The Forbidden Room by Alan Gorevan is a satisfyingly creepy book, which had me on the edge of my seat right the way through. With an eerie sense of foreboding peppering the pages, coupled with the dark and dangerous setting, I raced through this novella in just a few hours, excited to see where the author would take his characters, because when it comes to stories like this, the options really are endless. It certainly had those much-desired qualities of a horror-suspense novel, and reminded me a little of Mark Edwards’ writing, who is another author who excels in this genre and whose work I absolutely love. This was pacey, tense and undeniably sinister. I only wish Gorevan had written this into a full-length novel rather than a novella, because it really was brilliant.In The Forbidden Room by Alan Gorevan, readers meet Caroline and Jason, whose car has just broken down in the middle of nowhere, as torrential rain and violent wind batters them both. While Jason “pretends” to fix the car, Caroline panics. There’s no phone signal, and no other vehicles passing by. All she’d wanted was a romantic Valentine’s Day getaway with her boyfriend. Now, it seems all she’s getting is soaked and thrown about by wind sweeping in from the Atlantic Ocean. After a near-miss with a wild SUV driver, Charlotte and Jason eventually, and luckily, find somewhere to take shelter. But as is so often the case in these situations, nothing is ever as simple as it first appears to be.
Gorevan creates such a strong atmospheric setting for Caroline and Jason to be trapped within. It’s dark and stormy, and his characters truly are isolated. With no around to call for help, the tension sky-rockets and it’s impossible not to feel worried for the couple as they try to figure out their next move. Of course, when Caroline is almost run over, it does nothing to help ease the panic that absolutely saturates the tone of the novella at this point. Gorevan’s descriptions of the storm and the emptiness surrounding them evokes such a sense of helplessness, I couldn’t help but to share the feeling with them.
Once invited inside Doreen and Steve’s humble abode which they stumble upon a little later, it instantly becomes clear that stepping one foot over the threshold is a mighty mistake to have made but, when soaked to the bones in rain, it’s not hard to understand why they’d be willing to take a chance. Doreen and Steven certainly seem nice enough, but it’s impossible to ignore the uneasiness that settled between the foursome once inside. I wanted to scream at them to get out and leave before the option was taken away from them, before something terrible happened, and my instincts told me that it would. Everything points to this family of four, with their two sons, being more than a little odd. From Caroline’s clothes disappearing when she’s in the shower, to Doreen snapping icily when Caroline innocently heads to the wrong door, I couldn’t wait to see how this entire situation would escalate, and what it would to lead to.
Gorevan handles his characters with ease, and although there is not much room to delve deeply into all of their individual backgrounds what with this being a novella, I feel we find out enough to at least feel satisfied. Caroline and Jason are a fairly new couple, whereas Doreen and Steve appear to have been together for a long time, what with two sons. They also seem very settled in their home, and at ease with how isolated they are. Liam, one of said sons, really intrigued me. He was troubled and it’s not hard to understand why. I think I’d be troubled too, if Doreen and Steve were my parents. It becomes clear that Liam has suffered abuse at the hands of his parents, and the abuse is still taking place now. When Liam’s true plan for Caroline and Jason comes to light, and the reasoning behind what part he played in their detour, I really felt for him, and hoped against hope that he would achieve what he’d set out to do.
All in all, The Forbidden Room by Alan Gorevan was subtly explosive novella, which was fast-paced and sharp with a sinister edge to it that held me captivated from first page to last. Although a little predictable, I thoroughly enjoyed it, but really wished this was longer, with a deeper delve into the characters’ lives. Aside from that, I loved this short and punchy thriller, and it will be receiving a rating of four out of five stars from me today.
With thanks to Alan Gorevan for providing me with a review copy of The Forbidden Room, that of which has no reflection on me giving a fair and honest review.
What lies behind the door?
You and your partner are looking forward to a romantic break in the rugged landscape of West Cork, on the south west coast of Ireland. Cliff walks, seafood dinners and spectacular views of the Atlantic Ocean.
But a storm is brewing.
Your car breaks down in the middle of nowhere. There’s no phone signal. So you start walking.
You search for help.
And you find it. At an isolated house, a family gives you shelter… but something is wrong.
The husband has a head wound. The son is too terrified to speak. And the wife forbids you from going near her other son’s bedroom.
You can purchase your copy of The Forbidden Room by Alan Gorevan here.
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