The Unloved

Rating:
Summary: Good, But Not My Favorite
Review: "The Unloved" (though unoriginally named and oftentimes confused with his other book, "The Unwanted"--what next, "The Unneeded"?) is a pretty good thriller by John Saul, though it doesn't fit his typical supernatural fare. This one takes place on a South Carolina family plantation (Sea Oaks), which is located on Devereaux Island. It's here that 40-year-old Kevin Devereaux has returned with his wife and two children (15-year-old Julie and 8-year-old Jeff), to visit his cruel, dying mother.

But shortly after their arrival, the grandmother dies, leaving an odd twist in her will that forces them to remain at Sea Oaks or they won't inherit anything. However, that doesn't seem to be a problem, seeing as how someone intends on making sure they cannot leave the island either way--dead or alive.

As one reviewer mentioned, "The Unloved" does have a slight V. C. Andrews/"Flowers in the Attic" feel to it in more ways than one. For starters, Marguerite Devereaux (Kevin's older sister) has an odd similarity to the deceased author--she lives with her elderly mother, is slightly crippled and interested in ballet--not to mention two common threads seen in most V. C. Andrews books: a Southern setting and abusive home life (though none of Andrews' incest exists here; Saul exchanges that for blood and violence).

I did like this book--the setting was particularly descriptive--however, it was rather obvious who the killer was halfway through it, so no major surprise there. Even though it's been years since I've read this book, it's not one I'd necessarily re-read by Saul (unless I was really, really bored)--but it is one I'd recommend to horror fans.

Rating:
Summary: A SINGULARLY SUSPENSEFUL READING
Review: Leave it to gifted voice performer Sandra Burr to deliver an appropriately chilling, suspenseful reading of this enduring tale by a master of the thrillers, John Saul.

On what could be but definitely is not an enchanted island off the South Carolina coast is a once prosperous plantation. It is now inhabited only by the family matriarch, Marguerite Devereaux, and her middle-aged daughter who has discarded her personal dreams to care for the troublesome and sometimes frightening older woman.

Suddenly Marguerite Devereaux summons Kevin, the son she has not seen in many years. Accompanied by his wife and two children he returns for the first time in two decades to see a mother for whom he feels nothing but acrimony.

The older woman had said she was ill, but it begins to appear that was not her real reason for asking Kevin to return.
When Marguerite Devereaux dies a dreadful death long held secrets are revealed which may shatter once tranquil lives forever.

- Gail Cooke

Rating:
Summary: You can't leave home again
Review: This book is actually quite good, yet it is also the very book that turned me off of John Saul years ago. My memory told me this book was rather boring and drawn-out, and that it was just too much like other Saul books. Unquestionably, Saul has been known to address the same themes across several novels, and The Unloved features a hackneyed family history, young people having to react to a crisis no one else seems to see, and the same type of madness that dates back to Saul's first novel Suffer the Children. Having reread it again now, I was much more impressed than I expected to be. Saul really pulls no punches on this one-if you like happily ever after endings, this book is definitely not for you. There is plenty of misery in these pages, and Saul spreads it out widely among the characters.

There is nothing strikingly original about the basic plot. Kevin Devereaux escaped the world of his hated mother at eighteen and never planned to return to his old home off the coast of South Carolina. Still haunted by nightmares from his youth, he nevertheless does go home again, taking his wife, son and daughter with him, when he receives word his mother is dying. Helena Devereaux is a thoroughly cruel, self-centered, frightening woman, and the way she heavily cakes her face in power and makeup makes for a startling first impression on her son's family. Determined to regain control over her prodigal son even in death, she draws up a will that basically constrains Kevin to stay in the family home for the sake of his sister Marguerite. Separated from the mainland by a causeway that is impassable during stormy weather, the lonely mansion soon becomes a completely isolated house of horrors. Saul does a good job of placing a hint of doubt in the mind of the reader halfway through as to who exactly is to blame for the developing troubles on the island, but the truth becomes pretty clear as family secrets are slowly revealed.

The novel is perhaps a little longer than it needed to be. Saul seems to love showing his main characters fret and worry about things to come, always hesitating or refusing to recognize the truth of what is happening around them, and it can get slightly tiresome and frustrating at times. When I reached the point where the whole story seemed to be approaching a resolution, I was quite surprised to see well over a hundred pages left. I had no idea how Saul was going to be able to fill that many pages, but fill them he did-and how. To his credit, Saul packs a real punch into those last hundred pages, slowly turning the screws and ratcheting up the reader's interest, discomfort, and personal involvement. I should mention the epilogue, however, being careful to give nothing away. Saul goes a step farther than I would have gone, but I greatly admire this author's confidence in ending the novel on his own rather than on the reader's terms. At first glance, this novel may not look all that interesting, but it slowly sinks it claws into you and compels you to keep reading in morbid fascination.