Coleridge was the start of everything for Zadie and Dalia. Their love of the old house began as a restoration project and blossomed into a love story. Until the tragedy. Coleridge was all Dalia Cromwell had left. It served as both a tribute to their love and a harsh reminder to her loss. Until the visitor arrived. Coleridge was his obsession. Slade knew more about the house than Dalia did. And he … he knew of its past. By the end of their long night together in the house, Dalia would know all of Coleridge’s secrets, and Zadie’s.
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At just 101 pages, this is a quick read. I read the majority of it in one sitting. Your pulled into the story right away. We meet Dalia, still grieving over the loss of her partner Zadie. A man claiming to he Zadie’s father shows up but Dalia knows her father is dead. This man knows about the house they so lovingly restored. He knows it secrets and the things that Zadie kept hidden from Dalia.
I enjoyed this short story, Dalia is a very interesting character. She may or may not be unreliable. There’s parts of the story that even she doubts what has happened and i liked that. Not everything is tied up in a neat little bow at the end and i liked that too. Another good story from Tom Deady!
Let me first say that I love Tom Deady’s work. His debut novel, Haven, which won a Bram Stoker, was one of the best books I read that year. This new novella ranks right up there, too.
Coleridge is the story of Dalia and Zadie, two women who meet at an open house. The property featured, a hundred-year-old home, is terribly rundown and both of the women have an eye toward restoring it. They hit it off, become business partners, and buy the place. During the restoration, they discover they are more than just friends and embark on a relationship full of love and hope. All goes well for years as they continue bringing the house back to its former splendor. However, tragedy ensues when Zadie dies, leaving a grieving Dalia behind.
Enter Mr. Slade who seeks out Dalia. He tells her he’s Zadie’s father and gives her his card. That evening, curious, Dalia calls him. Big mistake!
At this point, the story turns dark and sinister as Mr. Slade invades Dalia’s home searching for a relic he believes can grant immortality.
Coleridge is not only a dark and haunting tale, but also a tender and well-crafted love story. The novella is beautifully written and, once started, hard to put down. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it and was left wanting more. Author Deady leaves the tale a bit open-ended and I hope he has a sequel in mind. Highly recommended for fans of horror, suspense, the occult, and haunting love stories.
COLERIDGE, a novella by Tom Deady, is a gothic style story with an unexpected kind of haunting. After the sudden loss of her soulmate, Dalia finds herself confronted by a man claiming to be Zadie’s father. Despite her disbelief, she is so desperate for any link to what could help her understand the tragic decision her wife made, that she allows this “Mr. Slade” into the secluded home which she and Zadie had so lovingly restored.
“. . . It was a fairy tale, it was perfect, we were perfect. Until we weren’t . . .”
The deep emotions of Dalia–shared through her own thoughts and reminiscing of her past with Zadie–really set the tone for this tale. The deep sense of loss and emotional devastation added to the overall atmosphere of this gothic story.
Through this stranger’s sudden intrusion into her life, Dalia is going to be forced to see the truths that Zadie hid from her, and the reason for her untimely death.
“. . . Everyone wants to find a secret treasure, I found a secret curse . . .”
I enjoyed the way the novella alternated between the present invasion, and the past as Dalia recollected it. The mystery surrounding their house, and–ultimately–the unwanted Mr. Slade and his demands.
The story of the house and its origins with the previous owner, fascinated me to no end. Between this and the strong emotions of Dalia–of her needing to know the things Zadie never told her–I could have read a full length novel without hesitation.
“. . . it wasn’t “just” a book. It was the end of everything.”
I really enjoyed every part of this, up until the end. At this point, I felt that there were still too many questions left unexplored. While coming to my own conclusions in books is something I usually love, this one just felt . . . unfinished . . . in too many areas. Additionally, the ending didn’t pack any kind of a punch–it seemed more like it just fizzled out, in my opinion.
Overall, I genuinely loved the characters and the concept of this novella, but would have liked more of a conclusive ending, with additional details about the origin of the house. I’m hoping that Tom Deady revisits this story in the future and expands upon it, or at least some of the ideas presented. I would readily jump into the world of COLERIDGE again!
Recommended.