Heartstones

If you're looking for a good, quick Gothic read, Ruth Rendell's "Heartstones" should fit the bill nicely. This is the first book by the author I have read, and I was immediately stuck by her wonderful use of language: direct, to the point, with a quick wit and a good mind for well-chosen detail. This story will keep throwing unexpected twists at the reader, just when you think you've figured out what's going to happen next. It's not necessarily a story which will linger with you for a long time afterward, and it is not much more than a novelette, easy to finish in one afternoon's read. That said, if you are a fan of the author or like Gothic-style horror, you should give this one a look. You'll likely enjoy it a great deal.

I believe books like this are called "novelettes". It's a thin little tome of 94 pages and constructed like a modern tale from Edgar Allan Poe. In fact, many of the plot's elements echo some of his best, twisty pieces. The narrator of the story is Elvira (perfect name), a disturbing, self-centered teenager who is more than a little obsessed with her father (Luke) and expects to take her recently departed mother's place in his life, but only intellectually. Elvira is a cold, emotional cripple who tolerates the other people who compete with her for Luke's attention, especially her little sister, Despina, also known as "Spinny". Motherless, and essentially fatherless, Spinny is a sad, quirky child who finds great comfort in food, unlike her sister, who has essentially no interest at all in food. The worlds of both girls are rocked when Luke brings home Mary Leonard, who will be his new wife. Spinny is overjoyed and Elvira immediately starts to plot Mary's murder. And die she does, but from a fall from scaffolding, not from Elvira's poison. And Elvira is left to wonder if she somehow managed to kill Mary without remembering. Her thinking is increasingly addled. From this point on, the book is a downward spiral into madness but not with the expected consequences. The roles that were established at the beginning of the book seem to shift and even at the end, you almost need to revisit the beginning in order to see the clues. As is her usual, Rendell has everything in plain sight - we're just looking the other way.

Intriguing and FAB! with a twist at the end that you wouldn't expect (from one that usually works out "the go" in the first two chapters! Buy it, give yourself a great read, Lisa

Ruth Rendell tries her hand a Gothic novella, and creates the most perfectly crafted, disturbing tale I have ever read. In almost every mystery one reads, there is something which detracts, some plot element which didn't seem entirely feasible, some character which seemed paper thin; in short, there is always some contrivance related to the genre which leaves the reader thinking that while he or she may have been entertained, it was a less than perfect book. Such is not the case with Heartstones. I recommend it to anyone who enjoys good writing.

This is the one I recommend to readers who are new to Ruth Rendell. Though short in length, there is not one wasted or unnecessary word as she tells the story of a young girl struggling through a personal catharsis. As in most of Ms. Rendell's other psychological dramas and mysteries, she keeps the story's secret until the last paragraph.