The Travelling Bag And Other Ghostly Stories by Susan Hill
Published by Profile Books
Ebook
Published 29 September 2016
183 pages
Library
From the foggy streets of Victorian London to the eerie perfection of 1950s suburbia, the everyday is invaded by the evil otherworldly in this unforgettable collection of new ghost stories from the author of The Woman in Black.
In the title story, on a murky evening in a warmly lit club off St James, a bishop listens closely as a paranormal detective recounts his most memorable case, one whose horrifying denouement took place in that very building.
In 'The Front Room', a devoutly Christian mother tries to protect her children from the evil influence of their grandmother, both when she is alive and when she is dead.
A lonely boy finds a friend in 'Boy Number 21', but years later he is forced to question the nature of that friendship, and to ask whether ghosts can perish in fires.
This is Susan Hill at her best, telling characteristically flesh-creeping and startling tales of thwarted ambition, terrifying revenge and supernatural stirrings that will leave readers wide-awake long into the night.
EXTRACT'Tell me, what would you say has been your most - shall we say 'intriguing' case, Gilbert?' (THE TRAVELLING BAG)
I enjoyed this collection of stories. After a rocky, lacklustre start with The Travelling Bag the remaining stories were much better.
THE TRAVELLING BAG: I really disliked this story. It was dull, boring and tedious. The story had atmosphere but fell flat on its face. The 'ghost' in the story bored me to tears. I thought the story was awful.
BOY TWENTY-ONE: I thought this story was great. Creepy, sad and unsettling. I liked the way the story started in the present with the fire, moved back in time to the character's friendship with Andreas and moved back to the present as the narrator wondered if Andreas's ghost could have been wiped out in the fire.
ALICE BAKER: This was my favourite story in the collection. I loved the setting in a modern office rather than a more traditional setting for a ghost story. Was Alice a ghost all along? Did she kill herself because the other girls disliked her? Who the hell knows what was going on?
THE FRONT ROOM: Another great, creepy story. It gave me chills.
