister, feels responsible for Rebecca and promises herself that she will do her best to keep her little sister out of trouble. You see, Rebecca has a few "issues." Besides suffering from Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), she is prone to fits of outrage and violence. (Think of it kind of like a two year-old throwing a tantrum and then times that by three.) Eliza does her best to keep Rebecca in check, but the longer they stay at Abigale Hall, the more Rebecca seems to be falling under the creepy housekeeper's spell.  Realizing the danger they are both in, Eliza does whatever she can to escape with Rebecca.  In the meantime, the story bounces back to Eliza's boyfriend and follows his journey as he tries to find his love and save the day.

This novel is labeled as "horror," but I don't really think it fits in that genre. There's not a ton of guts and gore and I wasn't really terrified at all while reading.  It was more psychologically disturbing than anything else. I think it would best be categorized as a Gothic thriller. It really was the perfect fit for the mood I was in at that moment. 

I really enjoyed this story. It was suspenseful from the very first page and Eliza is a protagonist you can really root for.  I was not as drawn in by the parts of the book that were from Eliza's boyfriend's point of view. There are also a few scenes that depict violence towards animals, which I really dislike in general. I understand they were included to show what a particular character is truly capable of, but I still would have preferred those scenes be omitted. Those were the only negatives, in my opinion.  I was going to give the book four stars originally, but then the ending came and that last star was earned back. I didn't see the twist coming and felt it was a perfect way to finish off this creepy tale. If you enjoyed reading Rebecca or Jane Eyre, I really think you would enjoy this novel.

My Rating: ★★★★★