The book club discussion of The Night Strangers by Chris Bohjalian this month centered on how the Lipton family -- newly moved to a small New Hampshire town from suburban Philadelphia -- were able to tolerate living in that old Victorian house with its bizarre wallpaper, hidden staircases, creepy dirt-floor cellar, and barricaded door that leads to who knows where. Members wondered why Chip and Emily were so friendly and open with a group of elderly women herbalists and not put off by their intense interest in the twin daughters, Hallie and Garnet.
Some members were bothered by the repetitiveness of Chip Lipton, a pilot suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder after a crash, going over and over the events of the crash in his mind.
This story was very spooky and uncomfortable to read in the way the women were able to insinuate themselves in the lives of the Lintons and make them disregard eerie actions and motives of the women (and men) in the group. The Liptons didn't seem to wonder why the women were not fully accepted by or integrated into the social life of the town residents. Readers, however, were let into the secrets of the herbalists much more than the Liptons were, and some readers felt that the drugging and power of suggestion of the herbalists would explain how an already fragile family could be so easily deceived.
The Night Strangers is a classic ghost story and psychological thriller with witchcraft. The epilogue was unwelcome and unexpected. Members said that they were concerned about the feelings of the family and why they stayed in New Hampshire with the herbalists. This book prompted a lot of discussion but did not generate a feeling of satisfaction about the actions of any of the characters.
Have you read this book? Please add your comments to the discussion!
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