The Gingerbread Men by Joanna Corrance
Publisher – Haunt
Published – Out Now
Price – £9.99 paperback £4.99 Kindle eBook
Eric abandons his fiancé, Eleanor, at the Edinburgh Christmas market, following a mysterious woman back to the hotel she owns in the Highlands. Here he meets the men that staff the vacant rooms. Men like him. Men with something to hide…
By day, the men carry out their domestic chores in the hotel, cut off from the rest of the world by the snow. At night, they tell horror stories beside the fire, hoping to entertain the woman they serve. They do not ask why there are no guests, why it always snows, why they can't go home. Seeds of doubt begin to plague Eric and, as he delves deeper into the lives of the men at the hotel, secrets are uncovered.
Why is winter such a good time for a horror story? Once Halloween ends, we seem to still crave the touch of the supernatural be it heartwarming like a Christmas Carol or a time for a classic ghost story. The nights are dark, the days lack warmth, and everything seems asleep – no wonder we feel something else on the borders of reality. In Joanna Corrance’s The Gingerbread Men we have a seasonal tale of how a heart’s desire can destroy everything with an extra hint of dark magic to boot.
Aspiring writer and actual bar staff Eric was meant to be wandering Edinburgh Christmas Markets with his fiancé Eleanor but instead upon seeing a beautiful stranger he abandons her in broad daylight and follows the woman who he finds is named Delia to a remote Scottish hotel where their affair starts. But as Eric spends time with all the men who work at the hotel there is a sense of something not being quite right and Eric finds that leaving this hotel with its rituals of telling strange stories is going to be harder than he ever imagined.
There is something satisfying seeing a horrible person get their comeuppance and Corrance very much makes us feel Eric deserves what happens to him. Snobbish, social climbing and thoughtless he is noy a hero to cheer on and while Corrance does explain how Eric’s past shaped him there is no feeling that he is innocent. Eric is unbelievably thoughtless and entitled. For those of who know such people in a ghost story the pleasure is awaiting their punishment.
There is an initial feeling of a man in a gilded cage. Eric loves lording it over the other Hotel employees and we as the reader start to suspect exactly what their fate has been. Delia seems to soon move on and so we get Eric finding that leaving this hotel is very very hard. His ego gets in the way, but perhaps more is at work too? At the same time Corrance has the hotel staff regularly gathering to tell a story. There is a lovely slice of strange folk horror tales regularly dispensed into the tale, and we start to feel these tales are also related to the main story. The cage is getting prepared, and the question is for what purpose? The ultimate resolution is satisfying – we can enjoy horrible things happening to horrible people – true meaning of Christmas, I am sure! The one drawback is it is a little too clear where things are heading and at novel length that means while it’s a fun ride the journey is never too surprising and indeed where you think you’re heading is the result. It may have benefited from either being a little shorter or having some additional plot points to follow to keep the reader on their toes.
Despite that niggle I found this a relaxing creepy read which at this time of year is always appreciated. Corrance is a very versatile horror writer whose work I always find enjoying and I am intrigued where they go next. For those seeking an extra winter chill this would be a lot of fun.
