Chantel's Reviews > Grey Dog

** spoiler alert ** It is important to note that most of the themes explored in this book deal with sensitive subject matters. My review, therefore, touches on these topics as well. Many people might find the book's subject matters & those detailed in my review overwhelming. I suggest you steer clear of both if this is the case. Please note that from this point forward I will be writing about matters that contain reflections on the death of an animal, domestic abuse, the death of a loved one, death as a consequence of physical abuse, the abuse of a child, sexual assault, pregnancy, adultery, miscarriage, & others.

The forlorn madness of the shadow of equity has long loomed over women. Societies have cultivated a sentiment of superiority for the vanquishers; the broad shoulders; the tenor; the dweller; the man made a King. Barbarism has seeped into our communal area, slithering like an eel over the bare toes of the river wanderer; Where is a woman’s place?

Throughout the years, many pieces of literature have broken the planches that offer themselves as steady roads into endless bodies of water. From within yellow wallpaper; the moors; the attic; the underbelly of the serpent is cool to the touch; she is us. After so many centuries of stories highlighting the plight of the female experience, readers may grow weary of the story that presents a villain in the shape of the lamb; a victim in the wolf’s body.

This particular story was familiar to me as I have read it before. Veteran readers will find much to remind them of tales long since read deep into the night. Lovers of dreadful stories, ones that bring forth the gothic dread of the otherworldly sorcerer’s secret will also be met with an old friend; or an acquaintance that reminds them of the dreary night whence the soundtrack to madness chimed.

It is not a negative thing to write a story that has been told before. The benefit of the exploration of the familiar is that the core messages in these tales are formatted for a reader who will see them better in a new light or, perhaps, who will meet them for the first time via this story. In the case of Ada Byrd & her melodramatic ravings, I am hopeful of the latter.

As a main character, Ada is nothing special there is rather little to her person. Ada’s main characteristics are that she is frumpy; dumpy; ugly; loves plants; is a teacher; & is a lover of women. Alongside this list, one notes that Ada is an abuser of women & children; she has a violent temper; she is cruel-spirited; & is overall rather stupid.

Perhaps that last one was not inserted in good faith but, I have a rather difficult time forgiving a malicious individual for their self-proclaimed intellect when their actions accuse them of the opposite. A cruel person cannot be well-read, well-informed, or highly intelligent. Smart people do not go around setting fire to the world. Instead of encouraging trees to grow & animals to experience their cycle of life, Ada endeavours to be callous & unkind to the utmost innocent life forms on the planet; Why is that? It is the marker of a small, stupid, & egotistically inept individual to be malevolent to those for whom life is a petal to the rose.

In my introduction, I presented the account of female representation in literature. In this book, the author similarly presents Ada, as though she would be able to stand toe-to-toe with the titans of her time. Perhaps, I am wrong. It is possible that the author sought to write about a morally corrupt person for the sake of having her live on the page & it is the reader’s fault for believing her to be an advocate of women at writ large. As with all my reviews, I remain an advocate for the truth, & the facts, & I highlight that which is my opinion. Though this story is presented to the reader as though it will follow the format one is familiar with, it is entirely its own.

Readers will find themselves in Ada’s journal entries in something of a new play on “The Tenant of Wildfell Hall” (1848) by Anne Brontë, “Wuthering Heights” (1847) by Emily Brontë, & “Jane Eyre” (1847) by Charlotte Brontë. I am not a great fan of stories that present themselves to the reader via journal entries. For one, this requires the forgiveness of the reader.

The entries include quotations & detailed retellings of events that took place off-page; the character would need an insane amount of time on their hands to essentially write an entire novel as well as formidable memory recall to quote those with whom they have had interactions. If one can forgive this approach, as it rings the tune of a story within a story; one will be able to appreciate the details as though they were taking place inside the mind of the character as they entered their explorations of the day to the page.

Ada’s character is not written to be likeable. There are few cases in literature where an author presents a reader with a person they will surely despise. To read this story requires the apathetic reader or, perhaps, the reader who awaits vindication. Ada is introduced to the reader via her interpretation of events. At once a teacher who pursues the profession because there is nothing else available to her, Ada is entirely wrong for the job. At times, her behaviour might lead one to believe that the story at hand was taking place far further in the past than it was. The events of this tale are rooted in the years 1900, 1901, & 1902.

One does not need to have a detailed understanding of the culture of the early years of the century. The author does not write her story as though Ada was a well-raised lady of class. The language is dry & simple, almost as though to reinforce the fact that Ada is dry & simple. I would have wanted more from this story in terms of the vocabulary the author chose to employ.

Ada’s character did not need prose to accompany her but the flow of the story did nothing to draw readers to her person. She is never someone the reader can trust nor is she particularly good at telling a story. She withholds information & recounts events as though they were Shakespeare-inspired scenes; whereas in reality, Ada is a lonesome woman with nothing going for her but the troubles she causes.

I will make myself clear; there is a scene that depicts Ada’s rape at the hands of the man whose house she was residing in during her previous teaching contract. My previous comment in no way speaks to this situation. Ada is not at fault for the actions this man took; she is not to blame for the assaults she suffered. What I am saying in the previous paragraph is that Ada goes through life engaged in angry & vile behaviour as though she deserves a free pass because her father was abusive.

Certainly, what might encourage the reader to reflect on the moral turmoil that Ada experiences is her long history of abuse. Ada loses her temper with the children in school, she beats a child, she treats children like they are the scum of the earth; she does not listen to the concerns of these children’s parents because she believes she knows what is best.

One may wish to believe that the religious lifestyle chosen by the townspeople is ridiculous however, it is not our place to judge. Ultimately, the people in this town have had the opportunity to live whatever form of lifestyle they choose. They live in a small town in the country, they go to church, they pray to a God, & they send their children to school to learn the basics (i.e. reading, writing, & arithmetic).

It is odd for Ada to wish to cause harm to children whom she deems poorly educated. Why would she not take it upon herself to encourage them to be better? Arguably, Ada does think that she is helping by bringing the children around the woods to look for dead animals; the river; berries; etc. However, these are country children. Therefore, it would stand to reason that they would learn about these facts of life regardless of Ada’s hundred-acre wood wanderings; these ultimately feel like a waste of time & do not accurately tie into the reality of the story’s setting.

Though Ada’s appreciation for the natural sciences might seem odd for a woman at the time, she does act peculiarly. During her youth, Ada & her sister brought home animal bones, they drew pictures of dead animals; they collected fallen leaves, accords, & other such random things. Yes, it is good to be aware of your surroundings & no, it was not acceptable for Ada’s parents to physically beat her & her sister in response to their interests. However, Ada was a weird person from the jump. What makes her character all the more peculiar is that she appears to enjoy being odd. Her hobbies do not ring true to an earnest appreciation. Rather, throughout the book, Ada seems to do things for the sake of wreaking havoc.

I am not ashamed to say that I do not remember any of the character’s names days after reading this book; such is the nature of a shallow story. I do not say this to be mean. However, there is no depth to this story. By the end, Ada is roaming around the country as though eager to meet someone who will tell her she is unwell so that she can openly assault them. Why is that?

The story itself does not set up the pretense that Ada is a woman scorned. Ada is a person who has experienced abuse, yes. However, Ada is also a person who abuses others; she is sexually abusive towards her alleged “friends”; she beats children; she disregards the sentiments of people who care about her safety, etc. It is hard to care what happens to Ada one way or another.

With that being said, the final portion of this book is reminiscent of “The Witch” (2015). Ada is courted by an unknown entity who is neither scary nor monstrous as it is given no form; no one can describe it except to say that it has appeared as a big dog—a Clifford, of sorts, if you will.

Ada’s journals go round & round the premise as though coveting prey though Ada’s inability to speak with clarity was consistent throughout the entire book, therefore rendering the conclusion rather tired. Why would the reader care that a paranormal entity is pursuing Ada? What good could Ada bring to anything? Is the reader meant to feel fear? Is the reader meant to care that Ada will vanish into the woods? What makes Ada an attractive person to claim—she has no attributes to speak of.

There is little detail given to the reader about the logistics of women being coveted by a demonic force. Those who have watched satires of horror films or who have delved into the realm of paranormal romances will have had their fill of the invisible looming darkness of Peter Pan’s shadow.

There is nothing in these last parts of the story to make a person feel any level of intrigue. Ada murders her friend because she cares about her—how very predictable. What I am saying is that the pacing of the novel was unsettled; & chaotic in that it was not well-paced. Had the beginning of the story seen Ada act as any normal well-adjusted person with a secret, the tension build-up would have been superb.

Scenes depicting the carved & hollowed-out eyes of children can be overlooked. A demon took a child into the woods & the child carved his eyes out because he couldn’t live with the sight he beheld; What does that mean?

There are ample examples in this book that are well-placed for literature at the time of this story but which have no impact in the modern world. What is a thing that is too horrible to see? One need only turn on the television to be flooded with news stories of children dying in war. In comparison, a demon who adopts the shape of a dog is not so horrible as to curse your eyes out of your head. Therefore, I ask again: What is the terrible thing in the woods?

Ultimately, I wanted more from this story than it had to give. The writing style was juvenile, simplistic, & dry. The characters were one-dimensional & offered no room for the reader’s emotional investment. With that being said, readers of Horror who find themselves with similar books on their shelves & movies in their repertoire, as me, are not the target audience for this book.

As a debut, it attempts great things for those who have not drowned in the river of scares. Straub, Bradbury, Malfi, Jackson, Hogarth, & Reid are among a league of Goliath writers whose stories creep into the blood like leukocytes to the site of the unknown. It is difficult to write scary stories, I shall never deny that. What is terrifying lies deep within & it is the successful touch of the writer who sees through the dark to find the reader within.

Thank you to NetGalley, ECW Press, & Elliott Gish for the free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!