Friday, October 14, 2011

Book Review: Elliot O’Donnell’s Scottish Ghost Stories

One of the most dangerous things about a Kindle is the “immediate gratification” apect of it: you find a review for a book, it looks interesting, and in less than a minute it’s on your device. And the money is out of your bank account. Ouch! Which is why it’s fun to scroll through the free and $0.99 titles for e-book readers – a lot of classics are available that way, and while I’ll admit the typesetting sometimes suffers for the price, it’s way better than having a to borrow the same classic from the library—and deal with the mold and mildew that often plagues old books.

That’s how I came across Elliott O’Donnell’s classic horror volume, Scottish Ghost Stories. Turns out that O’Donnell was a turn-of-the-last-century ghost hunter, and quite a celebrity in his time. He even had a radio show about paranormal phenomenon at one point. The R.I.P. VI Challenge, hosted by Carl V. at Stainless Steel Droppings, was looming, and I wanted to include something aside from mysteries in my list this year, so I downloaded it on impulse. It wound up being an enjoyable read, but probably not for the reasons that O’Donnell intended.

Scottish Ghost Stories purports to be a collection of true hauntings, either experienced by O’Donnell himself or relayed to him by reliable sources, all taking place in Scotland. The book was written in 1911, and has a real Victorian sensibility, very descriptive and melodramatic:
And soon there stole upon me a sensation to which I had been hitherto an utter stranger – I became afraid. An irrepressible tremor pervaded my frame, my teeth chattered, my blood froze. Obeying an impulse – an impulse I could not resist, I lifted myself up from the pillows, and, peering fearfully into the shadowy glow that lay directly in front of me – listened. Why I listened I do not know, saving that an instinctive spirit prompted me. At first I could hear nothing, and then, from a direction I could not define, there came a noise, low, instinctive, uninterpretative…Dreading to think what it might be, and seized with a wild sentiment of self-preservation, I made frantic endeavours to get out of bed and barricade my door. My limbs, however, refused to move. I was paralysed.Kindle Location 1775 of 1905
It suddenly struck me while reading it that O’Donnell’s book represents the Victorian equivalent of reality TV! Like the producers of shows like “Paranormal State,” O’Donnell’s narrative makes it clear that ghosts can be found in the most unlikely places – and the reader may well be the next victim! There are some great period touches in that regard. For example, in most cases O’Donnell only gives the neighborhood of the occurrences he’s detailing, not the actual addresses of them, presumably to protect the current property owners who may be trying to foist their ghostly tenants on some other unsuspecting homebuyers – quite an interesting touch, I thought. There are also routines associated with the haunting, such as the forcing of the haunted to act against their will, and paralysis of victims that make it impossible to flee the terrifying apparitions they describe later, that recur in the stories.

From the standpoint of the challenge, the book did provide a couple of mildly perilous moments. But the truth is I found it most interesting as an artifact of its time – and a sort of verification that the current fascination with “true crime” and other “reality” genres has historical antecedents. I think lovers of Victorian literature should really consider taking a look at this book, as it represents a very popular genre in its time that we now commonly overlook – non-fiction. But it would also be of interest to those who are interested in the evolution of the horror genre, especially “true horror.” And if you’re kind of wimpy about horror, this is a good introduction – this is definitely not a book of the Stephen King, nightmare inducing kind! I’m certainly glad I happened upon it, and that I finally got to read a ghost story for this year’s R.I.P. VI Challenge. So thanks again to Carl V. for hosting – this is my second R.I.P. Challenge, and I can already see why it’s a highlight of autumn for so many book bloggers!

11 comments:

  1. I have to agree the immediate gratification (which I love) with Kindle can be dangerous. I love my Kindle and wish I could transfer my entire library to Kindle to carry in my pocket:)

    Have you checked your library? I now I access to an amazing selection of Kindle ready books. I've created a wish list, placed holds and one click hooks you up to the Amazon site for a free 14 day download. AMAZING

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  2. @Diane -- Our library just started offering e-book borrowing. I need to go in this weekend and see if I can figure it out!

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  3. I love how you compare it to Paranormal State. I bet he never could have imagined that!

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  4. Oh! Thanks for sharing this one. I, too, have been looking for something aside from the mysteries that I've been reading for this challenge. I finished The Woman in White a couple of weeks ago (for the challenge) and found that it piqued my interest in Victorian literature once again. I really enjoyed your notes on the fact that the author tried to "hide" these homes that were haunted. I'll try and find this one!

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  5. What an interesting and unusual read! Thanks for sharing it with us!

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  6. @Chrisbookarama -- Maybe it's because the students that started the show went to school here, but it was a pretty funny A-ha moment.

    @Beth -- I read The Woman in White last year, and I really found the contrast between Gothic fiction and non-fiction really interesting. Hope you enjoy it.

    @Amused -- It was a really quirky find :)

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  7. As a recent owner of the device in question, I've become increasingly aware of the delights (addictive) of being able to access a book instantly, am trying to keep it under control, trying.

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  8. @parrish -- I have read so many classics since I got my Kindle, because they are so reasonable. I discovered Zola, and read my first Trollope novel in years. That's how I lower the "average cost" of my Kindle holdings :)

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  9. I have also thought about reading and revisiting some classics recently. As you say, the Kindle solution is right at hand... The only problem is that with all the work you have to do for a living, you´ll never have time to read them all ;(

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  10. I love how you came across this and it was a perfect representation of something similar to a Paranormal State television show! I love a good read from that time period. I'm sure he was scandalous with his thoughts and stories, huh? Might have to check this one out, too. I have a Nook Color and oh, my goodness, you are so spot on about that horrific immediate gratification. It's like I'm just spending funny money that doesn't exist. Egads.

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  11. I'm definitely of the "wimpy" variety. I've only read one Stephen King book and that was on a dare many years ago.
    This sounds like it might be a good fit for me.

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I absolutely love comments. Thanks for taking the time to share! Col