My Book Review> "The Soul Keeper", by Bibiana Krall
A beautiful (and scary) ghost story.
Bibiana Krall is a talented writer. She makes things happen in the reader's mind and brings the story to life: you can indeed feel the psychedelic atmosphere that reigned in San Francisco in the late 60s early 70s; you âseeâ the presence of hippie-like people all around; you feel the scent of patchouli; you can see the ghostlike silhouettes wandering under the mist covering the beach⊠well, except that some of them might be ârealâ ghosts!
Everything started that day when, while they were wandering in Chinatown, Dutch suddenly went into a gloomy store to buy Willow an old and odd ring for her birthday. From that moment on, Willowâs life would never be the same!... She immediately noticed something weird: there was a dedication carved inside the sterling band: âTo my beloved Heinrich, departed 1898, but not forgotten, we shall meet again, C.â Willow got a creepy feeling reading this, and her feeling of anxiety became increasingly intense after she was told that âherâ ring was given a name: âthe soul keeperâ.
Few weeks later, asleep on the beach, Willow dreamed of her late mother; when she woke up she saw something⊠no, somebody⊠like a specter, staring at her⊠in a hostile way. The next evening, she joined her roommates to play Ouija. After a while, the planchette moved and stopped before eight letters to form a short sentence: âReLEASE Meâ! Willowâs heart raced; she broke the circle and fled to the window. On the sidewalk, a dark eyed man wearing a black top hat was staring at her from bellow. Terrified, she wondered whether she was becoming insane. She was like immersed in a total nightmareâŠ
What will happen to Willow? Will she survive this ordeal and the terror that now inhabits her heart? Well, I wonât tell you⊠However, Iâd like to add one last thing: Heinrich, the man whose name was carved on Willowâs ring, could actually be a real life historical figure: namely Adolf Heinrich Sutro, 24th mayor of San Francisco, who married and later divorced a lovely young lady named Clara (remember the âCâ on the ring?)âŠ
Yes, indeed, âThe soul keeperâ is a compelling ghost story: very well written, subtle, without or little over exaggeration but still creepy and, trust me, it will give you the goosebumps. Itâs definitely a must read! Congratulation Bibiana!!
