I received this book for free from the Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Looking Glass Sound by Catriona Ward Published by Tor Nightfire on August 8 2023
Genres: Adult, Horror, Psychological thriller
Pages: 352
Format: ARC
Source: Publisher
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The nitty-gritty: Truth and fiction blur together in Catriona’s Ward’s latest, a complex tale about death, love and stories.
“Friends can break your heart, it seems, just like love.”
I never know what to expect from a new Catriona Ward book, other than it’s sure to be complex and different, and Looking Glass Sound is no exception. This story is many things: a coming-of-age tale, a murder mystery, a tragic love story and a story of betrayal. It’s also hiding a secret within its pages. What seems like one thing in the beginning turns out to be a lie, and then that lie becomes another lie. By the end it’s almost impossible to untangle the truth, and the reader is left with a sense of both awe and confusion. Yes, I enjoyed this book, but it’s not a story you want to rush through. I’m glad I’m in the habit of taking notes while I read, and later writing them down (Looking Glass Sound is five pages of notes!), because it gives me a chance to “read” the book a second time. This is one of those stories where you want to go back to the beginning after you’ve finished, because you’ve most certainly missed something important.
The story begins with a memoir written by Wilder Harlow in 1989, titled The Dagger Man of Whistler Bay. Wilder recounts a summer spent in the small seaside town of Castine and the life-changing events that happened there. The house the Harlow’s inherit from a relative is just up from Whistler Bay, named for the whistling sound the wind makes as it passes through the surrounding rocks. When they arrive, Wilder meets two other teens his age, and they become fast friends. Harper is a red headed beauty and Nat is the son of a fisherman, and the three become caught up in the mystery of a man dubbed the Dagger Man, who sneaks into houses and takes Polaroid photos of sleeping children—with a knife at their throats.
Then bodies are discovered and the Dagger Man becomes a serial killer. The fallout from this fractures their friendship in terrible ways that will reverberate for years to come.
Next, the memoir jumps to 1991 when Wilder goes to college. There he meets and befriends a boy named Sky, who claims to be an aspiring writer, but their friendship ends when Sky steals Wilder’s memoir and rewrites it as his own story. Later we learn that the book, called The Sound and the Dagger, has become a bestseller. The story, eerily similar to The Dagger Man of Whistler Bay, has four characters named Wiley, Nate, Helen and Skander.
Finally, we are introduced to Pearl, the daughter of a woman named Rebecca who supposedly drowned a decade earlier in the bay. Pearl is also a writer and is tangled up with Wilder, Harper and Nat, although to explain how would be a spoiler.
Ward jumps around in time and also from character to character, slowly pulling back the many layers of her story to reveal an unsettling truth. I felt the strongest parts were Wilder’s chapters, which make up the bulk of the story. The mystery of the Dagger Man and the horrible discovery in the bay after the Dagger Man is identified is the sort of riveting storytelling I was expecting from this book, and the author came through with lots of eerie details revolving around the serial killer and his prey, and plenty of tension among the characters.
But when Pearl is introduced, things get confusing. Pearl is clearly connected to Harper and Wilder, but it takes a while before the whys and hows are explained. The story contains no less than five different books: The Dagger Man of Whistler Bay (written by Wilder), The Sound and the Dagger (written by Sky), Skye (Wilder’s second book), the “fictional” Pearl (written by Skye), and finally, Looking Glass Sound (written by Pearl). The characters take on various personas and seem to appear in each other’s stories, and keeping them straight isn’t easy—Wilder/Wiley, Harper/Helen, Nat/Nate, Sky/Skye/Skander—some are real and some aren’t. To confuse things even more, another character named Grace makes an appearance late in the story, and again, she’s connected to the others in some interesting ways.
Ward names her characters after famous writers, and that isn’t coincidence. This is a story about stories, the power they have and the magic within their pages. I did love some of the things she has to say about characters living on through books, never having to die, which gave the tone of the story a hopeful feel.
In the end, Looking Glass Sound is a weird little tale that does some clever things. I’m still thinking about the book days after finishing it, turning over the bits of story in my head to see what I might have missed. I’d love to know if you’ve read this too.
Big thanks to the publisher for providing a review copy.
I think you’ve done a great job explaining all the different parts of this because there was a LOT going on. I found myself thinking it over and over once I’d finished reading, and there were definitely certain bits that I went back and read again, once certain things were revealed.
Pages and Tea recently posted…Book Review: Evil Under the Sun (Hercule Poirot #24) by Agatha Christie
I definitely missed things the first time, maybe someday I’ll do a reread:-)
I couldn’t believe that an author would choose to have two characters with the same name in a novel. It seemed unnecessary.
Great review! I’m especially intrigued that you were able to take 5 pages of notes on it. It definitely sounds like there’s a lot to take in and process.
Suzanne @ The Bookish Libra recently posted…Top Ten Tuesday – 10 Books I Was Influenced to Read because of Top Ten Tuesday
There was a lot to process for sure, lol.
This does sound confusing, but also intriguing? I mean, you make it sound like it’s worth a bit of headache ;D. Keeping an eye on it.
Roberta R. recently posted…Taste the Books: Review Morsels #44 A. Deborah Baker, Kate Alice Marshall, Kelsey Sutton
It’s definitely one of those books you want to read again.
I’ve started this but haven’t gotten very far. I spent the weekend reading My Roommate is a Vampire as I needed something that didn’t tax the brain cells. I loved your review though and I am excited to read some more on it.
I’m so curious to see what you think:-)
I love the sound of this book and how it’s so many things at once like a coming-of-age tale, a murder mystery, a tragic love story and a story of betrayal, like you said in your review. Aside from it being a little confusing (which I can totally understand) it seems like a great read!
Stephanie @ Bookfever recently posted…Review: Death by Laura Thalassa
She did a great job with all those elements!
It seems Ward both attracts me and scares me at the same time!
Great review
Emma @ Words And Peace recently posted…Bout of Books 38
Ha ha there a good reason for that!
I need to try this author again but wasn’t a fan of House on Needless Street so haven’t given her other books a try yet.
Stormi recently posted…Two Bloggers One Book ~ Finders Keepers by Stephen King
Her books take some work, you have to really pay attention, lol.
I wasn’t really interested in this book, but your review made me curious! And it is always a pleasure when even day after finishing it, we still think about a book. It’s like a gift!!
I do love a book that won’t leave my head, lol.
Great review, Tammy! I felt the same way about this one – I couldn’t get it out of my head even though it wasn’t a 5-star read for me. It blew my mind, just like her books always do, lol. I wish I had taken notes while I was reading it like you did!
Destiny @ Howling Libraries recently posted…‘101 Horror Books to Read Before You’re Murdered’: send help, my TBR has finally crushed me
She’s definitely one of the most unique writers I’ve ever read. I always look forward to her books!
such a lot to process with this but I do like a book that makes me want to go back to the beginning.
Lynn 😀
Another author I need to start reading! I used to use post-it notes when I first started blogging to help me with reviews. Then I switched to adding notes on Goodreads when I updated my status. I need to go back to taking notes! Great review. Is it weird that for some strange reason the cover made me think of the skull key in Goonies? lol
Lisa Mandina (Lisa Loves Literature) recently posted…The DNF Report #21 – August 2023