3 Review(s)

The Little Stranger is a gothic novel written by Sarah Waters. Published in 2009, the novel presents a ghost story that is set in a ruined mansion in Warwickshire. This is Waters’ fifth novel and here, she deviates from her favorite themes of homosexuality. A family resides at this mansion consisting of a mother, son, and daughter. The story covers the events in a situation when a doctor is called to attend to a patient in this mansion. The mansion had been a grand and handsome one, but today it is in the state of decline. Dr. Faraday is least aware of the dangers waiting for him in the mansion. He makes friends with this family, who have been left with a faded fortune. And suddenly, the doctor is loaded with the responsibilities of the family. He needs to resolve the financial issues of the family and take up the familial responsibilities. However, something supernatural and utterly unexpected is waiting for this little stranger. Perplexing events take place at the mansion that seem to have supernatural origins. Some of them even culminate into tragedy. Dr. Faraday is not aware how very soon the story of this family is going to entwine with his own in a terrifying and mystic way. Born on 21 July, 1966, Sarah Waters is a famous Welsh novelist. After completing her BA and MA in English literature, she did her Ph.D. in the same subject from Queen Mary, University of London. She started her career as an academic who taught while earning her doctorate. She started writing her first novel once she was through with the thesis. She likes to do intense research for all her novels. Most of her novels contain the theme of historical fiction and lesbianism, and at times she is known as a lesbian writer as well. Her other famous novels are Affinity, The Night Watch, Tipping the Velvet, Dancing with Mr. Darcy: Stories Inspired by Jane Austen and Chawton House, A View of the Harbour, and Fingersmith.