Interwoven stories set in Mojiko, KITAKYUSHU
Supernatural thriller set around the WORLD
7th February 2025
Old Soul by Susan Barker, supernatural thriller set around the world – Tokyo, London, New Mexico, Budapest, New York. Berlin, Wales.
One of the joys of book reviewing is receiving a book that you wouldn’t ordinarily have chosen and finding that it’s shockingly good. Old Soul by Susan Barker is one such book. It is a supernatural thriller: the haunting story of a variety of characters who are visited by “the woman” (the eponymous Old Soul) with disastrous consequences. The book is narrated by Jake, who has begun to gather testimonies from those who have met the woman in order to make sense of what happened to his childhood friend, Lena. He traces the common features of their stories, in an attempt to stop the woman from wrecking other lives. He suspects a malevolent force that destroys its victims while sustaining the woman.
The cleverly composed storyline shifts effortlessly between timelines and settings. Each of the characters is unique; they are different ages, live in different parts of the world and have a variety of jobs, personalities and family members around them. One exceptional experience unites them all; their susceptibility to the woman who comes into their orbit and sets in motion events that will change their destiny.
Old Soul is expertly written, with just the right amount of foreshadowing to create tension at various points, but not enough clues to spoil the ending. Each character is different, yet each attracts empathy and some of their stories are quite heartbreaking. Reader warning: don’t get too attached to the characters! The author also asks the bigger questions, such as, are we all just fleeting moments in the universe or is each individual existence important?
Barker uses rich, descriptive language and writes each of the many settings with cinematic accuracy. She leads the reader from the mundane urbanity of Tokyo to the New Mexico desert via genteel society in Budapest and the remote Welsh mountains. The story explores Christian and pagan beliefs, Native American myths and cultural norms as pillars that the characters cling to in an attempt to keep their world safe and protected from the unspoken threat that the woman brings with her.
I haven’t yet read a book that lacks punctuation for direct speech and not been annoyed at the confusion it engenders. Why do publishers do this? However, I am willing to overlook it in this exceptionally entertaining book.
Sue for the TripFiction team
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