Book Review: THE TAKING OF ANNIE THORNE by C.J. Tudor

Title: THE TAKING OF ANNIE THORNE

Author: C.J. Tudor
Read: April 2019

Expected publication: out now

My Rating: 🌟🌟🌟1/2

Book Description:

One night, Annie went missing. Disappeared from her own bed. There were searches, appeals. Everyone thought the worst. And then, miraculously, after forty-eight hours, she came back. But she couldn't, or wouldn't, say what had happened to her. Something happened to my sister. I can't explain what. I just know that when she came back, she wasn't the same. She wasn't my Annie. I didn't want to admit, even to myself, that sometimes I was scared to death of my own little sister.

My musings:

THE CHALK MAN  was one of my favourite books last year, so I was very excited to pick up Tudor’s latest book, THE TAKING OF ANNIE THORNE (much prefer that title to THE HIDING PLACE, the other name it has been published under).

If the opening scene was anything to go by, I should have realised that Tudor may take this book one step further and step across into the horror genre – and it certainly did! It was therefore perhaps not the smartest choice for my nightly commute and lonely dog-walks along dark lanes, but it certainly made my heart pound (if you’re into that sort of adrenaline rush).

For me, THE TAKING OF ANNIE THORNE was quite similar to THE CHALK MAN  in many aspects. Here we have a dysfunctional, single male character who is reminiscing about the past and a deep dark secret  that has shaped his life. However, if her debut worked by insinuating evil, she is not afraid to turn it up a few notches here. Ed was flawed but likeable, whilst Joe was a truly unlikeable and damaged character for me. And whilst the little chalk men may in her first book seemed sinister, the horror elements in this book will truly make your skin crawl! There are also quite a few supernatural elements in this latest novel, which may or may not work for different kind of readers. I, for one, enjoy subtle hints more than the full-in-your face horror, which is why I probably didn’t love this one as much as THE CHALK MAN. Personally, I also felt that not all the threads came together for me in the end – or perhaps I missed something? – which left me with more questions than answers.

So, let’s sum it all up without spoilers:

Things I loved:

1. An atmospheric, small town setting that was truly terrifying at times. Tudor excels with her settings, and this one is a prime example of a setting that is as much a character in her novel as the actual people depicted in it.
2. Humour. Dark humour, but that counts, doesn’t it? As much as I disliked Joe, at times he came out with things that made me laugh. Even if they often were politically incorrect. Go on, shoot me down for saying that, I am sure that someone out there will be offended by this.
3. The unreliable narrator theme, which worked really well here. Can you trust Joe? Or is he lying? That’s the million dollar question and you won’t get an answer out of me here, no matter how much money you offer – well, don’t tempt me.

Things that didn’t quite work:

1. The horror elements. If I want horror, I will read horror. Or rather not. But ok, I just toughen up and take one for the team.
2. Too many unanswered questions remaining in the end. I will not go into them here because of spoilers, but not everything added up for me. But maybe I’m just a bit thick.
3. The book has been compared by many to Stephen King’s novel Pet Sematary, which I have not read because I thought it would be too scary. But maybe I should. 

Summary:

All in all, this one should appeal to readers who like dark mysteries and aren’t too squeamish – there were quite a few horrific and confronting scenes here that may be too much for some. Whilst I enjoyed the foray into Tudor’s sinister world and found some aspects thoroughly intriguing, some of the horror elements did push me outside my comfort zone. I liked it but didn’t love it quite as much as I thought I would!