What do readers think of Tillinghast by Clare Cavenagh? Write your own review.

Creepy horror thriller positing the meaning of life - not necessarily human life though.

Stutley Tillinghast leads a solitary life seemingly as a curate of a small church in Rhode Island. His human contact over the years has been little, sporadic and deadly. He prefers not to name what he is but the reader knows. He keeps a diary of his victims and longs for his life to end. One day a young woman, Sarah, enters his life, very sick with symptoms Tillinghast had when he was alive. Is there some kind of relationship? This causes Tillinghast to add to his diary with more details of his origin and hopes. As he works to save Sarah, Tillinghast is faced with a life altering dilemma.

This is very much a character driven novel and a possibly a new take on the vampire: less formidable and more reflective. The book explores Tillinghast’s desire for freedom from his curse but also for meaning to his existence if this life of his goes on. His tenderness to Sarah might seem out of character but as his lonely existence is examined prior to her arrival, you sense he’s really not a villain - just lonely.

I liked Tillinghast as a character. As he’d write a name and description in his diary you’d almost sense how tired he was. The narration too adds a melancholy flavor to the storytelling. And the story written almost like a memoir was clever.

My thanks to NetGalley and Viking for allowing me access to this ARC.