A frightening short story and a retelling of Edgar Allan Poe's famous The Fall of the House of Usher. The Story moves quickly and Alex is a compelling lead. They at first are eager to make sure Madeleine (Maddie) is all right, but slowly begin to lose their trust in Roderick and the crumbling estate around them. As a former soldier, they have seen many horrific and unspeakable things, but what is happening to Maddie is eerie and seems to be beyond comprehension. How can you fight against a malady that makes little sense? I really enjoyed learning about Alex's background, how becoming a soldier afforded them their right to a title that does not distinguish gender. Their country is always seemingly in turmoil, but Alex is generally happy and affable, easy to get along with. Alex has tinnitus, which often comes up at inopportune times in the novel, sometimes in times of urgency. Their horse adds a lot of humour to an otherwise serious and terrifying plot, bringing levity to a dreary world. The side characters played good foil for Alex's determination. Roderick's doctor friend, Denton, seems to be leading Alex away from the truth, while Roderick is distant and forlorn. The only one to help Alex is Eugenia Potter, a relative of Beatrix Potter (famous illustrator and writer). Eugenia is an expert in fungi, so Alex comes to her when things begin to look dire, but also do not add up. Eugenia is knowledgeable, but she is also realistic about how much people trust or listen to women. The story is truly creepy and at times quite grotesque. The rabbits in motion had me wrinkling my nose in distaste. Listening to the audiobook, the narrator was very good and put me in mind of the main characters soldier authority. However, when the narrator did Maddie's "sleep walking" voice it reminded me too much of Mr. Burns after his treatment (when everyone in Springfield think he is an alien). So, it detracted from the horror.
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