Elizabeth Hand

Curious Toys is a beautifully written novel, with memorable characters, particularly our protagonist, a detailed and inhabitable historical setting, and a compelling story. Set primarily in a 1915 Chicago amusement park, author Elizabeth Hand touches on early cinema (Charlie Chaplain is a character in the story), carnival culture, and themes of identity. Rich in period detail and language, with a well-developed mystery at its center, this novel is a compelling, gripping read, a real page-turner.

In addition to this fantastic book itself, I am thankful to Elizabeth Hand for, in the pages of the tale and in the afterword material, making me aware of avant-garde performer Snakefinger, the outsider artist Henry Darger (he is a prominent character in the book), and the 1911 movie The Inferno. Curious Toys is a gift rich in delights.… (more)

Though much anticipated and well-reviewed by professional critics, this was a disappointment - it neither rose above Hand's previous work nor actually above the abundance of standard haunted house books which promise to be "for lovers of Shirley Jackson" (books which can be enjoyable, but don't rise to the promised pedigree - they don't and neither does this.) As for the critics who lavished praise on this return to Hill House, it's impossible to believe they understood what made The Haunting of Hill House so incredibly terrifying but - hint - it had nothing to do with overgrown hares (or, as you wish, big rabbits). Finally, if readers get any sense of déjà vu at all, it's quite likely they've read Hand's excellent Wylding Hall and it feels that it is to that book The Haunting on the Hill is paying homage.… (more)