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Jan
14
Let's talk about THE LITTLE STRANGER by Sarah Waters
2010 at 10am Posted by Rebecca Joines Schinsky
Oh, Sarah Waters, where have you been all my life? What would I have done if Swapna hadn’t raved about The Little Stranger during our dinner at the National Book Festival? And for reals, how did I not know about you and your awesomeness?
Ever since Swapna’s raving (you’ll see that she named this the best book of 2009), I was dying to read The Little Stranger. When my book club decided to take a break over the holidays and read a longer book to be discussed in January or February, I immediately suggested that we look at the Booker Prize nominees, then I started lobbying for this one.
The the winner was announced (Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel), and it turned out that a few of the women in my book club ADORED Tudor history, and all of my hopes and dreams for reading this book were dashed. Wolf Hall it was.
But then, oh, then Nicole of Linus’s Blanket asked me to appear on her Blog Talk Radio show That’s How I Blog and to select a book to discuss during the 20 Minute Book Club segment, and The Little Stranger was back in, and all was right with the world.
In short, I loved The Little Stranger. Loved it. And if you’ve read it, I’d love to hear what you thought about it. You can hear my discussion with Nicole (and Jennifer, Heather,and Jen, who called in to discuss it with us) at That’s How I Blog–the book club discussion begins at about 57 minutes into the recording, and we take a few pleasant diversions along the way (and go for longer than 20 minutes), but it’s all good.
I had such a great time talking about The Little Stranger with those lovely ladies that I’m just not ready to stop yet. So let’s have a conversation here. Have you read the book? Did you like it? What did you make of the ending? Was there really something bad in the house? Was it Faraday messing around with the family? Are we really supposed to know?
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I loved The Little Stranger. I have read where folks compared it to the Turn of the Screw and I can see that . Was it the pyschological tension in the house or was it Faraday? The last scene where he was sleeping in his car, did he go to Hundreds and push Carolyn over the railings. I don’t think we were meant to know but in the end does that matter? It is sometimes the journey and not the destination that matters. The Little Stranger was a great journey that I truly enjoyed.
During the 20 Minute Book Club, a few people weighed in saying they thought it was Faraday, but I’m of the opinion that we’re not supposed to know. Authors usually use ambiguous endings for a reason, and I think you can find support for several hypotheses about the ending, but nothing is definitive, and it doesn’t really matter. This is one that’s about the journey, and the fact that the destination is unclear forces us to realize that and enjoy the experience.
I also loved this book. My take on it: Dr. Faraday killed Carolyn, but didn’t quite remember doing it. And there was a malevolence in the house that compelled him to do it, just as it compelled poor Gyp to bite that child. I got the sense that madness was slowly overtaking him as the story went on. He grew more and more desperate to marry her and move into the house, which is what the “malevolence” wanted as well. When she refused, he (or it) killed her.
I think it was Faraday. The last sentence of the book says something about him looking in the mirror and seeing the Little Stranger – ie. himself.
I did enjoy The Little Stranger, but didn’t love it. It wasn’t anywhere near as good as Fingersmith and there were large sections where I was bored. It does make a great book club book though. I’m pleased you enjoyed it!
I totally didn’t think it was Faraday, but I’m really intrigued by the idea! I loved this book and I found it to be completely creepy, so different from Waters’ other works but not less great for all that. I thought it was an actual ghost. I do agree that we’re not meant to know, we’re meant to be left guessing. I like it better that way, though. I don’t always need an answer.
That’s an interesting point. I think it’s possible that Faraday experienced some of the phenomena Carolyn described to him wherein people’s minds/spirits leave their bodies and undertake actions they don’t remember. But I’m not really sure I want to know. After this reading experience, I’ll certainly be working my way through Waters’s backlist. Thanks to your recommendation, Fingersmith will be up first.
Those are my feelings too, Meghan. I think the argument for it being Faraday is interesting, but for the sake of the ghost story, I wanted to think it really was something in the house….but I’m happy to be left not knowing. I don’t think Waters wants us to feel certain.
I haven’t read it yet, but, after reading Swapna’s rave review (which is where I first heard of it), I want to. It sounds fantastic and the cover calls to me. I’ve put it on my wishlist
This was my first experience with Waters’ brilliance. I’ve since read Night Watch and Fingersmith. She is just freaking amazing. ANYWAY. Farraday was obsessed with the house since he was a boy. He wanted to be a part of it so bad, that he inserted himself into their lonely, dysfunctional lives, and even tried to marry his way in. And with that little bombshell that he dropped at the end, you realize he has been unreliable all along. Which makes you go back and question everything he has told us. All of it could be fabrication on his part! I’m not sure we are meant to know all the answers, but in my analytical mind, I think it was all him. But the writing was so gothic, and deliberate, it just seeped into my brain. I also should mention that with Simon Vance narrating, it was unbelievable on audio.
I loved this story. The house was just depressing I think. The doctor was unbalanced all along in his thinking. I was convinced he did the deed when I heard what Carolyn said to someone she met unexpectedly on the stairs that night right before she was killed. She said “You!” Who else could she have meant? Great discussion. I want to read more waters too. And I hope she’s working on the next one.
Is it book club worthy? That is the question of the day with me because my group will be choosing their books for the year and so far I have narrowed it down to:
The Help
Last Night at Twisted River
Cutting for Stone
…but there is always room to toss another one into the ring.
Yes. Definitely book club worthy. There’s a lot to talk about here. I adored Cutting for Stone, and I want lots and lots of people to read it, but I don’t think it’s as easy to get through as the rest of these, and you’re likely to have folks who are intimidated by the size and the writing style and won’t finish it.
Good point on Cutting for Stone.
I read it, and loved it, and decided that Waters is a genius and trusts her readers to a ridiculous extent. You have to use your brain because she doesn’t spell things out for you. Everyone I talked to who didn’t like this book resented that specifically, but I rather enjoyed being trusted to come up with the right solution!
I appreciate it when authors do that, also. Ambiguity can be a deliciously puzzling aspect of the reading experience, but it just doesn’t work for readers who need a black-and-white ending.
Yay! I just got a notice from my library telling me “The Little Stranger” is now available. Oh, happy day! I read Waters’ “Fingersmith” last year, and while I wasn’t completely blown away, I definitely wanted to read more of her work. I am very, very, very excited. So happy to hear you liked it so much.
After that post, how can I not put this on my wish list? I keep hearing all of these wonderful things about Sarah Waters’ work, I obviously need to read one of her books.
I must get round to this book. I LOVED Fingersmith. Have you read that one? It is amazing. i won’t say anymore because I’d hate to spoil it for you
I have the audio checked out of the library right now. Can’t wait!
This is the only one of Waters’s books that I’ve read, but you can bet I’ll be picking up the rest of them soon, starting with Fingersmith.
I’ve heard many good things about this book and Fingersmith so I look forward to reading them soon!! (I’ll definitely check out the rest of her books too!)
Acchhh–I had this in my hands last night and put it back down.
Go. Get it! It’s never too late!
I never even considered Faraday as being involved, which may partially explain why I didn’t think the book was very creepy. I was actually disappointed, although I did like how she weaved in the class issues, and post WWII life.
This was my first Waters, and I just loved it. I’m actually quite convinced that it was Faraday, mostly because of the last sentence that Jackie mentions and the fact that he stole a piece of the house right at the start.
For me, the ambiguity is in not knowing how he was doing it, or if he even knew he was doing it. If it was supernatural (which I think it had to be), was he controlling the paranormal force or was the force acting in accordance with his unconscious desires.
I also loved the way Waters weaves in ideas of class shifts and all that. I do plan on reading her backlist. I’m bummed I waited so long to discover her!
I don’t think we are supposed to ‘know’ but I think we’re at least encouraged to speculate (although I understand why you just want to leave it as is, and that’s fine too). I really do think Faraday got all poltergeisty and did it all without his conscious knowledge. Maybe the sleeping in his car this, he needed some physical proximity? I’m really bummed because I LOVED the audio of this, and my library doesn’t have the audio of any of her other books. I’ll have to try some of the other libraries around me.
Wow, this has been really interesting to read – I haven’t read this one yet, but I always try to read as many on the Booker List that I can. I will definitely prioritse this one now, thanks. I’m going to add it to my wish list with a link back to this post. Cheers
[...] Let’s talk about THE LITTLE STRANGER by Sarah Waters [...]
I just read and reviewed this too. I loved it and in fact I can’t stop thinking about it. Since reading it I’ve read lots of analysis on the ending. I think I’ll have to reread it one day.
I just finhised The Little Stranger today and reviewed it here.
I am so interested by these comments (a friend directed me to them). I never thought it could be Faraday but now……..
[...] I have just seen a discussion of this book over at The Book Lady’s Blog where there are some opinions of who may or may not have been behind it. Please do not venture over [...]
There’s an even more in-depth conversation of this at the end of my That’s How I Blog interview, linked in this post. I’d love to hear your reaction.
After an exhausting week of reading this novel, which sported some lengthy parts, the end consolidated me with the plot. I was wondering just as you are about Faraday’s involvement and have a number of theories – some already mentioned in your interesting discussion. What I haven’t read here yet is the view that Faraday represents the working class while the Ayreses the gentry. Both classes were/are as intertwined as the doctor’s and the family’s lives. Did Faraday hold a grudge against the gentry who treated his mom as a servant rather than a human being? And how would this affect his relationship to the family? Didn’t you get a feeling that he is striving to become part of this outdated lifestyle? Craving to better himself and by doing so, losing the focus? Isn’t he rather more in love with the house than with its inhabitants? But it’ not only his ambiguity that striked me as odd – the Ayreses have a love & hate story with their past and future as well. These characters – torn between convention, passion and restraints fight a bitter struggle towards some unspecified kind of happiness. Each one tested, each one failing. It’s a fairly sad story which’s tone reminded me of Ishiguro’s “Remains of the day”. Selfdelusion, loneliness, loss of control trigger something that is bigger than its parts and helps bring down the world as it used to be. Making room for a new way of life. Those unable to adapt will suffer bitterly. And the ironic part of it is that decades later, the modern reader is compelled admiration for the heroic act of maintaining the house and estate – wishing the Ayreses to succeed in their desperate exertion although the rationale might ask them to subdue, start a new life and make the best of what fate has dealt them.
Reflecting on it now, I genuinely enjoyed the read and what it portrays – as you said: this one is about the journey!
The class representations were a major focus of our discussion during the That’s How I Blog! 20 Minute Book Club, and I completely agree. The story also reminded me of elements of Ishiguro’s novel–great comparison!
[...] The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters: Award nominees (Booker Prize 2009); from the TBR pile (how’s two-birds-with-one-stone for my first completed book of the year?) [...]
[...] @ The Book Lady's Blog 2010 has been a year of great books for me already. It started with The Little Stranger and The Unnamed (the first pantyworthy book of the year). It continued with my [...]
[...] @ The Book Lady's Blog 2010 has been a year of great books for me already. It started with The Little Stranger and The Unnamed (the first pantyworthy book of the year). It continued with my [...]
I just finished the book and loved it. Hope I’m not too late for the discussion. I do believe that it was Faraday. I also believe that there is significance in the fact that Faraday is introduced as a child and that he is actually present in Hundreds Hall at one point while his mother worked there. Remember he broke an item in the house and kept the part he broke. I believe that his desire to live in and be a part of Hundreds began back in his childhood, as did the growth of the manifestation of the ghostly being (Faraday’s manifestation). The strange occurrences in the house did not begin with the Gyp. Betty was already aware of them before Faraday returned to the home as an adult. Faraday’s obsession is growing when he is a child and is quite evident in the countless trips made to Hundreds and his clear obsession with Caroline after she breaks off the engagement.
I’ve been avoiding your review because I hadn’t read The Little Stranger when you wrote it, but I just finished the book last night. *Loved* it! My thoughts echo a lot of the above conversation – I think the evil in the house was a paranormal energy born out of Faraday’s desires and resentment surrounding class issues – but that we’re not really supposed to know, and can read the story on two levels of who or what was to blame/what was real, just like The Turn of The Screw.
.-= Anne´s last blog ..Read this next: The Little Stranger =-.
I loved the book. After reading all the different ideas from everyone it was very odd that no one discussed the moment before Caroline died; she said …you!
That to me meant that she knew her killer and that it was not her dead sister it was Faraday.He was able to manipulate the different things that happened in the house because he had his own personal key of which he never gave back even after the house was sold. Waters doesn’t tell you of course that he could have entered the house at various times and set the stage for all the horrible things that happened… plus remember he was a doctor he could have just put Mrs. Ayres under and then put her on the back of the door. I believe it was Farraday as a mortal self of uncontrollable jealousy and lust for the house.
Just finished this book, loved it! While I think that there was a “ghost” haunting the Ayres, however, I think Faraday was the one who was in the house at the end and frightened Caroline, either pushing her or sending her in a panic over the railing to her death. He was heading home at 2:00 in the morning, he mentioned a couple of times heading towards Hundreds Hall, then blacked out and didn’t remember the rest of the night. The maid testified that Caroline woke up at 3:00 and heard her say “you!” in an angry tone – I think if it was a ghost she would have been more frightened. Remember after her mother died Caroline said the house was quiet and and the spirit gone? Faraday was stalking Caroline since she broke off the engagement, not because he loved her so much, but he was devastated in losing the estate.
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Remember when Seeley describes the incidents at Hundreds as being the result of “some ravenous shadow-creature … spawned from the troubled unconscious of someone connected with the house itself’? He calls the explanation a “reasonable extension of psychology.” I was doing some required reading for my psych class and I came across this passage from Freud’s 1919 essay, “Uncanny” that immediately reminded me of the book! In the article, Freud attributes feelings of terror produced by ordinary, familiar things to a repressed belief in the “omnipotence of thoughts.”
Freud writes:
“The uncanny [is] associated with the omnipotence of thoughts, with the prompt fulfillment of wishes, with secret injurious powers and with the return of the dead…We – or our primitive forefathers – once believed that these possibilities were realities and were convinced that they actually happened. Nowadays…we have surmounted these modes of thought; but we do not feel quite sure of our new beliefs, and the old ones still exist within us ready to seize upon any confirmation. As soon as something actually happens in our lives which seems to confirm the old, discarded beliefs, we get a feeling of the uncanny; it is as though we were making a judgment something like this: ‘So, after all, it is true that one can kill a person by the mere wish!’
Great read! I agree it Faraday. I love this type of ending. To me it was very black and white. great blogging!