Horror Annotation:


Author: F.G. Cottam 

Title: The Waiting Room 

Genre: Horror 

Publication date: 2010 

Number of pages: 294

Geographical setting: England (London and the rural Kent-Sussex border)

Time period: Modern day (2010) and also WWI era 

Plot summary: Julian Creed hosts a network television ghost hunting program in which he pretends to be psychic and viewers believe in his gift. One particular viewer is Martin Stride, a retired 80s rock star. Stride privately approaches Creed to investigate an abandoned railway stop, a waiting room, on his large country estate. Stride tells Creed of the strange sights and sounds his two children have experienced while playing near the waiting room. Creed listens intently to Stride but all he sees are dollar signs and the opportunity to film an episode at the waiting room, which Stride is totally against. Creed decides to spend a night in the abandoned railway stop and experiences the paranormal first hand for the first time and also finds out his fake psychic gift is no longer fake. With the help of Creed's research assistant, Elena Coyle, we find out the history of the waiting room. It was used as a stop for WWI soldiers going off to war, but also as a stop on the way to a mental hospital in the country side after the end of WWI. The book delves into both these time periods via case notes from the hospital's head psychiatrist and the diary of his close friend. The book expands to more than just ghosts as a sinister plot by a man brought back from the dead unfolds that could alter time and the modern world completely. 

Subject headings: Horror, ghost stories, time travel, historical, reanimation, supernatural

Appeal: This book appeals to horror fans because it contains classic elements of the horror genre: ghosts, phantom sounds and smells, and an abandoned haunted place. 

Three terms that describe this book: Suspenseful, mysterious, spooky 

Similar authors and works - 
Three relevant fiction works and authors:







Heart Shaped Box by Joe Hill: This book also contains not your typical ghost that antagonizes the characters much like the ghosts in The Waiting Room. 


The Unseen by Alexandra Sokoloff: This book also contains an abandoned, haunted place. The characters in this book try to find out the reason behind the haunting and paranormal activity much like the characters in The Waiting Room. 


The Servants by Michael Marshall Smith: The setting of this book is similar to that of The Waiting Room, both take place in England. In both works, the past collides with the present and there are elements of immediate time travel as well as ghosts from the past coming to the present. 

Three relevant nonfiction works and authors:



The Penguin Book of Ghosts by Jennifer Westwood and Jaqueline Simpson: This book details the legendary ghosts from England's past. While the ghosts in The Waiting Room were not otherwise famous ghosts, readers might enjoy learning about other legends. 

True Ghost Stories from WWI & WWII by an unknown author: Many of the ghosts in The Waiting Room were WWI soldiers. A fan of F.G. Cottam might want to delve deeper into the ghosts of that era for more understanding of the background for the story. 


Abandoned Places by Kieron Connolly: This book profiles 65 abandoned places around the world through quality photographs and captions. Since The Waiting Room centers around an abandoned location and the creepy factor associated with it, readers might want to further explore the world of places left to nature. 






















Comments

  1. Brittany H.February 19, 2020 at 1:14 PM

    This turned out great, Arianna! I don't think I'll ever be able to read a Stephen King novel, but I could definitely give one like The Waiting Room a chance! I like how it has added elements of history and time travel in addition to horror. How was the experience of reading it for you? And the nonfiction works you recommended look awesome, too.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Arianna CookFebruary 21, 2020 at 12:54 PM

      Hi Brittany,
      This book was sort of just okay. The author has another book called The House of Lost Souls that I enjoyed more than this one, if you'd like to give it a chance as well!

      Delete
  2. Julie DannisFebruary 20, 2020 at 5:25 AM

    I like the inclusion of the Abandoned Places photography book in your relevant works list. This book looks fascinating!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Sabrina R.February 21, 2020 at 10:38 AM

    This looks like a good book to read around Halloween. The "Heart-Shaped Box" has been on my TBR later list for the longest time so this book seems like I should check out if I enjoy Joe Hill.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Carmen ClarkFebruary 21, 2020 at 12:53 PM

    Wow! I got creeped out just reading your summary! Sounds like a unique horror book I'd love to check out sometime. Great job!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Emily February 23, 2020 at 7:41 AM

    I was intrigued by the title and you provided a great summary. Since I was not a fan of the book I chose I might need to add this one to my TBR list. I really like historical tie-ins and that the author used case notes to tell some of the story- sounds very interesting.

    ReplyDelete
  6. AnonymousFebruary 23, 2020 at 4:29 PM

    Based off of your synopsis, I would really like to read this book. I like how it incorporates history and tells the entire story. It kind of gives the book another layer to it. I like how you included the non-fiction books that sound like they are very relevant to the fiction book. I am kind of fascinated by abandoned places and ghosts, so those books would be cool reads.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Erin CataldiFebruary 25, 2020 at 9:43 AM

    Excellent summary! You sold me and a lot of your classmates. I read Heart Shaped Box and that sounds like it has many similar themes so great job on the readalikes. Full points, this book sounds really intriguing!

    ReplyDelete

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