Book Review: The Small Hand by Susan Hill

Every now and then, you want a book that’s a bit spooky. Look no further than Susan Hill. She’s probably the Queen of Frights in the literary world and when you read any of her books you’ll see why! Again, I’m not going to give away any of the plot, suffice to say there’s a guy who loses his way and finds himself at an old derelict house. There he feels a small hand put itself in his and from here some weird stuff begins to happen.

Hill is very, very good at bringing suspense yet her writing is subtle and understated. This book manages to really grab you from the offset, and in my opinion rivals The Woman in Black. It’s not as terrifying as this other great novel, however I think it is more moving and spine-tingling than the actually scariness of The Woman in Black. It’s even quite sad actually… I thought it was good, so if you are in the mood for a bit of Susan Hill, this is a great one to go for.

Blurb, if you will:

            “Late one summer’s evening, antiquarian bookseller Adam Snow is returning from a client visit when he takes a wrong turn. He stumbles across a derelict Edwardian house and, compelled by curiosity, approaches the door. Standing before the entrance, he feels the unmistakable sensation of a small cold hand creeping into his own, ‘as if a child had taken hold of it’.

            At first he is merely puzzled by the odd incident but then begins to suffer panic attacks, and to be visited by nightmares. He is determined to learn more about the house and its once-magnificent, now overgrown garden but when he does so, he receives further, increasingly sinister, visits from the small hand.”