Product Description

Large Format for easy reading. An eerie story of spirit possession, a gripping tale in which the main character believes that he is being possessed by the spirit of an 18th-century pirate. One of de la Mare's finest occult stories.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #5477035 in Books
• Published on: 2005-10-17
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 232 pages

Customer Reviews

Brilliant
I first encountered Walter de la Mare through his story 'Seaton's Aunt' in an anthology. This novel was my next read and it solidified my opinion of de la Mare as a tragically forgotten author of immense ability.

Though the blurb about the book sounds like a rather standard 'weird' narative, what stands out most about this novel is how deeply you are plunged into issues of emotion, psychology, philosophy, and spirituality. De la Mare's chief concern is the unseen world that is impossible to directly describe in words, and he demands careful reading and attention to every word, but rewards with a deep and grand vision that is rarely even attempted at, nevermind accomplished.

Being a fairly inexpensive paperback, and a relatively short novel, it's a great introduction to the world of de la Mare before tackling his short story collections.

"what was the end to be of this urgent dream called Life?"
The Dover edition that I read bills this book as being a horror classic. It was first published in 1922. Arthur Lawford is a man in a moment of spiritual crisis (a crisis that he does not even really realize for himself). He accidentally falls asleep in a graveyard on the tomb of Nicholas Sabathier. When he wakes up, he finds that he has taken on Sabathier's face, and what else?

I have read that De La Mare (who I only know through some poetry, vaguely) is known for his psychological horror stories. It's an interesting term: "psychological horror". If I understand what it means, then I would have to consider The Return a good illustration of the concept. In a modern horror book, the author would generally feel the need for a mounting body count and a final epic battle with swords between Sabathier and Lawford. You will find no such thing in the De La Mare.

The story is less about the story, in that sense. It is more about an exploration of human nature when the unthinkable happens. How does your wife react when you come home with someone else's face? How do you look at your own life after that? What does it reveal about your marriage? How does your community react? What do you do?

Actually, the best of modern horror often explores that very same theme. But most horror writers today would have felt as though the story had to be more...well...more horrifying. De La Mare has the strength to just let the thing be (for the most part) and as a result I was really impressed with how frightening and strange just a changed face alone would be. From the excessively normal Arthur at the beginning of the book, De La Mare carves a subject who throws light on a cruel marriage, a tender father, an unclear place in the world.

It is not a perfect book, by any means. I am not sure that I will immediately run out and look for another by De La Mare. Aspects of the ending are quite confusing, and not in a good unresolved way. Still, it was really interesting and I would still recommend it-- particularly if you do have a yen for what horror can be as a genre.

I would recommend the Dover edition. It is a slim book, and the 193 pages don't warrant the high prices that some of the other publishers are charging by calling it a classic. The introduction by S.T. Joshi is actually just the perfect length, and extremely clear.