The Fall

Reviewed by: Nina Sachs - Retired, Portland, Southern Maine Library District

Review Date: January 7, 2015

Review

Griffin's novel retells Poe's Classic, The Fall of the House of Usher, from Madeline Usher's view. Through a variety of devices that challenge the reader to keep up, including a non-linear chronology, Griffin manages to make Poe's tale of a cursed family and their crumbling mansion into something beyond pastiche. Will Madeline escape the curse of madness that has taken her parents? Can she protect her twin brother? This is a new story, which will nevertheless send readers back to the original to see how Griffin has made it her own. Although it goes off the rails a bit here and there, I recommend it for CREAM.

Overall Book Score: excellent