Review: The Uninvited

Author: Tim Wynne-Jones
Pages: 368
Publisher: Candlewick
Source: Library
Synopsis (Amazon):
Mimi Shapiro had a disturbing freshman year at NYU, thanks to a foolish affair with a professor who still haunts her caller ID. So when her artist father, Marc, offers the use of his remote Canadian cottage, she’s glad to hop in her Mini Cooper and drive up north. The house is fairy-tale quaint, and the key is hidden right where her dad said it would be, so she’s shocked to fi nd someone already living there — Jay, a young musician, who is equally startled to meet Mimi and immediately accuses her of leaving strange and threatening tokens inside: a dead bird, a snakeskin, a cricket sound track embedded in his latest composition. But Mimi has just arrived, so who is responsible? And more alarmingly, what does the intruder want? Part gripping thriller, part family drama, this fast-paced novel plays out in alternating viewpoints, in a pastoral setting that is evocative and eerie — a mysterious character in its own right.

The Uninvited by Tim Wynne Jones was completely different from what I expected.

The story was told in the alternating perspective of Mimi, Jay and Cramer. They were all very different characters with different voices. Mimi did many things through out the story that I found out of character so I didn't connect too much with her. Jay didn't have a huge part in the story after he and Mimi were initially introduced, and Cramer, well, he's special. I won't go any further than that.

To be honest, I wasn't very into the story. The characters didn't attract my attention and the plot didn't move much until near the middle and end by which everything was revealed. The revelation was interesting, but again I found that it didn't do much for me. I didn't find it very believable and I don't think I would be the target for this genre.

The thing I was disappointed in was that I expected a horror story here but I didn't get one. I wasn't frightened and that's where the story fell apart, because I couldn't get myself interested in it.

The story was set in a very small town in Ontario near Ottawa and Kingston. I enjoyed the Canadian references. The setting was well written. Even now I can easily imagine the small town they were from. The stalker was creepy and will keep you guessing.

Overall, the Uninvited was an eerie story but it didn't give me all I wanted as a reader. 2 stars,

**