By Bretton Cadigan
Choo-choo-choose this novel for your next horror read!
Linwood Barclay’s Whistle falls into the popular horror concept of casting everyday objects as malevolent forces of evil. Like its horror predecessors Christine, Child’s Play (aka the Chucky series), or Heart-Shaped Box, Whistle makes the banal ballistic, as it asks a fundamental question: how much fear could you fit inside a toy train? Turns out… a lot!
Children’s book author Annie Blunt is grieving and guilt-stricken after her husband’s death and a tragedy inspired by her book series. She and her young son Charlie head to a cabin upstate, courtesy of her editor in hopes of reigniting Annie’s passion for writing. But when Charlie finds an unassuming train set on the property, Annie starts to notice something strange in her new neighborhood. Elsewhere, police chief Harry investigates a series of macabre and unlikely deaths in his formerly sleepy town. His suspicions begin to mount around the new toy train shop that seemingly appeared overnight, along with its kooky, charming, but unsettling shopkeeper.
The three points of view provide a full picture of the impact of the violence that visits this sleepy town, featuring protagonist Annie, police chief Harry, and even antagonist Edwin Nabler. Annie’s POV is the richest and most developed, with the loving, but concerned relationship between a mother and her endangered son providing relatable emotional stakes as the deadly plot chugs along. In Harry’s POV, a classic detective-style investigation, the set pieces and circumstances of each killing take the spotlight, as the supernatural basis of the murders challenge Harry’s pragmatic skepticism. And the handful of Edwin chapters give us a peek behind the curtain of a truly despicable villain, complete with bone-tingling horrors and chilling reveals.
Tone-wise, Whistle falls somewhere between a campy romp and a deadpan thriller. The improbable kills and queasy grotesqueries run in parallel with a drama of familial grief and the challenges of balancing single motherhood, a career in the arts, and overwhelming grief. But the combination works, the small-scale dramas buttressed by the fast-moving horror plot, as a malevolent toy can strike at the most vulnerable members of our communities.
The train set motif is thoroughly explored, and if you are a fan of cursed object horror (or at least willing to suspend your disbelief and embrace a spooky train set), there is a lot of fun to be had following the unexpected twists and turns of the tale. The antagonist is a standout character to this reader, transforming the image of a humble toy train geek into something calculating and sinister, especially once you discover his loco motives.
One central plot point is Annie’s guilt over the death of the child who was inspired by Annie’s children’s book’s penguin protagonist to take flight himself, with predictably dire results. While this functioned well to give Annie an inner struggle and a hurdle to overcome before she returns to writing, it felt a bit unresolved. The novel doesn’t give quite enough time to explore this event’s effect on Annie, or the responsibility an artist might or might not have for the unintended consequences of their art. Personally this seemed like one stop too many on a fully packed itinerary.
What Whistle excels at most is the fantastic pace, barreling ahead at full steam, and regularly producing that entrancing feeling of “one more chapter before bed.” Barclay’s experience in the thriller genre shows clearly in his expertise with the pushes and pulls of tension, the heightening of emotional stakes, and a few surprising and affecting plot twists. While this is his first supernatural story and only his second horror story, the story is executed effectively with a thorough understanding of the features, structure, and tropes that draw horror fans to novels like these. I look forward to his next work and recommend Whistle to anyone looking for a new horror novel off the beaten track.
AUTHOR BIO
Bretton Cadigan (he/him) lives in Boston, Massachusetts, with his spouse, son, and lucky black cat. He completed a bachelor’s degree at Tufts University in International Literary and Visual Studies and is now attending Emerson College’s Popular Fiction MFA program. His short stories have been published in Mobius Blvd, Shlock! Webzine, Leonardo Audio, and more. When he isn’t writing speculative fiction, he enjoys reading graphic novels, playing board games, and falling off his skateboard.
Instagram: @brettonwould
