Into The Grey

by Celine Kiernan

Book, 2011

Status

Available

Call number

823.92

Genres

All Topics

Fiction

Collection

Your library

Publication

O'Brien Press Ltd (2011), Paperback

Description

Horror. Historical Fiction. Young Adult Fiction. HTML: In a heart-pounding, atmospheric ghost story, a teenage boy must find the resources within himself to save his haunted twin brother. After their nan accidentally burns their home down, twin brothers Pat and Dom must move with their parents and baby sister to the seaside cottage they've summered in, now made desolate by the winter wind. It's there that the ghost appears�a strange boy who cries black tears and fears a bad man, a soldier, who is chasing him. Soon Dom has become not-Dom, and Pat can sense that his brother is going to die�while their overwhelmed parents can't even see what's happening. Isolated and terrified, Pat needs to keep his brother's cover while figuring out how to save him, drawing clues from his own dreams and Nan's long-ago memories, confronting a mystery that lies between this world and the next�within the Grey. With white-knuckle pacing and a deft portrayal of family relationships, Celine Kiernan offers a taut psychological thriller that is sure to haunt readers long after the last page is turned..… (more)

User reviews

LibraryThing member wyvernfriend

Yes, I know Celine to talk to but this doesn't stop me from being honest about liking this book.

Set in the early 70s this is the story of Patrick Finnerty and his family. His twin Dominick, his sister Deirdre, his mum, dad, grandmother who is slipping into dimentia and what happens when they have

to move house when their house burns down (their grandmother is responsible)

It touches on issues of care falling on a single person in a family, and dealing with a dimentia patient. Then it takes a turn to horror. The two see figures that they describe as a goblin and the bad man, when Dom starts to behave strangely the adults see it as stress due to the enforced move and the loss of everything familiar but Patrick knows it's something else, a ghost trying to take over Dom, having forced Dom out.

Patrick has to rescue his brother and find out what the ghost wants. I liked it, the help from the grandmother was also interesting, as if somehow the dimentia helped her understand the situation better and the scenes between her and her old friend were very interesting and touching.

Kept me up, kept me reading, loved it.

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LibraryThing member bibliovermis

I chose this book to read based solely on the cool cover, and I do not regret my choice one bit. The story was creepy, sad, lovely, and interesting. In addition to creepy ghosts and frightening events, it mused over what it's like to be a twin, to have an elderly relative going senile, and to begin

to know your parents as people; the terrain of one boy's growing up. It had a good dash of Irish history thrown in, too.

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LibraryThing member LaurenMae85

I received an ARC of Into the Grey from Librarything.

Into The Grey is set in 1970's Ireland and revolves around the Finnerty family, with a particular focus on the 15-year old twin boys, Patrick and Dominick. Their grandmother, who suffers from dementia, accidentally sets their house on fire, and

the family watches in horror as they lose everything they own. They are forced to move to their summer home at the shore. Shortly after their arrival, things begin to change. The twins suffer from haunting dreams, extreme bouts of hunger, and disturbing sightings of a mysterious man in uniform and a creepy undead child. When Dom is consumed by "the grey", a sort of terrible void between life and death, Patrick is determined to save him.

Overall, this can be classified as a ghost story. There were definitely some chilling parts, but overall I think if you are looking to be truly scared this may not cut it for you. I think it works better as a character study. Kiernan does a wonderful job capturing the attitudes and feelings of a 15 year old. She adeptly builds tension as the reader watches Patrick crumble under the weight of losing his twin. It is a beautiful depiction of the deep bond and love between siblings.

Whichever way you decide to approach the story, you'll discover an engaging and intelligent read. A solid 3.5 stars.

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LibraryThing member 68papyrus

I won a copy of Into the Grey through the LibraryThing Early Reviewers Program. The first thing that caught my eye about this book is the cover I liked the boy's profile within the man's silhouetted profile which hints at the theme of the story which is held within the covers. Into the Grey takes

place in 1970's Ireland and details the upheaval the Finnerty twins and their family experiences when their home is burned down by their grandmother who suffers from dementia and they need to move to their vacation home. Strange things begin to happen and eventually one of the twins bodies becomes inhabited by a ghost looking for a home. Desperate to have his brother back, Patrick, looks for answers and struggles to make his family whole again. Celine Kiernan has created a haunting and atmospheric story that has some wonderfully creepy moments. The author also does a good job of conveying the anxiety that Patrick was dealing with while struggling to help his brother return from the grey. The book was well written but I would have liked more details about the family and their interactions but most of the story focused solely on Dom's struggle with the being that was inhabiting him. I also think the information about the grey could have been more detailed and have included more world building. Overall, a good book that could have used a few little tweaks to make it great. 3.5 stars!

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LibraryThing member sennebec

NOTE: This review refers to the unabridged audio edition.

When their nan who is in the early stages of dementia burns down their home, twins Pat and Dom move with their family to the seaside cottage where they and their large extended family have summered for years. It's a grim and desolate place in

the winter, made more so by the friction between their parents.
When a strange ghost boy appears, fearing a soldier, it's not long before he possesses Dom, leaving Pat frightened but determined to save his brother at all costs. It's a terribly frightening quest, made harder by having no help, save occasional flickers of reality from Nan. Pat has to cover for his possessed brother while his parents resolve their own issues. It's a long and very scary process that has him questioning his own sanity and wondering whether he has what he needs to pull Dom back alive.
This is an involved and atmospheric book, made even more real and scary by narrator Gerard Doyle's accent. He does a great job of ramping up the tension at the right time. This is best for advanced readers because of its complexity, but those who hang in will be well rewarded.

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LibraryThing member myownwoman

Ehhhh.... *shrug*

I can't place my finger on why I wasn't in love with this book. It wasn't my "cuppa" tea. And you might be sitting there saying, but Anna, I know you love ghosts, YA and historical fiction... why aren't you going gaga for this one? And I have to say...I'm not sure why. It just

didn't completely resonate with me. And that may be a me thing, as I might have been completely ruined by the recent awesomeness that was [Night Film]. Maybe everything else is just shining a bit less brightly in the aftermath of the tremendous glow of Marisha Pessl's talent. I hope she hasn't ruined me forever. But, I digress.

This is a creepy little YA read; perfect for the upcoming cardigan/afgan wearing weather. I love to read ghost stories in the Fall - when the air is cold and the leaves are colored. It's the perfect prequel for Halloween; a month long creep-fest designed to celebrate the things that go bump in the night. It's a tale of ghostly possession and brotherly love, designed to both give you goosebumps and warm your heart.

I scored it through LibraryThing's Early Readers program. Gracias. I'm really grateful for the opportunity to read it - because I can see the appeal that it would hold for a particular readership. I'm kind of accepting blame for not falling on the bandwagon with this one. I'm not sure if the war aspect was distancing to me - or if I'm just not in the right headspace to appreciate this one right now. I'd be willing to give it another read in the future, as I can imagine I might change my mind with a second reading. I won't hesitate to talk about this one with other like-minded readers in the future - as I believe it's worth a read.

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LibraryThing member Adelynne

I won a copy of Into the Grey through the Librarything Early Reviewers program.

I really, really love Kiernan's writing. It's hauntingly beautiful and creepy. The best things about Into the Grey are its characters and the writing. I felt that plotwise, the book was a little slow and puzzling, but

everything else made up for it. It was a little confusing at first, but I adjusted to the pace (and the wonderful strangeness). Into the Grey explores family as well, and I love the way Kiernan handles it.

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LibraryThing member Meradeth

Thanks to Candlewick Press and LibraryThing for a copy of this in exchange for an honest review.

Wow, was this a creepy read! Well, the first third or so at least had me kind of wishing I wasn't reading it late at night. After we are shown what was going on a bit more, it wasn't as freaky, but

still, it's one heck of a story! I loved the setting and language in this one: the place (Ireland in the 70's) was spot-on for the story, and Kiernan has a way with words that pulls you in and paints such a lovely picture of the setting. Both sets of twins in the book were quite interesting, especially as all that happens unfolds. Personally, my favorite characters were the mom and the grandmother, as I loved their reactions and how inexorably real they felt, but basically the entire book was filled with people I wouldn't be surprised to run into on the street. And the ghosts? What a story! Not to give anything away, but their story will stick with you for sure. Overall, this was a great read, very atmospheric and chilling, but also a story of brotherly love and friendship. I highly recommend it!

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LibraryThing member BookSpot

"Pushed off the edge of the world into the grey nowhere . . ." (pg 114)

Set in Ireland in 1974, Into the Grey uses great setting (time and location) appropriate dialogue to really bring readers into the characters' world. While some of the words were not ones I knew (at least used as they were),

nearly all were easy to decipher given the context.

Dom and Pat are two fifteen-year-old boys, twins, whose family is forced to move to their summer home by the sea after their home is destroyed. Without the carefree joy of summer, the boys see the differences in the house, the dust, how cramped it is.

But that's not the only different thing they see: there's also the goblin boy.

Soon, they find themselves pulled into a world they didn't even know existed.

The tone of Into the Grey is really fantastic. The closest thing I can think to compare it to is Help for the Haunted (though with more positive results for me). There are startling moments, spooky scenes and an overall creepy feel. Yet, it's that the whole thing is not a horror novel or a 'scary' story that made it so enjoyable for me. The focus is very much on the characters, whether it's the struggles within their family (extended, as well), caring for Nan after her stroke, adjusting to the new life . . . or if it's the possible, likely haunting of one of them.

Even as one brother struggles to save the other, to keep them all safe, he's learning, seeing countless things about his other family members he was unaware of previously.

Not only are the characters' relationships and their pasts something very interesting and compelling to read about, they help bring the whole story together. It was tricky, at first, to understand just how everyone connected, but that fit very well with how things came together for the characters. Once I had it figured, though, I loved it.

Into the Grey is a very rewarding story of friendship, brotherly love, familial bonds, war, death, ghosts and being found. Even if you don't usually read 'ghost' stories, this one is recommended.

Of the covers the different editions have received, this one from Candlewick is my favorite. It's not only eye-catching, once you've read (or are reading) the novel, it represents it so well.

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LibraryThing member motherwright

I won a copy of Into the Grey through the Librarything Early Reviewers program.

I loved the book. Although I got the book a while ago, I read it in the fall. I like eerie, ghost like stories in the fall, near Halloween. The book was eerie, creepy, shuddersome. I loved the characters and how the

author showed the true bond between the brothers. I was drawn to the book by the cover. I am glad I was able to read it through the Early Reviewers program. I will read more that this author writes in the future.

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LibraryThing member Sullywriter

An absorbing, suspenseful and atmospheric ghostly tale.

LibraryThing member DeltaQueen50

I found Into the Grey by Celine Kiernan to be a well paced ghost story about twin brothers as they come face to face with the supernatural. After their senile grandmother burns down their house, Patrick and Dom, along with their family move to a seaside cottage. Once there, the boys start to have

unusual dreams and strange encounters. The story involves both the death of another little boy, many years previously and the horrific death of a soldier during WW I.

As all these incidents come together we learn that there are connections to this family from the past. This is the village that their gran grew up in and the house was the home of her closest friends. As one twin falls to a ghostly possession, the other, Patrick, finds himself struggling to bring his twin back and put these troubled spirits to rest. With the help of an older local man, Patrick works through the distress and fear that these ghosts are experiencing in order to help them find a lasting peace.

Into the Grey is a chilling, atmospheric story that explores both love and loss in a touching way that draws on sibling love, family strengths and sheer determination to travel into the grey of beyond and right old wrongs. At times the story felt a little uneven, but overall this was a very well done ghost story with strong Irish ties.

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LibraryThing member reader1009

teen/adult fiction; ghost story (Irish). The beginning was much spookier than the end (goblin ghost boy has possessed his twin brother!) and I liked the way the plot developed, but once you figure out what's happened, who everyone is, and what Patrick needs to do, there's not much to do but wait

(or skim read) until the story concludes itself.

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LibraryThing member LarissaBookGirl

It all started after the fire had consumed their home, their possessions, everything in the world they had but each other. At least they all still had each other. That is they did have each other, until the goblin boy showed up. He was there waiting for them, he had always been there, had always

been waiting and now he had thought he had found what he was waiting for. Only he was wrong, and his mistake was going to cost a life.

The nightmares were vivid and all consuming. Upon waking the horrid dreams would become nothing more then a phantom memory, a vague recollection of something unpleasant leaving only an all mighty hunger in its wake. After food and the bright light of day those bad dreams could almost be forgotten, almost be dismissed, that is until the nightmare became a reality.

Taken Away is a contemporary story of the bonds of brotherly love, it is a haunting ghost story that will send shivers down your spine, it is compelling mystery of the past affecting those in the present. Whatever way you approach this story you will find a well written, entertaining and intelligent read that will stay with you long after you have finished this book. A story that all ages will enjoy.

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