Accept this book for what it is and avoid judging it by more sophisticated modern criteria and it turns out to be an enjoyable if far-fetched tale of haunting and possession. During a weekend visit to an old school friend’s home, and seen through his sceptical eyes, Buffer, Lord Whittenham, is confronted with rather more than he bargained for. A strange and unsettling atmosphere amongst the family unit, a strange and unsettling child, plus strange and unsettling behaviour from his old friend, leaves Buffer more than a little puzzled and eager to get away. But before that can happen, things become even more unsettling. Definitely not a spine-chiller, or even particularly frightening, the novel has some merit in its description of mental illness and is a cleverly paced story of the supernatural in an English middle class environment.

This is a difficult read, for my taste. Arnold, college roommate of Lord Whittenham, have a chance encounter at a train station. A ghostly tale ensues, with plenty of first person narrative and well-deserved criticism for each character.

A spine chilling, ghostly thriller that brews and boils its way through a disquieting, disturbing plot.

Told from the perspective of "Buffer," nickname of Arnold Lewis' college friend Lord Whittenham, The Unquiet Spirit tells the tale of uncomfortable and worrying events in the household of Arnold, from his cold and uncanny son Dominick John to the underlying conflict between his wife Fabienne and Dominick John's tutor Violet to Arnold's own fits and nervous episodes.

Well written in the first person perspective, the novel does an incredible job of drawing in the reader, alternatively answering and creating more mysteries in fits and bursts as the tale progresses. No character, even the narrator himself, is safe from criticism and judgment, and no character is all he or she seems. Requiring some understanding of British slang and vocabulary at the time of Steen, the novel nonetheless is timelessly terrifying and will keep the reader questioning what really happened even at the very end.

Thanks to the publisher for a digital copy!