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reaperreads's review against another edition
4.0
Okay, I think I get it.
And the longer I sit with it, the more I like it.
Georgie, the protagonist of Beulah, grows on you. The context is this: She moves to the town of Beulah, which is situated near a canyon somewhere in the U.S., with her two sisters (Tommy and Stevie) and their mother. Their mother's childhood best friend Ellen situates them in an old, dilapidated schoolhouse that they'll get to live in for the time being as long as they help flip it so it can sell as a regular house. Tommy, Stevie, and their mom take on the majority of the renovation, though, leaving Georgie to nap most of her non-school days away.
The first half of this novel mostly concerns Georgie going through the motions of living in this new (haunted) space while simultaneously recalling her past experiences with ghosts, which are sometimes fantasized/romanticized versions of her actual memories. This should have been a clue about her mental state, but I didn't pay close enough attention to notice. Instead, I actually found myself having to slog through a lot of the first half of this novel because Georgie seemed to want to talk about all of the most mundane details she could think of about every aspect of her life.
"Where do you go?"
However, the further I read, the clearer it became that Georgie's dullness was a defense mechanism. If she were a knife, the dullness I read was not of her blade, but of her sheath. She not only has gone through personal trauma but also has been encouraged most of her teenage life to be anyone other than who she is: a gifted psychic who can see ghosts just as well as she can see the living.
The last third of this novel is still the strongest, in my opinion. The conflict becomes clearer, Georgie starts focusing more on her own wants and on remembering her memories in better faith, and the spooks get spooky.
" . . . But every time I stop doing what I'm supposedly supposed to do, I'm getting stronger and seeing more. And sometimes it's so beautiful."
I recommend this novel to the more patient horror reader. If you expect gore and violence in anything labeled horror, this probably won't be the book for you. I still encourage you to try, though. The ending is worth it.
For fans of: Hereditary (2018), The VVitch (2015), We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson, Come Closer by Sara Gran, Monstrilio by Gerardo Sámano Córdova, The Tribe by Bari Wood, Zone One by Colson Whitehead, The Midnight Library by Matt Haig
And the longer I sit with it, the more I like it.
Georgie, the protagonist of Beulah, grows on you. The context is this: She moves to the town of Beulah, which is situated near a canyon somewhere in the U.S., with her two sisters (Tommy and Stevie) and their mother. Their mother's childhood best friend Ellen situates them in an old, dilapidated schoolhouse that they'll get to live in for the time being as long as they help flip it so it can sell as a regular house. Tommy, Stevie, and their mom take on the majority of the renovation, though, leaving Georgie to nap most of her non-school days away.
The first half of this novel mostly concerns Georgie going through the motions of living in this new (haunted) space while simultaneously recalling her past experiences with ghosts, which are sometimes fantasized/romanticized versions of her actual memories. This should have been a clue about her mental state, but I didn't pay close enough attention to notice. Instead, I actually found myself having to slog through a lot of the first half of this novel because Georgie seemed to want to talk about all of the most mundane details she could think of about every aspect of her life.
"Where do you go?"
However, the further I read, the clearer it became that Georgie's dullness was a defense mechanism. If she were a knife, the dullness I read was not of her blade, but of her sheath. She not only has gone through personal trauma but also has been encouraged most of her teenage life to be anyone other than who she is: a gifted psychic who can see ghosts just as well as she can see the living.
The last third of this novel is still the strongest, in my opinion. The conflict becomes clearer, Georgie starts focusing more on her own wants and on remembering her memories in better faith, and the spooks get spooky.
" . . . But every time I stop doing what I'm supposedly supposed to do, I'm getting stronger and seeing more. And sometimes it's so beautiful."
I recommend this novel to the more patient horror reader. If you expect gore and violence in anything labeled horror, this probably won't be the book for you. I still encourage you to try, though. The ending is worth it.
For fans of: Hereditary (2018), The VVitch (2015), We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson, Come Closer by Sara Gran, Monstrilio by Gerardo Sámano Córdova, The Tribe by Bari Wood, Zone One by Colson Whitehead, The Midnight Library by Matt Haig
indy_commode's review against another edition
5.0
Gorgeous & surreal with a melancholy that sticks. This not your typical ghost story, the characters are so vivid you feel like you know them, and the narration feels so familiar you can get swept into your own lost teenage fantasies. The author paints with a thick brush, perfectly rendering small town poverty on a granular level. The horror is subtle, psychological, and comes on like a fever. You don't know it until you're deep under its spell. Much like people leave impressions that shape us, especially when we're young, so do Nogle's ghosts. It's hard not to come out the other end of this not reflecting on the ways we're all haunted.
This is just an excellent read.
This is just an excellent read.
noemi_qu's review
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
calebstephensauthor's review against another edition
5.0
Beulah is a gorgeous, slow-burn read that unfurls quite beautifully. Having become a fan of Nogle's short fiction, I was really looking forward to reading this book. Let me tell you, I wasn't disappointed.
I quite enjoyed the setting and the small-town feel of Beulah. The chills and creeping dread that Nogle weaves throughout. Our protagonist, Georgie, is a very likable and compassionate individual who cares deeply about her family, and Nogle does an excellent job of placing the reader in Georgie's shoes as the family looks to make a fresh start.
I won't spoil where the story goes from there--just note that it's a rich and complex coming of age story with fully-realized characters and an ending I didn't see coming.
This is one to put on your list. Simply put: Nogle knows how to write.
I quite enjoyed the setting and the small-town feel of Beulah. The chills and creeping dread that Nogle weaves throughout. Our protagonist, Georgie, is a very likable and compassionate individual who cares deeply about her family, and Nogle does an excellent job of placing the reader in Georgie's shoes as the family looks to make a fresh start.
I won't spoil where the story goes from there--just note that it's a rich and complex coming of age story with fully-realized characters and an ending I didn't see coming.
This is one to put on your list. Simply put: Nogle knows how to write.
windchime79's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
jack_b's review
dark
emotional
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Lovely writing but the pace is too slow.
luckybfi's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
cassattack's review
dark
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
erat's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Color me blown away! Definitely one of the most unique ghost stories I've ever read.