After reading John Saul's, When the Wind Blows, I can't say that I'm a fan of his but I'm not putting him down for the count. When it comes to being a reader, I can't say that I'm specific to any genre. If I had to pick one it would be children's or YA, not mystery, suspense, horror or thriller, all of which this novel could be classified under. Since none of the above is my forte, so to speak, I feel as if I must tread lightly when judging a book by an author who is much loved by many. Almost, like judging King while saying, "I never read horror." or Tolkien while claiming that you don't care for fantasy, never even touched the stuff. I won't say that I've never read in these genres, I've for sure have "touched the stuff", but I'm not joining the mystery readers guild or anything of that sort.But though I may not be an expert in the matters of such, I can say that I do believe that I have come to some understanding about such genres. I believe that some mysteries, suspense and horror books fall just like comedies. How many comedy movies have you watched in which you thought to yourself, "This is funny?" or said, " I thought this was once funny but now..."? Over time the jokes are no longer funny. Horror and the such falls much the same way. Over time, years later when one picks it up and reads or watches it, the scenes of blood and the lines, "The stairs creaked underfoot." no longer have the same effect. In this case, for John Saul, I think this has happened.In no way does this make the book a "bad" read. Actually it is decent, it's just that you are comparing 1980's main stream fiction to our time. It is just like music, some is unforgettable, some you wish to forget and others you only remember fondly when you catch a jingle of it on "VH1's I Love the 80's". This book would be the latter. If I had read it in 1980 (when I was only about...2 months old) I would be looking fondly back at this book and in my mind I would be saying, "Oh I remember how that book scared the crap out of me!" But I'm not and it did not. In today's world all I can say is that the book held my attention from beginning to end. It was predictable but I was okay with that because the way it was written, I wanted to keep on reading. I became attached to characters and the setting and I had to find out who stayed and who didn't. While I knew who the killer was, I wanted to know why. In the end, I wanted to know who the next killer would be. And, when I finished the book, I looked fondly at it and said, "Hmmm, I wonder if there was a sequel?"John Saul's, When the Wind Blows, is not a classic in its genre, but that doesn't mean that it's not worth reading, especially if you are a die hard Saul fan or fan of the genre.
I'm finding a recurring theme in this Saul book and the last one I read about letting the past stay the past. In each one a closed down business is being looked into reopening it (both industrial) and each had a horrid history. Some people say its better to leave it to the past while others are looking forward to the business reopening to help out a struggling town. As in other Saul books this also introduces superstitions of the local natives that have graced the area for longer than any other human being. In this one the legend that plays a major role is the idea of "water babies". The local Indian population would take their stillborn children and lay them to rest in a cave hidden in the area in order for them to wait until they can be reborn again. Strange things happen in the small town that this legend is based in, and an old mine is planning on being reopened by the richest family in town. The problem? There are family secrets hidden there as well. In a story where nothing is as it really seems, Saul takes the reader on a journey full of mystery and intrigue. There are parts that can make your stomach turn due to the actions of the characters, but like with his other books it is hard to put down once you get rolling through the pages.
What do You think about When The Wind Blows (1990)?
A quick and somewhat formulaic read but still fun in that Lifetime movie, early 1980's horror kind of way. The town of Amberville is haunted by the shadow of a fifty-year old mining disaster which affected every family living there. Now Christie Lyons' father has come to town to try to reopen the mine. Soon enough she's orphaned and living with the Edna and Dianna Amber, the town's nasty matriarch and her doormat of a daughter. Dark secrets abound. Who is killing young Christie's friends? Does it have something to do with the old Indian cave used as a repository for stillborn babies? And what's up with that wind? You get the idea. Add a half-star if, like me, you are a fan of the paperback horror B-Listers of the 80's
—Chris Cangiano
