Sarban's "The Doll Maker"
Jun. 6th, 2007 11:35 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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darkling_talesLJ-SEC: (ORIGINALLY POSTED BY pgmcc)
“The Doll Maker” by Sarban. (Ballentine Books) Paperback
A big thank you tojoysilence for bringing this author to my attention. “The Doll Maker” is his second novel (the first being, “The Sound of his Horn”) and was written in 1953.
I want to note my feelings on the book but feel I can’t do so without giving clues about the story, hence I am putting the comments behind an lj-cut SPOILER WARNING.
On the surface, “The Doll Maker” is a horror story based on the principle of an individual being lured into a terrifying situation while believing they are on a delightful journey of discovery and personal fulfilment. Taking a more analytical view of the book it can be viewed as a commentary on relationships between men and women with the underlying theme being that men are evil, manipulative and duplicitous; while women are innocent, gullible, and naïve, but in the end, being wise and all knowing. (I don’t know more about the Author than the name, “Sarban”. Perhaps he is a she. Unless you know better…)
It includes self delusion, jealousy, betrayal, love, wish fulfilment and fear.
The story is set in a private girls’ boarding school in the English countryside. It is in the grounds of an estate owned by the mysterious Sterne family, a mother and son, who live in the old house at the heart of ancient woodland walled off from the rest of their property.
Our heroine is an academic over-achiever who is staying on for additional tuition after her year-group has moved on.
Written in the 1950s it has all the feeling of many horror movies and TV programmes I watched in the 1960s. It had all the ingredients: an isolated country location; individuals who are isolated, both socially and physically; dark, woodlands; and individuals willing to believe that the bad guy is just the bee’s knees no matter what evidence is presented to the contrary. Oh yes, and a cat.
It is very much a story of its time and, unlike horror stories of today, has a happy ending; or does it? We are brought to the climax where all the evil is neatly destroyed in a blaze that obliterates the house of evil and we rest knowing that everything will be alright. But Sarban mentions nothing of the villain. While the house was destroyed there was no mention of finding remains or that the evil Nial survived or died. Is he still alive? Is this the element of horror that remains? Can he rise from the ashes?
I think the happy ending was required by the reader of the day whereas such an ending in a modern horror book would be considered trite, clichéd and a cheat.
I enjoyed the story and its gentle pace, used skilfully to build the atmosphere that environment in which the particular type of horror involved could blossom.
If I was to make any criticism of the novel, it would be the rapidity with which Clare, our heroine, converts from total submission to ardent resistance fighter. This transformation warranted a bit more than a couple of sentences and an instant transmutation. Yes, the event that triggered it would trigger such a change, but probably with a little more time required to complete the transformation.
I would recommend this novel to all. The horror element is only one strand of the tale and I’m sure everyone will get something different out of it.
Sarban’s books are difficult to get with a few available on ebay and a number recently re-published by Tartarus Press.
pgmcc)“The Doll Maker” by Sarban. (Ballentine Books) Paperback
A big thank you to
joysilence for bringing this author to my attention. “The Doll Maker” is his second novel (the first being, “The Sound of his Horn”) and was written in 1953.I want to note my feelings on the book but feel I can’t do so without giving clues about the story, hence I am putting the comments behind an lj-cut SPOILER WARNING.
On the surface, “The Doll Maker” is a horror story based on the principle of an individual being lured into a terrifying situation while believing they are on a delightful journey of discovery and personal fulfilment. Taking a more analytical view of the book it can be viewed as a commentary on relationships between men and women with the underlying theme being that men are evil, manipulative and duplicitous; while women are innocent, gullible, and naïve, but in the end, being wise and all knowing. (I don’t know more about the Author than the name, “Sarban”. Perhaps he is a she. Unless you know better…)
It includes self delusion, jealousy, betrayal, love, wish fulfilment and fear.
The story is set in a private girls’ boarding school in the English countryside. It is in the grounds of an estate owned by the mysterious Sterne family, a mother and son, who live in the old house at the heart of ancient woodland walled off from the rest of their property.
Our heroine is an academic over-achiever who is staying on for additional tuition after her year-group has moved on.
Written in the 1950s it has all the feeling of many horror movies and TV programmes I watched in the 1960s. It had all the ingredients: an isolated country location; individuals who are isolated, both socially and physically; dark, woodlands; and individuals willing to believe that the bad guy is just the bee’s knees no matter what evidence is presented to the contrary. Oh yes, and a cat.
It is very much a story of its time and, unlike horror stories of today, has a happy ending; or does it? We are brought to the climax where all the evil is neatly destroyed in a blaze that obliterates the house of evil and we rest knowing that everything will be alright. But Sarban mentions nothing of the villain. While the house was destroyed there was no mention of finding remains or that the evil Nial survived or died. Is he still alive? Is this the element of horror that remains? Can he rise from the ashes?
I think the happy ending was required by the reader of the day whereas such an ending in a modern horror book would be considered trite, clichéd and a cheat.
I enjoyed the story and its gentle pace, used skilfully to build the atmosphere that environment in which the particular type of horror involved could blossom.
If I was to make any criticism of the novel, it would be the rapidity with which Clare, our heroine, converts from total submission to ardent resistance fighter. This transformation warranted a bit more than a couple of sentences and an instant transmutation. Yes, the event that triggered it would trigger such a change, but probably with a little more time required to complete the transformation.
I would recommend this novel to all. The horror element is only one strand of the tale and I’m sure everyone will get something different out of it.
Sarban’s books are difficult to get with a few available on ebay and a number recently re-published by Tartarus Press.
