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A review by roshreviews
The Haunting Scent of Poppies by Victoria Williamson
mysterious
fast-paced
3.75
In a Nutshell: A paranormal historical novella dealing with two kinds of horrors: the horror of war and the ghostly one. Both are equally haunting. A quick and fairly satisfying read.
Story Synopsis:
Just a few months after the Great War has ended, petty criminal Charlie Briggs is forced to lay low in a small Hampshire town during the holiday season. But he hasn’t stopped looking for the next victim to be cheated or the next object to be purloined.
When he discovers a precious antique book, he steals it and waits for his fence to set up a life-altering transaction that will bring him enough moolah. The book, however, has other plans.
The story comes to us through the limited third-person perspective of Charlie.
At just a hundred pages long, this novella is a quick read that can be easily completed in a single sitting. But don’t assume that it is an easy read, as well. There are many gut-wrenching scenes in the descriptions of the war scenes. It is painful to remember that such events actually occurred, and men did suffer because of such weapons. The paranormal elements are also eerie, but at some corner of our minds, we always think of paranormal content as fiction. Therefore, to me, the war-related horrors were more traumatising. It was quite ironic that the book Charlie was trying to fence was Sun Tzu’s famous ‘The Art of War’.
The titular poppy is the perfect floral choice for this book. Not only do poppies symbolise remembrance and respect for veterans of WWI and later wars, but the flowers also stand for imagination, sleep, and blood in various interpretations, all of which are applicable to this plot. The haunting scent of the flowers is quite visceral in the storyline.
I enjoyed the atmosphere of the book. Though things get a tad bit repetitive in between because of the similarity of Charlie’s nightmares, the writing is still gripping enough to keep the reader going. Some scenes are so vivid that I felt almost claustrophobic while reading them.
The writing creates a nice interplay between actuality and imagination. Even until the end, it is tough to figure out how many of Charlie’s experiences were a result of his distraught mind and how many were genuinely caused by the ghost. This adds a nice layer of complexity to the already intriguing plot. The story being set at Christmas time adds to the impact as everything in Charlie’s life is exactly the opposite of what Christmas stands for.
Charlie is an unusual main character in that he is a person you would love to hate. It is tough to feel sorry for him when the rare book turns his life upside down. This is one of the stories where you would be supporting the ghostly entity rather than its (his?) victim.
That said, I wish there was some more detailing to Charlie and his experiences. One basic fact that is skipped out is Charlie’s age. Age isn’t always material to understanding characters, but it sure helps. In this case, knowing how old Charlie was would have guided me much in evaluating his life choices and his behaviour. Moreover, I never figured out why Charlie was the “chosen one” for the ghost. There were others who owned the book before and they didn’t seem to suffer the same way. The repeated “Remember me” also didn’t clarify matters. Keeping in mind the personality of the human who haunts Charlie in the ghostly avatar, the post-death behaviour didn’t make sense.
The ending is a winner in every way except one. There’s no closure, no explanation of the whats and whys. Things just happen and then they end. That was a big disappointment to me as I like to know the justifications behind a supernatural entity’s actions so that I can sleep better at night. 😛
All in all, if you are looking for a dark Christmas story with no frivolity and much eeriness, this would be a good choice for you, as long as you aren’t bothered much by the lack of ghostly closure.
Story Synopsis:
Just a few months after the Great War has ended, petty criminal Charlie Briggs is forced to lay low in a small Hampshire town during the holiday season. But he hasn’t stopped looking for the next victim to be cheated or the next object to be purloined.
When he discovers a precious antique book, he steals it and waits for his fence to set up a life-altering transaction that will bring him enough moolah. The book, however, has other plans.
The story comes to us through the limited third-person perspective of Charlie.
At just a hundred pages long, this novella is a quick read that can be easily completed in a single sitting. But don’t assume that it is an easy read, as well. There are many gut-wrenching scenes in the descriptions of the war scenes. It is painful to remember that such events actually occurred, and men did suffer because of such weapons. The paranormal elements are also eerie, but at some corner of our minds, we always think of paranormal content as fiction. Therefore, to me, the war-related horrors were more traumatising. It was quite ironic that the book Charlie was trying to fence was Sun Tzu’s famous ‘The Art of War’.
The titular poppy is the perfect floral choice for this book. Not only do poppies symbolise remembrance and respect for veterans of WWI and later wars, but the flowers also stand for imagination, sleep, and blood in various interpretations, all of which are applicable to this plot. The haunting scent of the flowers is quite visceral in the storyline.
I enjoyed the atmosphere of the book. Though things get a tad bit repetitive in between because of the similarity of Charlie’s nightmares, the writing is still gripping enough to keep the reader going. Some scenes are so vivid that I felt almost claustrophobic while reading them.
The writing creates a nice interplay between actuality and imagination. Even until the end, it is tough to figure out how many of Charlie’s experiences were a result of his distraught mind and how many were genuinely caused by the ghost. This adds a nice layer of complexity to the already intriguing plot. The story being set at Christmas time adds to the impact as everything in Charlie’s life is exactly the opposite of what Christmas stands for.
Charlie is an unusual main character in that he is a person you would love to hate. It is tough to feel sorry for him when the rare book turns his life upside down. This is one of the stories where you would be supporting the ghostly entity rather than its (his?) victim.
That said, I wish there was some more detailing to Charlie and his experiences. One basic fact that is skipped out is Charlie’s age. Age isn’t always material to understanding characters, but it sure helps. In this case, knowing how old Charlie was would have guided me much in evaluating his life choices and his behaviour. Moreover, I never figured out why Charlie was the “chosen one” for the ghost. There were others who owned the book before and they didn’t seem to suffer the same way. The repeated “Remember me” also didn’t clarify matters. Keeping in mind the personality of the human who haunts Charlie in the ghostly avatar, the post-death behaviour didn’t make sense.
The ending is a winner in every way except one. There’s no closure, no explanation of the whats and whys. Things just happen and then they end. That was a big disappointment to me as I like to know the justifications behind a supernatural entity’s actions so that I can sleep better at night. 😛
All in all, if you are looking for a dark Christmas story with no frivolity and much eeriness, this would be a good choice for you, as long as you aren’t bothered much by the lack of ghostly closure.
I have read two books by this author, both meant for middle-graders. However, this book is definitely not for children. Officially, it is aimed at adult readers, and I am glad about this, because it means that this talented author will now find an expanded readership.
3.75 stars.
My thanks to TheWriteReads and author Victoria Williamson for a complimentary copy of 'The Haunting Scent of Poppies’. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.
The digital version of this book is currently available free to Kindle Unlimited subscribers.
My thanks to TheWriteReads and author Victoria Williamson for a complimentary copy of 'The Haunting Scent of Poppies’. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.
The digital version of this book is currently available free to Kindle Unlimited subscribers.