Old Soul

By: Susan Barker

Narrated by: George Blagden, Jill Winternitz, Olivia Vinall

The Historian meets Under the Skin in this searingly provocative literary horror novel about one woman’s determination to stay alive at any terrifying cost.

In Osaka, two strangers, Jake and Mariko, miss a flight, and over dinner, discover they've both brutally lost loved ones whose paths crossed with the same beguiling woman no one has seen since.

Following traces this mysterious person left behind, Jake travels from country to country gathering chilling testimonies from others who encountered her across the decades—a trail of shattered souls that eventually leads him to Theo, a dying sculptor in rural New Mexico, who knows the woman better than anyone—and might just hold the key to who, or what, she is.

Part horror, part western, part thriller, Old Soul is a fearlessly bold and genre-defying tale about predation, morality and free will, and one man’s quest to bring a centuries-long chain of human devastation to an end.

Creepy and good

Loved that I was surprised at the end. Looking forward to more by this author.

Superb!

Both the plotting and the writing are deft. The only slow part of Old Soul is the first 15 minutes or so. After that, it doesn’t slow down or let the listener go.

I put other things on hold - like sleeping! - to finish this one.

Most horror recycles the same monsters: werewolves, zombies, vampires, demons, ghosts, and serial killers.

This monster is unique, and yet it shares enough roots with more familiar monsters that I found it easy to suspend my disbelief.

While not a “psychological thriller” (it follows the tropes of monster horror more closely) this novel explores some interesting aspects of psychology. The ways in which people are lured, and kept complacent, are fascinating to me.

Warning to other readers: I love ambiguities, so I like the fact that some aspects of the monster are never explained. The ending is clear, but the origin of the monster, the “why” of it, isn’t. If you’re a reader who needs everything explained, this novel will probably frustrate you. Personally, I think the lack of explanation makes the story stronger. The curtain is never pulled back completely - the literary equivalent of never showing the monster on screen. Those unexplained details are going to keep me thinking about this story.

I got this on a 2-for-1 deal, and chose it based on other readers’ comments. Now I have to add my own appreciation. I’m putting this author’s other novels on my TBR list.

Meh

Pretty good story, but unsatisfactory ending. So I could not in good consciousness recommend. And a 15 word minimum for review is very tiresome

very different

I loved this book completely different from anything I've read. Great characters and enjoyed the timelines changing in a unique way.

Stunning

Best new novel I’ve read in years. I will read anything Barker writes going forward.