The Woman in Black by Susan Hill

Amazon/Barnes & Noble

Published by: Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group

Review by: Dani Hoots

The Woman in Black by Susan Hill follows Arthur Kipps as he is assigned to attend the funeral of Mrs. Alice Drablow up in the marshes of the Nine Lives Causeway. While he attends this funeral, he sees a woman in black lingering around the graveyard. Who was this woman? And why will no one in the town answer his questions about her.

As Arthur goes through all of Mrs. Drablow’s paperwork, he finds more clues as to what happened, who she was, and the mystery behind all of their weird things going on around town. It isn’t until he stays the night at Mrs. Drablow’s Eel Marsh House does he begin to understand why the people in the two feared the house and why no one wanted him to go.

Will he escape the curse that follows whoever sees the woman in black? You will have to read this creepy, well-written story to find out!

This story is very well-written, giving an old Victorian feel with a modern voice. Susan Hill does a spectacular job making your heart jump at every slightest thing she describes. She starts out the story perfectly, with Arthur Kipps and his family getting ready for Christmas and the children are telling ghost stories. This makes Arthur Kipps begin to write down his story. It is a great introduction to the character and makes you wonder what exactly happened.

I did, however, want to know more about his fiancé, Stella, in the story to understand why he cared for her so much. She seemed one dimensional because we didn’t get to interact with her much, although I am also guilty of that in my own writing.

I give this novel a 4.5/5, loving every moment, but wanting just a little bit more for characters other than Arthur himself.