Violet

Author:

Thomas, Scott, 1975- author.

Genre:

Abstract:

"For many children, the summer of 1988 was filled with sunshine and laughter. But for ten-year-old Kris Barlow, it was her chance to say goodbye to her dying mother. Three decades later, loss returns--her husband killed in a car accident. And so, Kris goes home to the place where she first knew pain--to that summer house overlooking the crystal waters of Lost Lake. It's there that Kris and her eight-year-old daughter will make a stand against grief. But a shadow has fallen over the quiet lake town of Pacington, Kansas. Beneath its surface, an evil has grown--and inside that home where Kris Barlow last saw her mother, an old friend awaits her return"--Provided by publisher.

Geographic Term:

Kansas -- Fiction.

Edition:

First edition.

ISBN:

9781947848368

Physical Description:

433 pages ; 21 cm

Subject Term:

Homecoming -- Fiction.

Loss (Psychology) -- Fiction.

Grief -- Fiction.

Personal Author:

Thomas, Scott, 1975- author.

Title:

Violet

Inkshares presents Violet

Available:*

Library	Shelf Number	Material Type	Status
Searching... Hattiesburg Library	FICTION THOMAS	Book	Searching... Unknown

Bound With These Titles

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Summary

Selected by Library Journal as one of the best horror books of 2019

"The sheer, skin-crawling fright is masterful. Thomas has crafted an indelible story...all wrapped in a supernatural shroud that unfurls from the heart of America. Whether or not thoughts can breathe, books certainly can, and Violet does exactly that." --Jason Heller, National Public Radio

"Don't let anybody tell you this book is a slow burn-- Violet travels at the speed of horror." --Josh Malerman, New York Times bestselling author of Bird Box

For many children, the summer of 1988 was filled with sunshine and laughter. But for ten-year-old Kris Barlow, it was her chance to say goodbye to her dying mother.

Three decades later, loss returns--her husband killed in a car accident. And so, Kris goes home to the place where she first knew pain--to that summer house overlooking the crystal waters of Lost Lake. It's there that Kris and her eight-year-old daughter will make a stand against grief.

But a shadow has fallen over the quiet lake town of Pacington, Kansas. Beneath its surface, an evil has grown--and inside that home where Kris Barlow last saw her mother, an old friend awaits her return.

Reviews (2)

Publisher's Weekly Review

Thomas's slow-burning second novel (after Kill Creek) is saturated with an atmosphere of loss, from the trauma endured by the protagonists to the decrepit house that lures them into its clutches. After Kris Barlow's husband is killed in a car accident, Kris takes her eight-year-old daughter, Sadie, to stay at her family's old summer house, where, decades earlier, Kris coped with the death of her mother. But instead of her idyllic memory, Kris finds a decaying house in a dying town plagued by loss and distrust. The longer they stay in the home, the more Sadie pulls away, drawn to the voices that lurk in the walls. Slowly, Kris realizes that the sorrow she endured there remained and festered, developing into a ruthless monster. Though the level of detail is ponderous--including multiple pages spent on Kris brushing her teeth--Thomas conjures the power of grief with dreadful clarity, rendering the entity's vengeance as inevitable as it is chilling. It's a gruesome, ghostly, yet moving tale of love, loss, and the endless power of memory. (Oct.)

Booklist Review

Thomas' second novel tops the reading experience of his breakout debut, Kill Creek (2017). Hoping to help her heal from the tragic death of her father, Kris brings her young daughter Sadie to the Kansas vacation town where she spent a few summers as a kid, including the summer her mother died of cancer. But this is no idyllic vacation town: the lake has an eerie provenance, and in the years since Kris last visited, the demon of sadness and anger she left in her wake has clung to the town, not-too-patiently awaiting her return. Kris' unreliable narration adds a layer of dread to this well-built world that dives deep into otherworldly monsters and real-life tragedies. Every detail matters in this character-centered, psychological suspense story of mothers, daughters, and the lies and secrets we harbor deep within. This is a title that fans of best sellers Sarah Pinborough and Jennifer McMahon will love. Violet also stands as proof that Thomas is a horror novelist who will be camping out on library shelves for years to come.--Becky Spratford Copyright 2010 Booklist