A. J. West (1)

Actual rating: 4.5/5

If you're looking for a creepy read for spooky season, look no further! The Spirit Engineer is a wonderfully crafted tale that will haunt you and chill you to the bone.

Based on a true story, the book is narrated by William Jackson Crawford, a man of science trying to carve his place in early 20th-century Belfast society who scoffs at the masses' recent obsessions with seances following the tragedy of the Titanic. He soon discovers however that his own wife frequents a medium, Kathleen Goligher, in a desperate attempt to contact her brother, lost at sea. When William joins her, intent on exposing the medium for the fraud she most certainly is, something terrible happens that forces him to doubt all his convictions and wonder: could the spirits really be trying to communicate with him?

What follows is a masterclass in characterisation and unreliable narration, aided by the author's rich prose. All characters and events are filtered by William's perception and, as we follow him on his journey to becoming the famed Spirit Engineer, we witness first-hand the level of his obsession, and the depths he will sink to in his quest for the truth.

All the characters are beautifully drawn, each with their own individual flaws and with the full acknowledgement from the readers' part of how their circumstances (social, of gender, sexuality and so on) affect and guide their behaviour. Most of the characters are profoundly dislikeable and each operates their own deceptions, both of themselves and of those around them, and I hated them in the best possible way.

The plot itself is simple yet intricate enough to have kept me guessing right until the end. Looking back, some of the answers had clearly been foreshadowed but, like the great Houdini, the author worked a gorgeous misdirection that I completely fell for. It had been a while since I had been so completely surprised by a book, and I enjoyed it greatly. That being said, there were some parts where the narrative lagged a bit, which made it feel heavier than it was, but that's probably due to personal taste more than anything else.

Overall, The Spirit Engineer is a fantastic debut, which easily earns its place as one of my favourites this year so far. I'm greatly looking forward to seeing what A.J. West will bring us next, and in the meantime I will be planning my re-read of this book for the next spooky season!

I received an e-arc of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. This did not affect my opinion of the book in any way.… (más)

Series Info/Source: This is a stand alone book. I got a copy of this through Book Siren to review.

Thoughts: This book started a bit shaky for me but ended up very well done. I ultimately enjoyed this historical look at spiritualism and the colorful characters that haunt these pages. This book keeps you guessing right up until the end and it was very well done. It is spooky and creepy and gives an intriguing look into this era and these odd beliefs. It's well written and I love the way the story and mysteries unravel.

Oddly one of the things that really put me off initially was that the wife kept calling her husband "Father", I guess she meant as the father of their children but it was confusing and weird sounding. For a bit there I thought he was married to his daughter or something, which would just be extra wrong. I guess it’s like if you call your husband “dad” in front of your kids, but you do it even when you are alone with your husband too?

Aside from that there is a whole plethora of unique and crazy characters in this novel; all of them are pretty grey morally and I enjoyed watching them try to manipulate each other. Parts of this book are fairly creepy. However, most of the story focuses on William and his struggle for notoriety as he first tries to debunk spiritualism but then ends up as one of spiritualism’s top proponents and experts. It was a crazy ride for sure, with lots of little mysteries woven throughout.

My Summary (4.5/5): Overall I really enjoyed this book. It’s fairly different from anything I have read before. I liked diving into the history of spiritualism in 1914 and learning some of the tricks of the trade. The psychology here is intriguing too. I would recommend it if you are looking for a creepy read about ghosts, spiritualism and someone who tries to apply engineering principles to spiritualism. It’s a great story and very engaging.… (más)

A. J. West's The Spirit Engineer is a slow boil of a book. The first 30-40% of the novel is set-up. After that, the pace quickens steadily, and readers become increasingly unsure about the motives and actions of its characters. The plot centers around a family, a medium, and an investigation of paranormal abilities.

The Spirit Engineer opens in the early 20th Century with a family in turmoil and consistently short on funds:
• William, the husband, is an engineering instructor at a boys' school who hopes the textbook he's writing will change their economic outlook and will win him the respect he's convinced is due to him
• Elizabeth, the wife, overwhelmed by their three children—especially their restless, energetic young son—and the household responsibilities that have fallen on her shoulders since their cook/maid left unexpectedly, and who is still mourning the death of her brother on the Titanic
• "Aunt" Adelia, a wealthy widow who has "taken the family under her wing," helping them manage economically while consistently proving an unwanted, disruptive presence

The family, particularly William, become increasingly involved with a young medium. At first, William is determined to prove her a fraud; then he becomes a supporter, gaining fame by publicizing her abilities and his scientific proof that these are genuine.

That, in a nutshell, is the plot. As the family becomes wealthier, William's behavior becomes more controlling and self-serving. What develops from these changes in William provides the real momentum for the novel—and I don't want to say any more for fear of letting slip key moments in the plot.

Near the end, the novel contains some significant violence—not described in detail, but the sort of thing that some readers might choose to avoid. Ultimately however, that violence is contextualized and doesn't become the key element of the novel.

The Spirit Engineer is based on a real-life medium and the engineer investigating her powers. If you want to read more before you pick up this book, you can go here https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kathleen_Goligher
You may, however, prefer to leave the actual history until after you've spent time in West's version of these events.

I received a free electronic review copy of this title from the publisher via NetGalley; the opinions are my own.… (más)