The next pick on my 2014 Most Anticipated list is a novel by one of my favourite authors. Bethany Griffin's next novel, The Fall, sounds amazing.
Madeline Usher is doomed.
She has spent her life fighting fate, and she thought she was succeeding. Until she woke up in a coffin.
Ushers die young. Ushers are cursed. Ushers can never leave their house, a house that haunts and is haunted, a house that almost seems to have a mind of its own. Madeline’s life—revealed through short bursts of memory—has hinged around her desperate plan to escape, to save herself and her brother. Her only chance lies in destroying the house.
In the end, can Madeline keep her own sanity and bring the house down? The Fall is a literary psychological thriller, reimagining Edgar Allan Poe’s classic The Fall of the House of Usher.
Give me this now! RIGHT NOW! There is not a cover available yet, but needless to say, I WANT IT! I am very much looking forward to anything about this novel, and can not wait for 2014 to provide all the details.
Bethany kindly took the time to answer a few questions about the novel.
1 Please describe The Fall in 3 words
Creepy, Dark, gothic
2 Edgar Allen Poe seems to inspire you. What about this particular story inspired you to write The Fall?
The Fall of the House of Usher is my favorite Poe story. It starts with two pages of Poe's unnamed narrator getting the nerve to enter the house...and once inside, the twins with the terribly heightened senses, their madness and relationship...Madeline Usher has no voice in Poe's story. So, I wanted to give her a voice. Plus a dark haunted house, is my favorite sort of setting!
3 What do you think would happen if Araby Worth met Madeline Usher? (if such a thing were possible)
Because Madeline is cursed with a family malady that changes her consciousness, she probably wouldn't approve highly of Araby's use of drugs, but she would probably understand Araby's grief better than anyone, since Madeline is very close to her own twin brother, Roderick. They would probably have some basic understanding for one another, but their lives are so completely different that it might make it hard for them to truly communicate.
4 Are you able to share a secret about one of the characters, the world, something that inspired something about the world/characters?
Well, the most mysterious character is the house itself. It's connected to the family, "house of Usher" but also IS the House of Usher. A weird dichotomy. Madeline's big questions revolve around ...what does the house want, is it good or bad, is it looking out for her or holding her prisoner. Or could it be doing both?
5 What 2014 release are you looking forward to?
The Treatment by Suzanne Young.
Bethany kindly took the time to answer a few questions about the novel.
1 Please describe The Fall in 3 words
Creepy, Dark, gothic
2 Edgar Allen Poe seems to inspire you. What about this particular story inspired you to write The Fall?
The Fall of the House of Usher is my favorite Poe story. It starts with two pages of Poe's unnamed narrator getting the nerve to enter the house...and once inside, the twins with the terribly heightened senses, their madness and relationship...Madeline Usher has no voice in Poe's story. So, I wanted to give her a voice. Plus a dark haunted house, is my favorite sort of setting!
3 What do you think would happen if Araby Worth met Madeline Usher? (if such a thing were possible)
Because Madeline is cursed with a family malady that changes her consciousness, she probably wouldn't approve highly of Araby's use of drugs, but she would probably understand Araby's grief better than anyone, since Madeline is very close to her own twin brother, Roderick. They would probably have some basic understanding for one another, but their lives are so completely different that it might make it hard for them to truly communicate.
4 Are you able to share a secret about one of the characters, the world, something that inspired something about the world/characters?
Well, the most mysterious character is the house itself. It's connected to the family, "house of Usher" but also IS the House of Usher. A weird dichotomy. Madeline's big questions revolve around ...what does the house want, is it good or bad, is it looking out for her or holding her prisoner. Or could it be doing both?
5 What 2014 release are you looking forward to?
The Treatment by Suzanne Young.
If you want to learn more, check out the author's website, or the publisher's website for more information.
The Fall will be in stores Fall 2014. Pre-orders for this title are not available yet, but be sure to add it to your Goodreads so that you'll remember to pre-order when it becomes available.
Let me know in the comments what you think of the synopsis, or let me know if you've read Bethany's previous books. Also, check back soon for a contest where you could win one of my featured titles (be sure to pay attention to these Question and Answers as they'll help).
I hadn't heard of this before but oh man do I ever want it now! I looove dark gothic stories that revolve around creepy houses.
ReplyDeleteThanks for putting it on my radar!