Those Across the River

Set in the 1930s, this story is about a Northern couple who move to a small Southern town and discover strange happenings. Those across the river are the source of the trouble, of course, and they turn out to be werewolves. It's a decent horror yarn, maybe excessively gory with too much raunchy sex for my tastes. And as a Southerner, I found some of the accents and some of the depictions of black people to be grating and too obvious. For me, however, the most interesting part of the story was the part not told--the end (no spoilers).

I have to say that this is one that I definitely had a hard time sticking with.

The story is set in the 1930's (I think). I had a dificult time staying with the actual storyline, but I think that was the goal of the author. If it was (his goal), then he did a great job weaving a tall tale.

This was a mix between mind-bender mystery and horror. So if you like that sort of story then this one will be a good one for you.

I would like to thank Net Galley and Penguin Group USA for an ARC.

Whitbrow is a forgotten backwater Georgia town in a forgotten backwater time. The time is 1935, back when Huey Long was assassinated on the statehouse steps in Baton Rouge. But few people remember such things anymore. None of the houses and precious few of the businesses in Whitbrow have power, and the hardware store owner moonlights as the Sheriff. None of the local residents ventures over the river to where the ruins of an old plantation are said to lie, a plantation whose owner was so evil that his slaves rose up and killed him. People tell stories to explain why they won't go there, but they know they are just stories. Yet every month the town gets together and holds The Chase, a ritual older than anyone can remember. Despite their scant resources, local farmers donate two hogs, which are then decorated with garlands of flowers by local girls, taken across the river on the makeshift ferry and released. None is ever seen again. Enter Frank Nichols, a wounded Great War veteran escaping a checkered past, who hopes that an inherited house might provide just the new start that he and his young 'wife', Eudora, need. While Eudora replaces Frank's deceased aunt as schoolteacher, Frank settles down to write a book about his grandfather, the aforementioned evil plantation owner. In his quest for understanding, he is drawn over the river in search of the ruined plantation. What he finds sends him scurrying back across the river, uncertain what exactly he encountered and whether he wants to share what he has seen with others. As Frank and Eudora begin to adapt to life in Whitbrow, they are are invited to a townhall meeting to discuss whether or not to abandon The Chase. What they decide will change Whitbrow forever. Christopher Buehlman's debut novel is an atmospheric and spooky tale told in a sultry southern prose. It has a pagan feel to it reminiscent of Thomas Tryon's 'Harvest Home' one of my all-time favorite horror novels. It is told with great appreciation of folklore and its roots and it is also intensely erotic. Buehlman introduces us to multifaceted characters who are intensely human, with strengths and weaknesses, characters that we can both admire and dislike, often at the same time. This is not the type of book where, shortly after being introduces to a character, you can check them of as black hats or white hats. This is, after all, a southern town and everyone has their secrets. The review copy of this book was obtained from the publisher via the Amazon Vine Program.

After struggling to get into and through this novel, I finally decided that the core story and the best part of the novel is actually between pages 309 and 332 in the hardcover edition. From "A baby was crying," to "I missed," there's a decent short story, with mystery, suspense, horror, narrative structure. The rest of the novel, while interesting in parts, felt tedious and over-explained. There are very few mysteries here that aren't revealed through monologue. At least one of these is a Bond-villain-type exposition, which just felt clunky and amateurish (not to mention unsatisfying).One tiny editing thing that got under my skin at the very beginning of this novel: "I imagine they would have sewn the earth with salt if it had occurred to them." (p. 37) I'm pretty sure the author means "sown." I know it's a small thing, but it rankles and really, if an editor doesn't care enough about a novel to fix these things, then why should I care enough about the novel to read it? (Of course, joke's on me because I read the whole thing.)

Haunted by memories of the war, failed academic Frank Nichols and his wife Eudora, have arrived in the the sleepy Georgia town of Whitbrow, where Frank hopes to write a history of the family's old estate- the Savotyard Plantation- and the horrors that occurred there. at first the quaint ways of their neighbors seemed to be everything they wanted. But deeply hidden under the facade is an unspoken dread the towns folk have lived with for generations and it demands sacifice.

Jeezo Pete. An intensely atmospheric novel with a great sense of setting, which turns slowly into a creepy horror story well done. I almost felt like I was reading a historical novel about mores and WWI's Lost Generation, because I was. Until it turned into a juicy monster tale.

Slow burner .
At least the first half or more was somewhat tedious. Not boring I guess just .... nothing much happened. I understand setting the tone...this just took to long to get there. I knew what they were before it was revealed . Normally I dislike that type of.. character but these were actually well done both in the idea behind why they were and how they were. After all the back story was done the book was quite entertaining. I'm not going to say the first half was a snooze fest but I wish it has been a bit more upbeat. I grew to appreciate the main character and his wife. I was satisfied with the ending. I hope to read more from this author.

This was one creepy book! It is well written, keeping a steady build up of tension to the end. Great descriptions of living in the south. Very enjoyable read.

Buehlman uses familiar horror tropes – heirs moving to an inheritance, urban sophisticates moving to a small town, Yankees moving to the South, the continuing judgment on slavery, and, last but not least, werewolf lore – to create a surprisingly fresh novel. I found the two main characters made the novel: a philandering former college professor/nightmare-haunted veteran and his lover and, eventually, bride, a beautiful woman who is committed to him without losing any of her own identity. Their fight against the consequences of their inheritance, and the town’s abandonment of a tradition, creates a story that is exciting, horrific, moving, and somehow believable.

adult fiction; horror/suspense. I had to stop reading because it was too scary for my tastes, but the author had done a good job working up the suspense... the female supporting character, Dora, reads a bit "B-movie" (really? She's a total knockout AND a total sex maniac?) but aside from that, fantastic writing.

Those Across the River is my first Buehlman, but will not be my last. In fact, I downloaded another of his books just now.

I recently got a new phone that came with some fancy earbuds, so I decided to head over to Overdrive and check out an audio from my library, so I could try them out. I saw this book available and remembered that my friend Tressa had just recommended me a book by this author a few days previous. I downloaded Those Across the River knowing nothing about it, and I think that was the best way to go in to this story.

Set mostly in GA in the early 1930's, a damaged WWI veteran moves down from Chicago to a house he has recently inherited. In the letter he received about the inheritance he was warned not to actually live in the house, but of course, he does so anyway-along with his fiance Eudora. What follows is a well told, atmospheric and creepy story that went in a totally different direction than what I expected. There's nothing new or extraordinary here, but a well told and atmospheric story is always welcome on my Kindle, (and now on my phone!), and I enjoyed this immensely.

The narrator, Mark Bramhall, was absolutely phenomenal-I loved his Southern accents and voicing-they brought the story alive for me. I will be keeping an eye out for more of his work in the future. As for right now? I'm on to my next Christopher Buehlman book!

I highly recommend the audio of this novel!

As a life-long Georgia resident, I really must stop reading books set in Georgia, but written by people who have never lived here. This book was fraught with inaccuracies. Also, it was not horrific enough for my taste. Too many loose ends and not enough suspense.

Very good first novel. It kept my interest throughout the whole story. The ending was quite curious and seemed to fit well; however, I wish there would have been more detail throughout the book.

Regardless, I would definitely read another novel by this author.

There was something powerful here, something beyond the reach of lightbulbs and combustion engines."Those Across the River" is a moody, horror-thriller, dripping with intensity and menace. I enjoy Buehlman's writing style which is more literary than most pop-fiction currently on the market, and highlights the fact that writing can be smart as well as fun.I enjoyed this story of a couple who finds themselves in the deep South, exploring a family history that's better left unexplored. The main characters are well drawn and fully three-dimensional, but most of the others are so weak that I completely lost track of who was who. They simply became an amalgam of indistinguishable southern accents.I think this book could easily have doubled in size to build upon the tremendously creepy foreboding built up from the earliest pages. The conclusion was mostly satisfying, but had greater epic potential. I don't want to delve too much further into the details of the story for fear of spoiling much of the punch.Christopher Buehlman is a terrific writer. This is the second book of his I've read and he's definitely on my short-list list of new-ish go-to authors.

Frank and Eudora have moved to Georgia where Frank has inherited a house. It is 1935 and times are hard, so a rent free home is almost a miracle. But the town is strange and not just because they are from Chicago. And no one goes into the wood across the river. Ever.This is a wonderfully written book. It is also creepily scary. There is a lot going on. Frank is still haunted by his experiences during WWI as are others in the town. And the whole town is haunted by the horrors that Frank's ancestor visited on his slaves before and after the Civil War. But its the writing that keep me engaged. Beautiful but not over-done it flowed and drew me in. I am going to try some more of Beuhlman's books.

This atmospheric novel set in 1930s Georgia starts out feeling like a classic horror novel. Frank and Dora move to a small town where Frank has inherited property from his aunt who warned him to sell, not inhabit the house. Eerie things happen, the townsfolk have strange customs, and Frank is warned to stay away from the old plantation and the woods across the river. The first two thirds of this book were wonderfully creepy, but once the evil was identified it was no longer creepy to me. The last third was violent and ugly, not scary.

I suspect I would have enjoyed this story more if I had read it instead of listening to the audiobook. While I thought Mark Bramhall did a decent job with the voices of the male characters his speaking of Eudora’s lines was like fingernails on a chalkboard for me. While I am curious as to whether I actually would like the story more if I read it myself I’m afraid it just wasn’t an interesting enough story for me to go back through it a second time to find out.

Those Across the River by Christopher Buehlman was for me, a great Halloween read. It was atmospheric, had some truly terrifying moments and was well written. Set in the Depression years of the early 1930s, the setting had an authentic Southern small town feel. The suspense built slowly, but like a pot slowly bubbling away on a back burner, the reader knew the boiling point was coming. As the tension slowly rises, we get to know the main characters, Frank and Dora. Having inherited his aunts’ house in Georgia, they have come from Chicago to build a new life for themselves. Dora has a teaching job and Frank is planning on writing a book about his grandfather who at one time was a slave owner and owned a large plantation across the river from the town. Frank quickly learns that visiting the woods on the other side of the river is not only unpleasant, it is downright dangerous. But it is soon apparent that “those across the river” are not staying on their side but are crossing over and bringing death and mayhem with them. In the last third of the book, the action is amped up and the contrast from the slow, sleepy beginning to the violence and terror is intense. Yes, there is gore and brutality aplenty, but there is also a haunting sadness to this story that is told in such a lyrical manner that Those Across the River will be a book that I long remember.

3.25 stars When Frank and Dora inherit a house in rural Georgia that's been in Frank's family since plantation days, even though they are warned away from moving in, circumstances dictate that it's the best plan to just move in. But when the town decides to stop offering a sacrifice to whatever it is that's across the river, whatever it is isn't happy... It started really slow for me. The entire first half was merely ok, so I did seem to skim over some of it, since it wasn't holding my attention. However, the second half really picked up and did hold my interest. It still wasn't quite enough to increase my overall rating to “good”, however, so I'm giving it that ¼ star that it wouldn't have gotten if I didn't end up liking the second half.

I'd give this book a solid three stars for overall writing and a serious attempt to have Themes, but it loses a star for disappointment. I was expecting a dark, creepy, Southern gothic novel, and I got a werewolf story. Not a bad werewolf story, but I was so annoyed when I got to the actual werewolves that the book never really got to recover.

Frank Nichols is running. Running from memories of WWI’s trench warfare…memories that still wake him up at night sweating and thrashing…running from the fall-out from the two year affair he conducted with married colleague Eudora which ended in her divorce and his unemployment. Luckily, he has someplace to run to; he has inherited a house and property in small Whitbrow, Georgia, from an aunt he never knew. His aunt’s letter urged him to sell the property without visiting, but instead, Frank and Eudora decide to start their lives fresh in Whitbrow. Frank is planning to research and write a book about his great grandfather, a slave owner known for particular cruelty. Eudora has taken a job at the local grade school. At first, all is well in Whitbrow. Eudora is settling in nicely with her students and Frank is happy to spend his days talking to the men at the local general store. But when impoverished Whitbrow makes the decision to cease a strange local tradition—every month on the full moon, the town sends sacrificial pigs into the woods across the river—all hell begins to break loose. Strange things are seen in the woods, and people begin to die. Frank soon finds out that those who live across the river have a far more personal connection to him and his family than he could have imagined.This is that rarest of books, a novel that is literary first and horror second. The characters, especially Frank, are fully-realized, believable, and interesting. The setting is atmospheric and vividly rendered, with the racial tensions of the time and place completely realized. The horror elements, when they are introduced, are creepy and visceral. Highly recommended.

So so creepy! This book grabbed me from the very beginning and did not let go. Even after I completed it and closed it, it has stayed on my mind. It is not what I expected and when I realized what was actually happening, I STILL was not prepared for the ending. I highly recommend this for any and all horror fans.

This book starts out slow, but if you stick with it, the plot thickens and gets interesting very quickly. The mixed elements of supernatural and realism made this book come alive with me while I was reading.

Hooked me from the first page, and it kept me rapt throughout the rest of the book. It was very creepy, very well-written, and had very unexpected twists and turns all throughout. I had no idea that it would take any of those directions. Wonderful read!

Creepy, well-written, with a mystery that kept me turning pages and surprised me even until the very end.

An OK story. Was hoping for better.

"Them woods is deep and mean."Not many books can keep me up reading past my bedtime these days. This one I just had to keep reading. A wonderfully creepy, atmospheric Gothic horror story. Unputdownable and chilling to the last page.

This book was a little hard for me to get interested in initially. Once the story picked up, I had a hard time putting it down. It was creepy and suspenseful. Just when I thought I had things figured out, the author would throw something new into the mix that left me scratching my head wondering what would be next. Overall, I really enjoyed it and will be recommending to my friends.

Frank Nichols had carried on an affair with Eudora Lehman for two years before her husband discovered them. Disgraced and blacklisted, Frank has been unable to find another job in a University, but, in what appears to be a great stroke of luck, he inherits a house from his late mother’s sister. She warns him to just sell the house – to not move down to Georgia – but he decides that it would be a good idea to write a book about his great-grandfather who, after the end of the civil war, refused to release his slaves and treated them so badly that they rose up in revolt and killed him, his family and all his livestock. So, he and Dora move to Whitbrow, Georgia, where Dora has been offered a teaching position to replace Frank’s aunt in the high school. However, it’s not long after they arrive that Frank begins to notice the superstitious awe with which the townfolk view Megiddo forest, across the river. Once a month, on the full moon, they send two pigs over the river – no one is really sure how this began, although there are a lot of rumors. However, times are hard, and the townfolk decide to stop wasting pigs they could be eating. That’s when things begin to go horribly wrong. That’s when people begin to die …I’ve read a lot of creepy books over the past couple of months; I think this is the creepiest. The build-up of suspense and horror starts slowly and subtly, with hints and clues and vague allegations. However, once those across the river are revealed completely, things progress rapidly. A crescendo is reached and it seems like that might be the end, only for things to start back up, reach another crescendo … it’s like watching a horror movie when you think the monster is dead, but they aren’t really and they pop back out at you time and again. I loved it - I think it might give me nightmares, but I loved it! If you like horror, you will LOVE “Those Across the River.”

WOW. I truely struggled to get into this book. It started very slow. But once it got going, it really went. It was a fun, easy read that had me talking about it with friends, family, and coworkers. I wasn't expecting it to turn out the way that it did. It was better. I spent most of the book thinking I knew what was about to happen when it turns out I was totally clueless! I wouldn't say the book frightened me, but I definitely felt nervous for the characters. The scenes were set in a way that felt very authentic and the charactes felt real. I really enjoyed the book. I will definitely suggest it to friends who like suspenseful, scary reads.