The Apartment by S L Grey

The Apartment by S L Grey
Buy The Apartment by S L Grey at Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com
Category: Horror
Reviewer: Megan Kenny
Summary: Whilst The Apartment is a creepy little chiller with all the gripping elements you'd expect from a supernaturally haunting tale, it is also a sensitive meditation on the nature of grief and how the sinuous tendrils of mourning can choke and strangle the heart.
Buy? Yes	Borrow? Yes
Pages: 304	Date: March 2017
Publisher: Pan
External links: Author's website
ISBN: 978-1447266563
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Steph and Mark are in trouble. Mark is running from a grief he can't escape and Steph is anxiously juggling her joy at being a mother with her guilt at being a 'kept woman'. Add a brutal home invasion to the mix and you have a recipe for disaster. Desperate to save their once happy marriage the couple decide to take a romantic trip to Paris only to discover that some terror is inescapable and evil has a vice like grip.

Without giving too much away, The Apartment is a creepy and haunting tale which will grip you and not let go. I devoured this book in huge chunks and found it difficult to put down. The story grips from the first chapter and you are soon drawn in to the lives of Mark and Steph. Chapters are told in alternating voices and you begin to recognise Steph's growing anxiety about the mental state of her husband and Mark's rationalisation of his increasingly bizarre behaviour. Steph's gradual feeling of disquiet grows from an insidious whisper to a blood curdling shriek and it becomes apparent that Mark is keeping secrets and is ever more haunted by spectres only he can see, spectres which push him deeper into an abyss of blood and violence culminating in a tragic series of events.

The strength of The Apartment is that, whilst the horror experienced is (hopefully) extraordinary, the real human weaknesses evident in the characters are intensely relatable. We can all relate to feeling isolated, both in our relationships and when abroad. We have all experienced loss and struggled to support someone who is suffering and we have all felt the icy finger of dread when alone in the dark and have heaved a choking sigh of relief when the lights illuminate an empty room. However, if I had to criticise The Apartment I would say that there are elements of the story which are intentionally vague and so those looking for a clear conclusion may be left wanting, but don't let this deter you because the overall style of the story is engaging, the writing is accessible and the story moves at an exciting pace. The creeping sense of unease builds steadily throughout and there are moments of genuine horror and subtle gore which keeps the story ramping up to a grisly, macabre conclusion.

For those interested in reading more by S L Grey you could try The Mall or Under Ground.

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You can read more book reviews or buy The Apartment by S L Grey at Amazon.co.uk Amazon currently charges £2.99 for standard delivery for orders under £20, over which delivery is free.
You can read more book reviews or buy The Apartment by S L Grey at Amazon.com.

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