Book Review: Black Creek Crossing by John Saul

Angel Sullivan, is a plain-looking 14-year-old girl who just never fits in with other kids in school or socially. Her father, Marty, is an alcoholic that can't hold any job for more than a few months. Her mother, Myra, is a strict religious woman, who always takes Marty's side against Angel, whom she even forbids to wear make-up.

Things change for the worse when Myra's sister and realtor talks the Sullivans into buying a cheap, old house in Roundtree, Massachusetts on Black Creek Crossing, which is supposed to be haunted by witches and the previous owner killed his own wife and daughter in the house.

Soon after they move in, a black cat, Houdini, shows up and befriends Angel, to her father's dismay because he hates cats. Marty begins looking at Angel hungrily and even tries to touch her at night but the cat protects her. Angel also sees a ghost girl's face and writing on a mirror in blood.

Upon going to school, she finds herself an outcast like always. Even her cousin, Jake picks on her. She meets up with another outcast, Seth Baker, who is the school's kid to pick on and his father, a jock-type, is ashamed of him because he can't play sports.

Angel and Seth become friends and, after seeing a strange object in one of Seth's photos of her house, they investigate the history of the house.

Houdini leads them to an old book of spells under the stairs and to an old cabin in the woods. They try a spell with great results and begin relying on it more and more with an ultimately grave end result.

This story is just like The Shining and The Amityville Terror with evil spirits possessing an alcoholic father, who gradually goes insane and tries to kill his family. Black Creek Crossing takes this concept and adds in witchcraft, not unlike the movie, The Craft. Saul weaves it together well in this 2004 book of only 368 pages. A lot happens over these pages within only a two-week time frame in the story, so it just flies by and before you know it, it's over.

It is not very original. The age-old Massachusetts witch backdrop has been done to death but I rarely grow tired of it. Most Saul books that I've read have taken place on the west coast, so this is a refreshing change, although he chooses September, which is warmer; snow would've been a great addition.

The characters are, for the most part, very well done albeit a bit stereotypical. We have the alcoholic father, compliant mother, outcast teens, cocky jocks, and more. I think that Angel and Seth are the best detailed characters of the book. I can almost relate to them being outcasts. Being disabled, I never really fit in with other students and had few friends. I heard awful names but nowhere near what Seth feels here. Saul creates an exaggerated stereotype here but I'm sure there are kids who have to endure such ridicule which is sad. Saul has created two great characters for us to root for as they get revenge on the jocks.

The story isn't really too fast-paced but Saul does pack a lot in, so it kept me interested before it had a chance to bore me.

The ending does provide a sort of closure but a very dark one at that. Don't expect a happy ending here.

This is good for a quick read.

3/5