BLIND WALLS

A tour guide on the verge of
retirement undergoes a haunting experience in this ghostly novel.

Raymond Smollet is giving his last
tour of the Weatherlee Ghost House. He’s spent 30 years guiding visitors
through the rambling home. Despite having lost his vision, he can still
navigate the winding hallways and recite the rote stories. Smollet’s life is
small and depressed; he lives alone with his cat and anticipates drinking
himself to death after retirement. But his last tour of the Ghost House is an
unexpected experience, as the blind man suddenly sees spirits everywhere.
Sophia Weatherlee, the unbalanced heiress who insists on endless construction
in the sprawling labyrinth of her home, appears in ballrooms and bedrooms. Her
foreman, Chuck Ratowitz, struggles to respond to her unpredictable and constant
demands while his personal life is falling apart. Smollet sees the house grow,
witnesses a family dissolve, observes building disasters, and watches various
servants and workers pass in and out of Sophia’s realm. It’s a horror story and
a tragedy, with elements of romance and fantasy mixed in. This novel by Bishop
and Fuller (co-authors: Galahad’s Fool, 2018, etc.) draws heavily from the chronicles of the
Winchester Mystery House in San Jose, California, but employs different names
and adds some backstory. Many of the details about the mansion, like removable
floor panels, and the family, such as the death of Sophia’s daughter from
marasmus, are pulled directly from the Winchester story. Smollet is whiny and
condescending, an unlikable man who tends to expostulate too long on his sorry
existence. His part of the tale feels unnecessary, as it’s the house, with its
ghostly inhabitants, that is the true focus. The narrative surrounding Chuck
and his wife and the subsequent unraveling of their lives is well written and
engaging. Though the Winchester House did have a foreman who worked on the
construction for 38 years, Chuck’s personal life and backstory are pleasant and
unique contributions by the authors.  

A retelling of a well-known mystery
that offers a few twists on the original.