A review by bickleyhouse
The Faceless Old Woman Who Secretly Lives In Your Home by Jeffrey Cranor, Joseph Fink
It's getting to be pretty common for me to say that I ran across a book while working at the library. I was pretty excited to find this one, and almost missed it. The cover doesn't exactly jump out at me, but I did a double take when I saw the little eye-shape with the crescent moon in it, on the cover, and then I read the title of it. I'm pretty sure I gasped, audibly when I saw the title, and then the authors.
I've been a fan of Welcome to Nightvale, the podcast, for a number of years. I confess that I have not kept up with it for a while, but I am well-familiar with the faceless old woman who secretly lives in your home. She is a staple in the Nightvale world.
I will say that I was completely surprised at this story. For a while, I actually thought it was only going to be a three-star read, but it grew on me. What we have here, is basically an origin story. It begins with the faceless old woman, in present day (well, 2011), interacting with a man named Craig. She manipulates his life and speaks to him in first person in these chapters that are spread throughout the book, eventually getting up to 2020.
But then we skip back, all the way to 1792, where she begins to tell us her story, from the time she was born on the Mediterranean, on a boat, all the way to the present (2020 was when the book was published).
By all rights, this story is a tragedy. There are certainly aspects of it that take me to the Nightvale world. But this tale involves love and betrayal, and plenty of swashbuckling adventure, as this faceless old woman who wasn't always faceless or old, navigates her life, seeking revenge on those who have done her and her family wrong.
And this is why I was surprised. Very little of this book has any similarity to Nightvale. Certainly the chapters that deal with Craig do, because that is where they take place. But the history, the biography that she gives us, is pretty much a tale of swashbucklery. I think I just made up a word. But I'm a big fan of such things, pirate stories and the like.
In the end, perhaps, the faceless old woman is simply insane, enjoying bringing terror and pain down on people. But I don't think she started out that way. I believe her difficult life was what made her that way.
At any rate, it's a great story, and a lot of fun to read.
I've been a fan of Welcome to Nightvale, the podcast, for a number of years. I confess that I have not kept up with it for a while, but I am well-familiar with the faceless old woman who secretly lives in your home. She is a staple in the Nightvale world.
I will say that I was completely surprised at this story. For a while, I actually thought it was only going to be a three-star read, but it grew on me. What we have here, is basically an origin story. It begins with the faceless old woman, in present day (well, 2011), interacting with a man named Craig. She manipulates his life and speaks to him in first person in these chapters that are spread throughout the book, eventually getting up to 2020.
But then we skip back, all the way to 1792, where she begins to tell us her story, from the time she was born on the Mediterranean, on a boat, all the way to the present (2020 was when the book was published).
By all rights, this story is a tragedy. There are certainly aspects of it that take me to the Nightvale world. But this tale involves love and betrayal, and plenty of swashbuckling adventure, as this faceless old woman who wasn't always faceless or old, navigates her life, seeking revenge on those who have done her and her family wrong.
And this is why I was surprised. Very little of this book has any similarity to Nightvale. Certainly the chapters that deal with Craig do, because that is where they take place. But the history, the biography that she gives us, is pretty much a tale of swashbucklery. I think I just made up a word. But I'm a big fan of such things, pirate stories and the like.
In the end, perhaps, the faceless old woman is simply insane, enjoying bringing terror and pain down on people. But I don't think she started out that way. I believe her difficult life was what made her that way.
At any rate, it's a great story, and a lot of fun to read.