Genre: Literary Fiction | Horror | Mystery
Release Date: Expected 3rd February 2022
Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton (Previously published in Dutch)
Translated by: Moshe Gilula
"We all tell stories when we can't face the truth."
Sam Avery had always tried to support his boyfriend Nick, even when it comes to his passionate obsession with mountain climbing despite having a sick feeling every time he leaves. Now, his worst fears have come true.
After his biggest climb ever, Nick has made it back alive, but only just. His climbing partner is dead and Nicks face and body have become disfigured and broken beyond recognition - but his mind has become a dark, haunted place and there is no escape from it. The man Sam fell in love with is gone, left somewhere on a cursed mountain top that may or may not exist. Sam has to decide whether to run away or enter the darkness with Nick where there may not be a way back.
"Not a single story you ever tell is the whole story."
Verfremdungseffekt, or the distancing effect, is usually a theatre term meaning to alienate and detach the audience from a story to create a cold, distant and uneasy feeling. It's a word I haven't thought of in years, but jumped into my head immediately when reading Echo. This novel is loaded with a quiet subtle horror that leaves a chill creeping through your body and makes you want to check the door is locked. We feel unable to connect with the characters, unable to understand them and more importantly unable to trust them at all.
Darkly curious and disturbing, this novel has an imposing and suffocating presence - every small detail the author creates may seem unimportant but slowly builds an intense atmosphere that grows with every page. One of my favourite small details was the chapter titles - each a reference to an iconic work of Gothic Literature that will inexplicably have some relevance not revealed at that point. Each character has darkness to uncover in the past and the future, secrets about the mountain and the many lives lost up there that are waiting under the ice to be revealed. Echo explores loss, life and love in a quite unique way.
This tale might be one of ghosts and darkness, but it's layered with so many themes and ideas throughout that will make you stop and think. Nicks disfigurement for one, is something that's been overused in horror in the past, but here it's not about the disfigurement but the treatment of those with one, about the masks that he uses to hide that and everything else underneath.
Told through first hand accounts, emails, reports and notes, this story has utterly enchanting and compelling sections that had me hooked in. The translation seemed flawless but the pacing was patchy and erratic - it dragged and slowed down to a glacial place in multiple places - which made this novel feel much more lengthy than it was and made it a struggle to read in certain places, especially after such a brilliantly written prologue that felt slightly out of place.
A harrowing, evocative story about all-consuming love and terrifying loss with beautiful prose - this definitely isn't for everyone but there's no denying it's unforgettable.
"If I were to look into Nicks eyes, I'd see the ocean that lay between our old life and our new one, and I had no idea how we were supposed to bridge that gap."
⭐⭐⭐
I was gifted an advanced reviewers copy of this title in return for an honest review.
CW: Death, Injury, Swearing, Disfigurement, Arson, Graphic Gore.
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