The Night Strangers by Chris Bohjalian

Chris Bohjalian is one of my favorite authors. His novels often include a twist at the end that leave the reader rethinking the entire novel. His latest, The Night Strangers, includes a paranormal element that is new for Bohjalian. But he does a great job of creating a sinister, ominous tone that keeps the reader intrigued throughout the novel.

When airline pilot Chip Linton’s plane goes down, he attempts to land his plane on Lake Champlain. But unlike the plane that successfully landed on the Hudson in 2009, Chip’s attempt does not end well. The plane is broken into pieces and thirty-nine of the passengers die. Unable to move past his grief and guilt, Chip, his wife Emily and their twin ten-year-old daughters leave their life in Pennsylvania behind for the quiet of New Hampshire. They purchase a rambling Victorian home in a small New England town with the hopes that Chip will be able to start a new life. But in a dark corner of the basement, Chip discovers a mysterious door that has been bolted shut with thirty-nine carriage bolts. The mystery of the door and the peculiar number of bolts nags at Chip. As the Lintons learn more about the house’s strange history, they also begin meeting members of their new community. Many of the women in town are self-proclaimed herbalists, growing uncommon herbs in their greenhouses that they use in baking and tinctures. The women also begin to take an unusual interest in the Linton’s twins. When Chip begins seeing the ghosts of some of the passengers from his crash, he wonders if he is losing his mind. Will these herbalists be able to help Chip, or is something more sinister at play?

Readers do have to be willing to accept the idea of ghosts or spirits, but it’s not over-the-top or silly, as so many paranormal stories usually are. The audiobook is narrated by Alison Fraser and Mark Bramhall, who do a wonderful job of creating distinct voices for all of the characters. Bohjalian is interviewed at the end of the audiobook and discusses how he came up with the idea for this story and the research he did, which is quite interesting. A good choice for audiobook fans.