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ridgewaygirl's review against another edition
3.0
A small family is driving from Seattle, where they picked up Uncle Robbie from rehab, back to South Carolina. They hit a snowstorm in Idaho and pull off the interstate to spend the night in a hotel. The Travelers Rest is a grand old place, currently being renovated and the only person they meet inside is the elderly owner. Quickly things start to go wrong.
Keith Lee Morris's book starts out as a novel about the Addison family; the fractures in their relationships highlighted by the presence of Tonio's little brother, the guy who is ambivalent about living near his disapproving sibling, while being attracted to his wife. The novel quickly changes though, once they reach the isolated mountain town with its decaying hotel, into what first looks like a horror novel, and it kind of is, but not in any traditional way, as the hotel rapidly separates each family member from the others. Tonio is stuck in an endless cycle of looking for his wife in the snowstorm and sitting in a parlor with the hotel owner. His wife is trapped in a room, but not that unhappy about it. His brother thinks he's left to go drinking as a choice he made, but with each passing day, he finds himself with less and less agency. And Tonio's son is left alone in an empty, unheated hotel, being fed by the owners of the diner across the street, who may understand his situation a lot better than he thinks.
This is a novel that starts strong and seems to be going in a specific direction, but then turns into something entirely different. This is an odd book. With every character isolated from the others, it turns into several different stories running in parallel. It also takes its time, meandering along as each character remains stuck. Two things kept me reading; the quality of the writing and the story of the boy, the one person still out in the world able to make decisions and try to find his family.
Keith Lee Morris's book starts out as a novel about the Addison family; the fractures in their relationships highlighted by the presence of Tonio's little brother, the guy who is ambivalent about living near his disapproving sibling, while being attracted to his wife. The novel quickly changes though, once they reach the isolated mountain town with its decaying hotel, into what first looks like a horror novel, and it kind of is, but not in any traditional way, as the hotel rapidly separates each family member from the others. Tonio is stuck in an endless cycle of looking for his wife in the snowstorm and sitting in a parlor with the hotel owner. His wife is trapped in a room, but not that unhappy about it. His brother thinks he's left to go drinking as a choice he made, but with each passing day, he finds himself with less and less agency. And Tonio's son is left alone in an empty, unheated hotel, being fed by the owners of the diner across the street, who may understand his situation a lot better than he thinks.
This is a novel that starts strong and seems to be going in a specific direction, but then turns into something entirely different. This is an odd book. With every character isolated from the others, it turns into several different stories running in parallel. It also takes its time, meandering along as each character remains stuck. Two things kept me reading; the quality of the writing and the story of the boy, the one person still out in the world able to make decisions and try to find his family.
kyledhebert's review against another edition
3.0
Travelers Rest starts slowly, but the final third is eerie and thrilling enough to make it worthwhile.
mehitabels's review against another edition
Atmospheric, with obvious heavy consultation with the thesaurus, dreamy and unsatisfying.
More like watching a movie via a viewfinder, small perfect images that explain little, plus after awhile you get tired of pushing the forward button.
Skimmed to get to the end, but can't honestly call it reading. Probably perfect for fans of Proust.
More like watching a movie via a viewfinder, small perfect images that explain little, plus after awhile you get tired of pushing the forward button.
Skimmed to get to the end, but can't honestly call it reading. Probably perfect for fans of Proust.
rosebudthom's review against another edition
1.0
It's as if this guy read Stephen King's The Shining and Desperation, went "I can do that too", and regurgitated a mix of the two, but with absolutely no regard for talent.
the1germ's review against another edition
Couldn't get into it. The dreamy, dazed way characters were moved around lost me. It's not something you can read in short bursts. Maybe I'll pick it up again when I have more time to settle in and give it my undivided attention.
indigooryx's review
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
yellab1026's review
I feel the characters were being over explained, which left me very unconnected. A few lines in and I could feel my thoughts drifting to anything else. I acknowledge I only gave it 52 pages, but I was dying for more of the spooky hotel.
I feel the plot is very reminiscent of Stephen King's The Shining, which is a disadvantage as nothing cannot top Room 217 at the Overlook for me.
I feel the plot is very reminiscent of Stephen King's The Shining, which is a disadvantage as nothing cannot top Room 217 at the Overlook for me.
raforall's review against another edition
5.0
Three Words That Describe This Book: creepy, methodically paced, thought provoking
A great backlist option for fans of Samanta Schweblin or Carmen Maria Machado.
Becky’s Soundbite Review:
“A family-- husband, wife, 10 year old son, and recovering alcoholic uncle are traveling East from Washington back to South Carolina over the Christmas break when a snow storm forces them to stop for the night in Good Night, Idaho at the historic "Travelers Rest" hotel, a seemingly small decision that forever changes all of their lives. With its slow burn pacing, readers are swept up into a time bending, haunted house story that is terrifying without any blood, but features a menace that is definitely not of this world. It is a story about familial love, memory, and identity that will make you think, but it is the creepy tone that will continue to haunt you after the final page. Think Twilight Zone meets The Shining and you know what your stay at Travelers Rest will entail.” [34 seconds]
Full review on the blog: https://raforall.blogspot.com/2016/02/what-im-reading-travelers-rest.html
A great backlist option for fans of Samanta Schweblin or Carmen Maria Machado.
Becky’s Soundbite Review:
“A family-- husband, wife, 10 year old son, and recovering alcoholic uncle are traveling East from Washington back to South Carolina over the Christmas break when a snow storm forces them to stop for the night in Good Night, Idaho at the historic "Travelers Rest" hotel, a seemingly small decision that forever changes all of their lives. With its slow burn pacing, readers are swept up into a time bending, haunted house story that is terrifying without any blood, but features a menace that is definitely not of this world. It is a story about familial love, memory, and identity that will make you think, but it is the creepy tone that will continue to haunt you after the final page. Think Twilight Zone meets The Shining and you know what your stay at Travelers Rest will entail.” [34 seconds]
Full review on the blog: https://raforall.blogspot.com/2016/02/what-im-reading-travelers-rest.html
nukie19's review against another edition
4.0
Described as a cross between The Shining and Twin Peaks, this book definitely lived up to my expectations. Starts a little slow and clunky, with the changing perspective every chapter (not always too obvious with pronouns like "he" being used for pages on end) but definitely picks up about halfway though. Enjoyable and a bit creepy.