The Haunting of Velkwood
From Bram Stoker Award–winning author Gwendolyn Kiste comes a chilling novel about three childhood friends who miraculously survive the night everyone in their suburban hometown turned into ghosts—perfect for fans of Yellowjackets.
The Velkwood Vicinity was the topic of occult theorists, tabloid one-hour documentaries, and even some pseudo-scientific investigations as the block of homes disappeared behind a near-impenetrable veil that only three survivors could enter—and only one has in the past twenty years, until now.
Talitha Velkwood has avoided anything to do with the tragedy that took her mother and eight-year-old sister, drifting from one job to another, never settling anywhere or with anyone, feeling as trapped by her past as if she was still there in the small town she so desperately wanted to escape from. When a new researcher tracks her down and offers to pay her to come back to enter the vicinity, Talitha claims she’s just doing it for the money. Of all the crackpot theories over the years, no one has discovered what happened the night Talitha, her estranged, former best friend Brett, and Grace, escaped their homes twenty years ago. Will she finally get the answers she’s been looking for all these years, or is this just another dead end?
Award-winning author Gwendolyn Kiste has created a suburban ghost story about a small town that trapped three young women who must confront the past if they’re going to have a future.
The Velkwood Vicinity was the topic of occult theorists, tabloid one-hour documentaries, and even some pseudo-scientific investigations as the block of homes disappeared behind a near-impenetrable veil that only three survivors could enter—and only one has in the past twenty years, until now.
Talitha Velkwood has avoided anything to do with the tragedy that took her mother and eight-year-old sister, drifting from one job to another, never settling anywhere or with anyone, feeling as trapped by her past as if she was still there in the small town she so desperately wanted to escape from. When a new researcher tracks her down and offers to pay her to come back to enter the vicinity, Talitha claims she’s just doing it for the money. Of all the crackpot theories over the years, no one has discovered what happened the night Talitha, her estranged, former best friend Brett, and Grace, escaped their homes twenty years ago. Will she finally get the answers she’s been looking for all these years, or is this just another dead end?
Award-winning author Gwendolyn Kiste has created a suburban ghost story about a small town that trapped three young women who must confront the past if they’re going to have a future.
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Community Reviews
THANK YOU to Saga Press, an imprint of Simon & Schuster, for graciously providing a free copy of this book for review at my request. All opinions discussed are my own and are subjective to myself as a reader.
I've been a fan of Gwendolyn Kiste for years now. Fun fact - I've only read her short stories in various anthologies I've collected. As soon as I saw this new release, I knew that this would be the one to kick off my foray into her longer content. If you're curious why, it's because the title had one of my buzz words in it: "haunting"
THE HAUNTING OF VELKWOOD on the surface is about a neighborhood - well, more like one street that consisted of 8 houses - that was there one minute and gone the next. Well, almost gone. It shimmers in between, there and not there, barely visible even in the day. Much speculation surrounds this phenomenon - some claim it's a cosmic anomaly, others say it proves life after death. No one knows and if the three girls who survived know anything, they're not sharing. Until...
As much as I love a good ghost story and the mystery of a haunting, I found myself more interested in the main character, Talitha. As soon as I read the above quote on page 1, I was instantly able to relate. It's so nice reading about a character that's in my age range every now and again. I especially loved her arc of discovery which stemmed from the instinctual self preservation she fell into during childhood. I think the title should have made haunting plural, because the three survivors were haunted as well: by the past, by self built prisons, by guilt.
With Talitha being so close in age to me, I felt the pain of her childhood in a visceral way. While this world has a long way to go when it comes to accepting and loving one another, this book reminded me of how far we have come and that change is possible, albeit slow.
I opened this book already familiar with and a fan of Kiste's writing style, so I am happy to say her long form prose is the same quality as her short form. I tabbed several quotes and passages/descriptions that struck a chord within me. This is the kind of book that I think will have a different "message" for me each time I read it, depending on what life has thrown my way in between readings.
I look forward to finding out what those are.
If you prefer watching video reviews, I do have a BookTube Channel
A heartfelt thanks to my Patrons on Patreon for their support towards my enthusiasm for reading and reviewing!
Special thanks to my highest level Patrons: Ev, Amanda L., Sharon, Andrew, Star, Kate, Gail, Amanda F., Tara, John, Ann, Chad K., Ashley E., & Jennifer M.
I've been a fan of Gwendolyn Kiste for years now. Fun fact - I've only read her short stories in various anthologies I've collected. As soon as I saw this new release, I knew that this would be the one to kick off my foray into her longer content. If you're curious why, it's because the title had one of my buzz words in it: "haunting"
"Maybe they've been dead for decades, vanished in whatever disaster turned the street into a ghost in the first place. Nobody knows for sure. That's the problem."
THE HAUNTING OF VELKWOOD on the surface is about a neighborhood - well, more like one street that consisted of 8 houses - that was there one minute and gone the next. Well, almost gone. It shimmers in between, there and not there, barely visible even in the day. Much speculation surrounds this phenomenon - some claim it's a cosmic anomaly, others say it proves life after death. No one knows and if the three girls who survived know anything, they're not sharing. Until...
"These days, it seems everybody's younger than me."
As much as I love a good ghost story and the mystery of a haunting, I found myself more interested in the main character, Talitha. As soon as I read the above quote on page 1, I was instantly able to relate. It's so nice reading about a character that's in my age range every now and again. I especially loved her arc of discovery which stemmed from the instinctual self preservation she fell into during childhood. I think the title should have made haunting plural, because the three survivors were haunted as well: by the past, by self built prisons, by guilt.
With Talitha being so close in age to me, I felt the pain of her childhood in a visceral way. While this world has a long way to go when it comes to accepting and loving one another, this book reminded me of how far we have come and that change is possible, albeit slow.
I opened this book already familiar with and a fan of Kiste's writing style, so I am happy to say her long form prose is the same quality as her short form. I tabbed several quotes and passages/descriptions that struck a chord within me. This is the kind of book that I think will have a different "message" for me each time I read it, depending on what life has thrown my way in between readings.
I look forward to finding out what those are.
If you prefer watching video reviews, I do have a BookTube Channel
A heartfelt thanks to my Patrons on Patreon for their support towards my enthusiasm for reading and reviewing!
Special thanks to my highest level Patrons: Ev, Amanda L., Sharon, Andrew, Star, Kate, Gail, Amanda F., Tara, John, Ann, Chad K., Ashley E., & Jennifer M.
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