No One Gets Out Alive

I'll say 3.5 stars.

Now, I'm not a huge fan of female in peril tales. They easily trespass into sexism. But call me crazy here, I felt like Mr Nevill was heading in the direct opposite direction. It seems as though poor Stephanie annoyed some readers. Honestly, I felt that she was painfully realistic. Anyone who has ever lived below the poverty line should be able to comprehend something of her desperation, her vulnerability. It's exactly because she is realistic that this book is so frightening and, at times, awkward and painful to read. She's alone and basically one step away from being homeless. She moves into a home with rooms to let, little knowing that her landlords will be expecting her to become a sex worker. And little knowing that the house is haunted–rather, perhaps, possessed?–by something incredibly nasty and awful.

This book is not just a horror novel about a young woman managing to stay alive and win the day. It is also the story of how a very young woman manages to stay alive despite the horrible sexist treatment she receives at the hands of her landlords; despite the creepiness of the murdered ghosts she hears every night. This book is sort of a worst case scenario of the female experience. That might be why I was more disturbed by this book than I was by the other two delights I've read by Mr Neville.