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Available
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Publication
HarperTorch (2006), Edition: First Edition, Mass Market Paperback, 400 pages
Description
Fiction. Suspense. HTML: Some believe Bedford, Maine, is cursed. Its bloody past, endless rain, and the decay of its downtown portend a hopeless future. With the death of its paper mill, Bedford's unemployed residents soon find themselves with far too much time to dwell on thoughts of Susan Marley. Once the local beauty, she's now the local whore. Silently prowling the muddy streets, she watches eerily from the shadows, waiting for . . . something. And haunting the sleep of everyone in town with monstrous visions of violence and horror. Those who are able will leave Bedford before the darkness fully ascends. But those who are trapped here�??from Susan Marley's long-suffering mother and younger sister to her guilt-ridden, alcoholic ex-lover to the destitute and faithless with nowhere else to go�??will soon know the fullest and most terrible meaning of nightmare… (more)
Media reviews
“The Keeper” — which is richly populated with small-town characters at varying stages of emotional crisis, from numb puzzlement to unshakable bitterness to abject despair...the only horror story I’ve read recently that finds adequate metaphors for the self-destructive properties of anger.
Langan lovingly crafts the struggling town of Bedford, Maine, its unlucky inhabitants and the troubling history of the town's shuttered paper mill, before tearing it all to bloody pieces.... Langan's characters come brilliantly to life, their inner conflicts rendered in sharp but exhausting detail
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at once expansive and constricting, slowing the narrative to a crawl just before it whips into frenzied, graphic violence. This is horror on a big scale, akin to the more ambitious work of Stephen King, and though Langan's enormous imagination can slow her narrative, this effective debut promises great things to come. Show Less
User reviews
LibraryThing member drneutron
I came across a recommendation for The Keeper here on LibraryThing in one of the groups. It sounded interesting, so I picked it up. The first few chapters were slow going, and I almost put it down. Boy, am I glad I didn't. Things pick up and get pretty creepy about 1/3 of the way through and keep
The Keeper is the story of the death of a town. Not just any town, but an old factory town with a history of abuse and downright evil. And the end isn't easy, by any stretch. The story centers around an inverse sin-eater theme, where the evil that is done in the town builds and builds until it can't be contained anymore. Once it's out, it's not going back into the bottle.
The book suffers from a few first-time author flaws. The writing is a bit uneven, and the characters take a bit to get going. The plot needs juicing in a couple of spots. But in general, I recommend it as worth the time spent.
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going until literally the last sentence. The Keeper is the story of the death of a town. Not just any town, but an old factory town with a history of abuse and downright evil. And the end isn't easy, by any stretch. The story centers around an inverse sin-eater theme, where the evil that is done in the town builds and builds until it can't be contained anymore. Once it's out, it's not going back into the bottle.
The book suffers from a few first-time author flaws. The writing is a bit uneven, and the characters take a bit to get going. The plot needs juicing in a couple of spots. But in general, I recommend it as worth the time spent.
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LibraryThing member TheBentley
I've always been a fan of small-town apocalypse novels (think Stephen King's "Needful Things" or "Storm of the Century," Phil Rickman's "Crybbe," or Bentley Little's "The Store"). If you are too, you can add another one to your list. "The Keeper" is a real page turner, and Langan has the most
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crucial quality of a good true horror writer--she never looks away. There's nothing subtle here except perhaps the psychology of the characters. Don't get me wrong. I love a good creeping atmospheric ghost story or a clever, sophisticated mystery, but if you're going to write horror, you can't cheat. Horror should be horrifying, and "The Keeper" is. That's not to say the book is anywhere near perfect. When things really start rolling, Langan loses it a little--as if she can't really keep up with her own pace. Her desperate attempts to explain what's happening when everything is happening at once slow down what would be a breakneck pace if she could follow it herself. But keep in mind, this is a debut novel. The tough stuff, Langan has down pat. She's already better at characterization and psychology than Dean Koontz will ever be; her style and poetry leave Bentley Little in the dust; and she's braver and more disturbing than Peter Straub. If she can get control of her pacing and learn a few things about literary depth, she could be a Stephen King in the making. Definitely one to watch. Show Less
LibraryThing member Mumugrrl
Oppressive story of a declining town with hidden secrets and a crazy young woman who takes those secrets into a dark place within her. This story was unrelentingly bleak and had no humor or hope to counterbalance the horror. I thought the writing was good, but the story itself didn't leave me
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rooting for anyone to make it through the crisis in the town. All the characters were so flawed that you kind of hoped that town would be wiped off the map. Show Less
LibraryThing member bibliobeck
VERY depressing! I could easily have been hooked by the tale of a disconnected and disowned young woman wandering her hometown and appearing in people's dreams, but the more I read, the less I understood, the more depressed I felt and come the end I was just glad it was all over. I don't understand
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how the mill in the town, the owner from generations before and the main characters from the Marley family connect. I don't understand Susan's grievance with either the townsfolk, or in fact her sister who she loved and protected in life. Actually I just don't understand. Not a clue what was going on at the end, none of it made sense, so not only unsatisfying, but left me feeling like an outsider with absolutely no empathy for the characters, so come the end, I really didn't care what happened to them. Show Less
LibraryThing member Carl_Alves
I had heard good things about Sarah Langan, so I was glad to finally read her novel. Overall, I found out it to be pretty creepy with some good horror elements. It's definitely worth checking out. The writing was high quality and story was well plotted. I found it a little hard to get behind some
Carl Alves - author of Two For Eternity
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of the characters and the ending of the novel was a bit depressing. All in all, a good read. Give it a try.Carl Alves - author of Two For Eternity
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LibraryThing member RuthiesBookReviews
Now before I bought this book - I did my research and I heard a lot of great things about Ms. Langan's books! So I - the lover of all horror - decided to give it a go. So here is my review:
We meet poor Liz who is just trying to get by in life - but of course, with the entire town looking down on
As the story progresses, the plot unfolds of the terror that everyone in Bedford knows is coming. Do they admit that they see Susan in their dreams or that they can hear voices? Of course not. Then they would be just as crazy as Susan was. But they all know that something is going to happen, but they don't know when.
In Bedford, the rains come and it rains, rains, rains. But there is something different about this rain. It pretty much floods the valley and then by the end it is too late. Those who were lucky enough to get out did - and the others ... well, let's just say they should have tried harder.
Sarah Langan's writing is pretty close to Stephen King and Bentley Little - who give you the heebie jeebies when you read the stories. Her characters are strong and flawed, which I liked. I felt really sorry for Liz as the tale spread. I could see all of the death and smell the rank air. Wonderful descriptions of the buildings, people and landscape! I can't wait to read her next novel - The Missing.
If you love true horror - then I suggest not taking my word for it - go out and buy it and read it!! This book has it all from voices to ghosts to large insects! This one is definately a keeper (no pun intended).
We meet poor Liz who is just trying to get by in life - but of course, with the entire town looking down on
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her because of her sister, Susan. She always knew that Susan was different, perhaps she was an alien. But Liz tries to make the best of it, with her future looking bright with her new boyfriend, Bobby. As the story progresses, the plot unfolds of the terror that everyone in Bedford knows is coming. Do they admit that they see Susan in their dreams or that they can hear voices? Of course not. Then they would be just as crazy as Susan was. But they all know that something is going to happen, but they don't know when.
In Bedford, the rains come and it rains, rains, rains. But there is something different about this rain. It pretty much floods the valley and then by the end it is too late. Those who were lucky enough to get out did - and the others ... well, let's just say they should have tried harder.
Sarah Langan's writing is pretty close to Stephen King and Bentley Little - who give you the heebie jeebies when you read the stories. Her characters are strong and flawed, which I liked. I felt really sorry for Liz as the tale spread. I could see all of the death and smell the rank air. Wonderful descriptions of the buildings, people and landscape! I can't wait to read her next novel - The Missing.
If you love true horror - then I suggest not taking my word for it - go out and buy it and read it!! This book has it all from voices to ghosts to large insects! This one is definately a keeper (no pun intended).
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LibraryThing member SonicQuack
The Keeper is horror in the vein of Straub, where a community succumbs to a threat from a malevolent entity. The supernatural is well hidden, hinted at more that directly portrayed in an effort to maintain some suspense. Although the approach is fresh, the lack of any likeable characters creates a
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lacklustre story. There is a score of characters and only the two central protagonists offer any positive attributes, however with so many characters the key players receive little time, except to propel the story. The Keeper is short enough to be a simple time-killer but it's lack of emotional hold means you'll have soon forgotten it. Show Less
LibraryThing member luvmyjerogo
This was a good old fashioned creepy story that I really enjoyed. The charactor descriptions gave the story a little meat as the plot itself was rather weak and thin. All in all I think this was a good light read if you like a bit of scary and creepy.
LibraryThing member SomeGuyInVirginia
A book about the destruction of an entire town, written in a beautifully supple and accessible style, in which nothing much seems to happen. The problem may be that the episodic convention, in which one thing is discussed then the chapter ends, relies too much on setting a mood and not on moving
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the narrative forward. Regardless, The Keeper is a fun, gloomy read, has some genuinely creepy elements, and as a first novel is truly promising. Show Less
LibraryThing member BookDivasReads
Not what I expected...guess I'm just not into this genre.
LibraryThing member Scratch
Takes a lot of nerve to set a horror novel in Maine, where that other horror writer lives (what's his name again?), but Langan pulls it off. This is a psychological horror story that transcends the genre in much the same way that Shirley Jackson's The Haunting of Hill House does. Impressive debut
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effort. Show Less
LibraryThing member bookwormteri
Ugh...two sisters...one is the town "weirdo" and tramp, the other is the good girl, but no one wants to deal with her anyway. A large cast of characters that don't really have too much to do with each. The whole book was very scattered and hard to read. I am not sure if the town was haunted because
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of the evil mill or if the girl was schizophrenic after being raped by her father...I don't know...just too scattered and too confusing. Plus, it took way too long for anything to even happen...I would skip it. Show Less
LibraryThing member isabelx
'I'll start, and you finish', the woman said. 'Once upon a time there was a little girl and she was very unlucky She was born in a haunted place where nothing ever died.'
Susan Marley is crazy. Betrayed by her family and friends, she stopped speaking when she was a teenager and wanders mute through
What I really liked abut this book is the way the author casually introduces the horrific and macabre. You are reading along and all of a sudden you read something like "Just then, the closet door opened and a monster stepped out of it." that you hardly notice at first until you are brought up short and have to go back and re-read it. I found it a very effective technique, as it mirrored the way the townspeople skated over the strange things that happened in their town. Later in the book, when the dead stalk the town menacing those townsfolk who didn't sense them coming and flee town, the horror becomes more overt, and that fits too.
Susan Marley is crazy. Betrayed by her family and friends, she stopped speaking when she was a teenager and wanders mute through
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the streets of Bedford, Maine. And everyone in town dreams about her, although they don't talk about that, and try not to think about it either. But although Susan is the townspeople's scapegoat, things were badly wrong in Bedford long before she was born. What I really liked abut this book is the way the author casually introduces the horrific and macabre. You are reading along and all of a sudden you read something like "Just then, the closet door opened and a monster stepped out of it." that you hardly notice at first until you are brought up short and have to go back and re-read it. I found it a very effective technique, as it mirrored the way the townspeople skated over the strange things that happened in their town. Later in the book, when the dead stalk the town menacing those townsfolk who didn't sense them coming and flee town, the horror becomes more overt, and that fits too.
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LibraryThing member ct.bergeron
I'm really wondering what this was all about. The storyline was pretty boring, weird things were happening without reason (giant spider ... really) and I couldn't make heads or tails about anything. Than came the "explaining part" which wasn't any better and didn't help explaining much... I
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wouldn't recommanded it. Show Less
LibraryThing member dagon12
Most of the reviews and comments on THE KEEPER make a point about mentioning it as Langan's debut novel. Now that I've done so too, let us ignore that because this is a great novel, period.
Susan Marley roams the streets of Bedford, Maine, looking for something or simply trying to connect.
While supernatural elements are very much part of the story, they aren't quite as in your face as I expected. The book focuses more on the story and the characters, both of which are very rich and enjoyable. Unfortunately though, I didn't quite get pulled into the characters' lives. They were real and easy to picture but they just weren't quite fascinating to care that much about. Not something to avoid the book over but something to be aware of. Focus on enjoying the multiple plot threads that are nicely weaved together. Those make the novel worthwhile.
Susan Marley roams the streets of Bedford, Maine, looking for something or simply trying to connect.
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Considering that she doesn't speak, is considered the town slut and is ignored by her own mother, that desire for a connection is understood. When she dies one night though, horrible things start happening to the residents in town. The dead rise up and buried secrets come up to reality. While supernatural elements are very much part of the story, they aren't quite as in your face as I expected. The book focuses more on the story and the characters, both of which are very rich and enjoyable. Unfortunately though, I didn't quite get pulled into the characters' lives. They were real and easy to picture but they just weren't quite fascinating to care that much about. Not something to avoid the book over but something to be aware of. Focus on enjoying the multiple plot threads that are nicely weaved together. Those make the novel worthwhile.
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LibraryThing member IntrinsiclyMe
Very spooky
LibraryThing member Lemeritus
A prequel (?) to The Missing, probably meant to be read in order of publication, but particularly interesting as Langan's first dive into "the evil that lurks in the hearts of men" more fully realized in her latest (not exactly 'horror') book: Good Neighbors. Fascinating to see how Langan has moved
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from a write-by-numbers genre with its troubled Maine town to an even more terrifying study of mob mentality worthy of Shirley Jackson. The Keepers has plenty of mystery and body horror to make it worth the read for fans of that genre. Show Less
LibraryThing member OmayraV
Horror is a genre I read sparingly. However, a dear friend recommended The Keeper and I decided to give it a try. The book started and continued at a slow pace to about 3/4 of the plot. On the other hand, Langan invests in the first part of the book crafting unique well develop characters and
I wasn’t expecting the ending. I would have preferred a different ending, but it is me being a fantasy writer inventing my own side story. It was an excellent ending none the less. In my humble opinion, I loved the story
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creating a creepy world. Worldbuilding in a story means a lot to me. I need to feel I can see myself in the world of the story and Langan created the small town of Bedford Maine to be eerie and alive. The plot was creepy enough and her imagery was unsettling to keep me on edge in many parts throughout the story. I must say she kept my attention despite the slow start. I wasn’t expecting the ending. I would have preferred a different ending, but it is me being a fantasy writer inventing my own side story. It was an excellent ending none the less. In my humble opinion, I loved the story
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LibraryThing member PirateJenny
Bedford's always been one of those towns that people struggle to get out of, but never quite do. It is a town haunted. Haunted by its past, in the form of a paper mill that has leached toxic elements into the surrounding town, haunted by its present in the person of Susan, the strange woman that
Good and pretty creepy, especially when the whole town starts dreaming about Susan.
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wanders the streets. The one that people cross the street to get away from, even her own mother. But once the mill (full of barrels of sulfuric acid, no less) closes, and the yearly rains begin, the town seems even more haunted, more full of death, and much of it seems centered around Susan's sister Liz.Good and pretty creepy, especially when the whole town starts dreaming about Susan.
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LibraryThing member Andy5185
This book literally haunted my brain for a few days. If you like Stephen King or John Saul or any of the 80s horror writers you’ll get into this. That said, it’s a twisted, dark, gross and bloody story so, be warned. The cheese factor at the end was pretty high and disappointing, however it
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fits with the overall mass market paperback-horrorness of it all. Show Less
Awards
Bram Stoker Award (Nominee — First Novel — 2006)
Language
Original publication date
2006
Physical description
400 p.; 4.19 inches
ISBN
006087290X / 9780060872908