Grief effects us all in a variety of different ways. Some accept it and move on. Others are force to wallow in a dark mire that consumes them fully. The Grieving Stones concerns a group of some such individuals, as they head off to an isolated cottage in the middle of nowhere with a counsellor, in an attempt to come to terms with what they’ve all lost.
Mahon sets the characters up, gradually revealing little pieces of each individual’s grief, all the while setting the scene of the isolated cottage and the surrounding landscape, imbuing a sense of creeping dread that the characters find hard to wash off. The main character of Alice begins to wonder if the ghostly goings on are really going on, or worse; inside her sorrow wracked mind.
Combining the very real sense of loss we all feel at some point and the something more supernatural, Mahon has weaved a tasty little tale that strikes deep into the heart of the reader. We all lose somebody during our lifetime, the question is asked, just how much do we lose of ourselves, when we lose a loved one?
As usual, narrator Chris Barnes is on point with his reading, creating a definite voice for the cast of characters, making this less a reading, but more of a one man theatre. His voice work is fluid and I look forward to his next performance. If it was him reading the phone book, I’d listen.
If you’re after an engaging, atmospheric novella, I suggest you pay a visit to The Grieving Stones.
Mahon sets the characters up, gradually revealing little pieces of each individual’s grief, all the while setting the scene of the isolated cottage and the surrounding landscape, imbuing a sense of creeping dread that the characters find hard to wash off. The main character of Alice begins to wonder if the ghostly goings on are really going on, or worse; inside her sorrow wracked mind.
Combining the very real sense of loss we all feel at some point and the something more supernatural, Mahon has weaved a tasty little tale that strikes deep into the heart of the reader. We all lose somebody during our lifetime, the question is asked, just how much do we lose of ourselves, when we lose a loved one?
As usual, narrator Chris Barnes is on point with his reading, creating a definite voice for the cast of characters, making this less a reading, but more of a one man theatre. His voice work is fluid and I look forward to his next performance. If it was him reading the phone book, I’d listen.
If you’re after an engaging, atmospheric novella, I suggest you pay a visit to The Grieving Stones.
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