3 out of 4 stars
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William is intrigued when Howard, a rather reserved and withdrawn man, invites him over for dinner. He senses the spookiness as soon as he lays foot inside Howard’s house. The cold and gloomy air of the house creeps inside him, and it only increases as his dinner extends to a couple of days. What makes William stay are the stories that Howard tells him. Starting every tale with a piece from Bach’s famed Goldberg Variations, Howard reels in William’s interest by engaging him with the accounts of real-life incidents that happened to a group of individuals connected through a very slight detail. As it turns out, Howard, too, is linked to the protagonists of his stories, and by hearing about them, now, William, too, is.
Variations on a Haunting Theme by Alan Millard is, in its essence, a compilation of eight stories that have eerie endings. Each story deals with one or the other aspect of the supernatural genre. The themes vary from simple ghost stories to cult fanaticism, from the case of life after death to an instance of psychological problems. While on the surface, this might appear to be simple scary stuff, a deeper evaluation reveals that it has some significant themes at its heart. One story deals with a man suffering from depression, while the other shows a man with unresolved childhood issues. Occasionally, there comes a line that turns out to be profoundly meaningful.
The author deserves an A++ for the way he has written this novel. Immediately building the mood, the brilliant writing style makes use of its Gothic setting to capture the attention of the reader. The writer treats the reader just as Howard treats William. Taking his time to build the tension in every story, he, then, ends it with such intensity that makes the reader have a drink, or a nap(!), before moving on to the next one. The descriptions of the characters and their surroundings are concise, yet insightful enough to keep the reader on the edge of his/her seat. The moods of the characters echo through the atmosphere of the story. Be it the foggy day or the sunny one, the weather in each story fluctuates with the temper of its protagonist.
Speaking of the characters, they are another feather in the cap for Variations on a Haunting Theme. Before starting each story, Howard plays a Goldberg variation that mirrors the personality of the story’s central character. All eight accounts show different types of men with varying social temperaments and distinct personal and professional personas. As their stories progress, we note the gradual changes in their nature as, finally, every single one of them meets a horrible end, in one way or another.
My rating for this novel is 3 out of 4 stars. The only reason that refrains me from giving it a perfect rating is the frequency of grammatical mistakes in it. They hampered the reading flow and sometimes created confusion about certain details in the story. I believe that 3.5 would be a more justifiable rating for this book, considering how awesome the rest of it is in comparison to a bunch of mistakes. I recommend this book to everyone who likes to read spooky, haunting stories. Also, don’t read this book before sleeping. You don’t want that stuff in your dreams. Trust me!
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Variations on a Haunting Theme
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