Literature Review: The Shore by Robert Dunbar
Posted by Peter Schwotzer in Books, Latest News, Reviews, Terror Tales with Peter D. Schwotzer on May 15th, 2009
“As a winter storm tightens its grip on the small shore town of Edgeharbor, the residents are frightened of much more than pounding waves and bitter winds. A series of horrible murders has the town cowering in fear. Mangled victims bear the marks of savage claws, and strange, bloody footprints mar the beach. A young policewoman and a mysterious stranger are all that stand between this isolated community and an ancient, monstrous evil.”
Two winter stories to review in a row, life is good.
This is Robert Dunbar’s second novel based on the legend of the Jersey Devil. I do have his first one, The Pines, and unfortunately it is sitting in my to read pile which seems to grow larger every week. After reading The Shore, The Pines made its way to the top of the pile.
The Shore is an impeccably crafted tale, full of dread, horror and it literally drips with atmosphere. It is character driven from the start and doesn’t let up on the intensity. The characters were fresh and fascinating, with intricate personalities and quirks that made them all the more real. He even had a cat in the story with its own personality and substance, which lent itself to the realism of his storytelling. At least I think it was a cat, at this point I am not entirely sure.
What I liked most about this book, is that it kept me thinking. For me it was a very difficult read (meant in a good way) as I had no clue what was going to happen at any given moment. I would go back a few pages to make sure there was something I didn’t miss. The twists and turns were like riding a roller coaster, dizzying and enthralling.
Through the first one hundred pages I had no clue what was going on. I knew a girl had died horribly at the beginning at the hand of some kind of monster and that was about it. I couldn’t figure out who were the good guys, bad guys or monsters, why people were dying or who was going to die next. It was exhilarating to be so far along in a book and not know what was going to happen next. I like being taxed and challenged to try and figure something out.
When I thought I had it all figured out…bam, Dunbar would twist things completely around. Even after finishing the book I am still left with a feeling of uneasiness and wanting.
His descriptions of the seaside town and all its little complexities were mind blowing. The weather, the ocean and even the boardwalk became living breathing entities under Dunbar’s direction. I for one would not even consider going into a town that remotely resembled Edgeharbor after reading The Shore.
The ending totally blew me out of the water. I thought I had it all figured out and was patting myself on the back thinking, you fooled me a few times Mr. Dunbar, but I got you now. I couldn’t have been more wrong. I love books that end like that.
Definitely one of the best books I’ve read so far this year, I highly recommend it.
Another thank you to our good friends at Dorchester Publishing for supplying the book cover and synopsis.
