Louise Beeston is being driven to distraction by her neighbor in Cambridge. He has parties with his friends during which they indulge in drugs and play loud music that keeps Louise awake all night. When she asks the neighbor to tone it down, he taunts her about sending her son Joseph away to boarding school where he sings in a choir. Louise obsesses about her unpleasant neighbor and the absence of her son. She feels the need to retaliate since the police seem to do nothing and her husband fails to support her obsession. She begins hearing choral music and is certain that her neighbor is trying to drive her mad. She tries to escape to a gated community called Swallowfield where she believes she and her family will be safe from the menace of Cambridge only to discover that the menace has followed her there. Has she descended into madness or is she truly being haunted by a ghostly choir? The Orphan Choir was spellbinding and a quick read. At first I thought Louise to be overly self involved but became fascinated by the depth of her mania as the story progressed. In echoing a lot of other reviews, I found the main character in this book highly annoying, and the story dragged a lot without anything really interesting happening. I only got through about half the book when I got a library notice saying it was due back, so I chose to return it without finishing it. I will continue reading books by Hannah as I found several of her other works very suspenseful and well written, but this one just did not keep my interest.
What do You think about Een Duister Koor (2014)?
Loved this! Appreciate what the characters are seeing, saying and succumb to.
—dee
Didn't finish wasn't getting any better 3/4 of the way through:-(
—Jaycin
