Review of Kinsley Circle by Kevin Cowan
3 Stars
On an isolated rural road in Virginia is a cul-de-sac
inhabited by only three homes. The oldest, belonging to George and Alice
Kinsley, has been there for 42 years; the other two homes, only 20 years. Chief
of Police Paul Thompson, his wife, and two children live in one; Attorney Ellen
Reinhart and her husband, psychologist professor/administrator David reside in the other home. The
Kinsleys are unfortunately childless, but have always very much enjoyed Nancy
and Thomas, the Thompson offspring.
Alice’s sudden death in her sleep propels
George into a self-imposed state of isolation and sleeplessness; but when he
begins claiming to hear wolves and dogs howling in the woods in the wee hours
of the night, a tremendous change in his personality takes place, almost as if
he had become possessed. The neighbors are deeply concerned, and anxious to get
George committed for therapy—but what if this is not a case that psychiatry can
answer? Circumstances go from bad to worse as whatever has changed George is
now causing strife and disruption among the remaining neighbors.
The emphasis of this story is that the paranormal does exist;
whether a given individual believes or is a skeptic doesn’t matter. The
residents of Kinsley Circle consider themselves skeptics: one is a career
law-enforcement official, another a trained Ph.D. psychologist. Both believe in
the scientific approach. But when what you hear but can’t see occurs, for
hours, every night at the exact same times, and the auditory “hallucinations”
soon are accompanied by visual “hallucinations,” something has to be done—even if
it means admitting that “There are more things
in heaven and earth, Horatio,
Than are dreamt of in your philosophy.” [Hamlet, William Shakespeare]
Than are dreamt of in your philosophy.” [Hamlet, William Shakespeare]
No comments:
Post a Comment