Baird College's Mendenhall echoes with the footsteps of students heading home for Thanksgiving break and Robin Stone, who won't be going home, swears she can feel the creepy, hundred-year-old residence hall breathe a sigh of relief for its long-awaited solitude. As a massive storm approaches, four other lonely students reveal themselves to Robin: Patrick, a handsome jock; Lisa, a manipulative tease; Cain, a brooding musician; and Martin, a scholarly eccentric. Each has forsaken a long weekend at home for their own secret reasons. The five unlikely companions establish a tentative rapport, but they soon become aware of another presence disturbing the building's ominous silence. Are they the victims of an elaborate prank, or is the energy evidence of something genuine - something intent on using them for its own terrifying ends?
The Harrowing
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Review
'Absolutely gripping...It is easy to imagine this as a film...Once started, you won t want to stop reading'--London Times
'The Harrowing is a real page-turner, a first novel of unusual promise'--IRA LEVIN, author of Rosemary's Baby
'The Harrowing is a find: fast, original, and genuinely creepy'--F. PAUL WILSON, author of Midnight Mass
'Sokoloff's debut novel is an eerie ghost story that captivates readers from page one. The author creates an element of suspense that builds until the chillingly believable conclusion. Four stars' --Romantic Times
'Poltergeist meets The Breakfast Club as five college students tangle with an ancient evil presence. Plenty of sexual tension... quick pace and engaging plot' --Kirkus Reviews
'Sokoloff's debut novel is a furiously paced, deftly plotted joy, bursting at the seams with disquieting imagery and carrying a disturbingly dark undercurrent. It gave me a nightmare... and that's rare' --TIM LEBBON, author of Dusk
'The Harrowing is a real page-turner, a first novel of unusual promise'--IRA LEVIN, author of Rosemary's Baby
'The Harrowing is a find: fast, original, and genuinely creepy'--F. PAUL WILSON, author of Midnight Mass
'Sokoloff's debut novel is an eerie ghost story that captivates readers from page one. The author creates an element of suspense that builds until the chillingly believable conclusion. Four stars' --Romantic Times
'Poltergeist meets The Breakfast Club as five college students tangle with an ancient evil presence. Plenty of sexual tension... quick pace and engaging plot' --Kirkus Reviews
'Sokoloff's debut novel is a furiously paced, deftly plotted joy, bursting at the seams with disquieting imagery and carrying a disturbingly dark undercurrent. It gave me a nightmare... and that's rare' --TIM LEBBON, author of Dusk
Book Description
SCREAM meets THE EXORCIST is this chilling and completely gripping debut from a new and exciting voice in the world of horror
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
A tale of five college students that are left behind at Thanksgiving due to interpersonal family issues who find each other and start to play with a Ouija board that is located by one of the female protagonists. Events then spiral out of control and no one is sure whether it's a hoax or the genuine article which leads to intense paranoia to the victim as well as the others.
What really sold this tale to me however was the concept. It really was creepy. However, at one point it suddenly changed going more from an Adult novel to a Young Adult story as the tale dived into the principle character's sexual activity which I felt was unnecessary to the overall arc and appeared that the tale had changed authors partway through with different concepts that were never fully realised.
That said, the twist was fairly basic and had been utilised by a great many others so unfortunately was a little too predictable with the ending being a real let down after such a careful build up. But what was the saving grace of the tale was the author's descriptiveness in her reanimation sequence which was intense and was similar to a scene in Random's Birthing House.
Overall if you find it either discounted or on a carboot give it a go as you'll get a bit of fun out of it however I wouldn't pay the full cover price. A great shame as the premise had such potential.
What really sold this tale to me however was the concept. It really was creepy. However, at one point it suddenly changed going more from an Adult novel to a Young Adult story as the tale dived into the principle character's sexual activity which I felt was unnecessary to the overall arc and appeared that the tale had changed authors partway through with different concepts that were never fully realised.
That said, the twist was fairly basic and had been utilised by a great many others so unfortunately was a little too predictable with the ending being a real let down after such a careful build up. But what was the saving grace of the tale was the author's descriptiveness in her reanimation sequence which was intense and was similar to a scene in Random's Birthing House.
Overall if you find it either discounted or on a carboot give it a go as you'll get a bit of fun out of it however I wouldn't pay the full cover price. A great shame as the premise had such potential.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
By Laura
Format:Kindle Edition
Somewhere between my little-girl love of Enid Blyton and my adolescent (and beyond) adoration of Stephen King, there's a space which could be aptly labelled the "Point and Pike Years". During these years, I gorged on books in the Point Horror series and devoured everything Christopher Pike wrote.
While I'm sure many people would sneer at such things, I can honestly say that those books told some of the best stories I've ever encountered! Maybe that's why I have a not-at-all-secret love of YA literature. The stories are often so damn good. I have often wished that there was a "grown up" equivalent of Point Horror...
Sokoloff's The Harrowing is a book which meets that demand. The story is about a group of students who are stuck in student halls over Thanksgiving, due to their crappy home-lives. While tolerating each other's company for the holiday, the students decide to play around with a Ouija board.
Those of you familiar with the sorts of premises of Point and Pike will nod your heads when I put it to you that the idea sounds very reminiscent, right? Right.
The story was nothing original. The characters were predictably troubled and the ghostly-goings-on were fairly run of the mill. But it was a comfortable familiarity. As the book is fairly short at 280 pages, it was a quick read. It almost felt watching a movie on the Horror Channel: a bit cheesy, a bit predictable, sometimes creepy but nonetheless enjoyable.
Overall, this gave me a pleasant afternoon of reading. It was predictable, easy and familiar. It was good! I'm awarding it a solid three stars.
While I'm sure many people would sneer at such things, I can honestly say that those books told some of the best stories I've ever encountered! Maybe that's why I have a not-at-all-secret love of YA literature. The stories are often so damn good. I have often wished that there was a "grown up" equivalent of Point Horror...
Sokoloff's The Harrowing is a book which meets that demand. The story is about a group of students who are stuck in student halls over Thanksgiving, due to their crappy home-lives. While tolerating each other's company for the holiday, the students decide to play around with a Ouija board.
Those of you familiar with the sorts of premises of Point and Pike will nod your heads when I put it to you that the idea sounds very reminiscent, right? Right.
The story was nothing original. The characters were predictably troubled and the ghostly-goings-on were fairly run of the mill. But it was a comfortable familiarity. As the book is fairly short at 280 pages, it was a quick read. It almost felt watching a movie on the Horror Channel: a bit cheesy, a bit predictable, sometimes creepy but nonetheless enjoyable.
Overall, this gave me a pleasant afternoon of reading. It was predictable, easy and familiar. It was good! I'm awarding it a solid three stars.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
By AnnieW
Format:Paperback
Alexandra really writes well considering this is her frst novel!! I didnt purchase the book off amazon but from a local book shop for a mere £1.99 and for this price I found it an excellent read. The book holds the pace of a real horror movie and does become geniunly scary and creepy at times. I find the characters quite stereotypical and the story surprisingly unpredictable. If your looking for a good horror read that keeps up the fast pace and really easy to get into, this is for you!
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars
A short novel that reads like a lost horror film
I bought and read this over three days. It starts quickly and the characters might have been a bit cliche but the setting and story move along at a nice pace so it was a very... Read more
Published 9 months ago by Darragh Haigney
3.0 out of 5 stars
I quite liked this book
If you just want something to read to pass the time and ghost stories are you thing then this is a good book. Read more
Published 24 months ago by Lucy Russell
3.0 out of 5 stars
Average story, average prose...
Here's the thing: if I watch a movie and it's just 'all right' then that's fine; after all, it has only been an hour and a half or two hours of my time. Read more
Published on 27 Feb 2011 by Paul Campbell
5.0 out of 5 stars
Good, short, simple and scary.
It was a good short book to read. Reminiscent of point horror days, a nice getaway from all the complicated 'adult' horror books. Read more
Published on 27 Dec 2010 by Kaykiie
1.0 out of 5 stars
Oh, please.
What was I thinking? When I see a movie on the SyFy or Horror Channel, with the description beginning, 'Five college students...' I know not to go near it. Read more
Published on 27 Nov 2010 by Mitz
1.0 out of 5 stars
What is a harrowing?
I certainly fell for this one. Smart cover, apparently approving review by Ramsay Campbell (what was he thinking?), nominated for some award or other (yes, but by who?). Read more
Published on 30 Oct 2010 by john souray
4.0 out of 5 stars
A tight, atmospheric horror debut
Whilst I think I could have come up with a more accurate front cover blurb than "Scream meets The Exorcist", The Harrowing is an enjoyable little tale of five "outcast" college... Read more
Published on 29 Mar 2010 by Captain EO
1.0 out of 5 stars
NO STARS. VERY BAD. DON'T EVEN BORROW THIS.
This book is dire beyond belief. I saw it in the supermarket and it was cheap so I immediately thought it can't be very good. I was correct, sad to say. Read more
Published on 11 Mar 2010 by JennyD
1.0 out of 5 stars
Harrowing?
It was certainly a harrowing experience reading this book. Where do I start? Cliched characters - the studious geek, the jock, the promiscuous young girl, the outsider. Read more
Published on 13 Dec 2009 by Jane E. Myers
2.0 out of 5 stars
Disappointing
The bio for Sokoloff tells us she is a screenwriter and that explains a few things. To me The Harrowing reads like the novelisation of a film. Read more
Published on 17 Oct 2009 by K. Gale
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