Talk about disfunctional familiys! My god what a totally creepy and horrifying book this is, it’s about a middle aged brother and sister Marion and John who live in an old Georgian house. Marion is childlike in her ways and thinking (the story is told from her point of view) and John is just an absolute horror who bully’s and intimidates her.

He’s got a strange hobby too one of which Marion does her best to ignore! Until he dies and she has to face up to what’s happened to all those “visitors” her brother has brought home. This is when she comes into her own I think personally and we see what she’s made of so to speak!

A total house of horror and massive creep fest....I loved it haha

Marion and her brother John live in a run-down Georgian house in a seaside town. They have lived there all their lives and it has just been the pair of them since their parents died.

John had been a brilliant scholar and had taught in a prestigious prep school under a cloud. Since then he seemed to have spent most of his time down in the cellar with his visitors- visitors that never came up to the main part of the house.

Marion was a fifty something spinster, gaining comfort from her collection of soft toys. She has learning difficulties and struggled at school and at home. Bullied by all around her, she is nervy and confused.

When John has a heart attack & is hospitalised Marion is forced down the cellar and discovers John's secret. We also discover more about Marion.

This is a slow moving book. It is well written, conveying the grimy, seedy life going on in the house so well you feel like you need a shower after reading it. It isn't book I can say I enjoyed, but I needed to read it to the end!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for letting me read & review this book.

Creepy, weird, not everyone's cuppa, but I couldn't put it down.

If you look for a different kind of mystery, if you enjoy a character driven plot, can cope with an uncomfortable feeling and tolerate some disturbing graphical scenes, then you shouldn't miss it.

A very unique debut novel by an extremely talented writer. I am looking forward to reading more by Catherine Burns.

Thank you Netgalley for the chance to read this. This is all about a brother and sister who live together in a big house, an eccentric couple who have “visitors”. I found this an interesting read although the only word I can think do describe the whole book is weird! It’s seriously weird, and I didn’t realise some of what was happening until very close to the end! A good read and would recommend to anyone!

This book is a dark, disturbing and sad tale about Marion and John.
They`re siblings and live together.
They neither love or hate each other.
They`re egoistic and have `dark cravings` come to life...

It´s a smooth and calm read, but it´s impossible to stop reading untill you`ve finished the book.
The story is told from Marion`s POV and it`s like a emotional roller-coaster.

How can you feel empathy with such a weirdo? I found myself feeling so sorry for Marion and the life she was forced into by her family but boy was there a dark side to her...............definitely a book for your reading list I don’t want to say to much and spoiler the intrigue............just read it you won’t be disappointed.

This is dark and will not be suited for everyone. It is creepy and horrifying. Nor is it fast-paced, edge of your seat. But you keep reading much as you can't look away from an accident. It builds slowly and the ending does not go out with a bang, but you will remember it for a long time to come.

Catherine Burns has given us a chilling and disturbing read as her debut and I for one can't wait for her next book.
Marion is a middle aged spinster who lives with her grumpy overbearing older brother john in their large childhood home. John spends most of his time in the cellar whilst Marion lives in a world of her own making surrounded by her teddy bears pretending that she is oblivious to whatever John is doing in the cellar. Until the day John has a heart attack and is taken into hospital and Marion is tasked with taking care of his work.
What happens next will leave you chilled to the bone !!!
A fantastic debut highly recommended.

I finished this a few days ago and had to digest it before I put any thoughts down on paper.

You know that big old house at the end of your street, the old one a bit run down but thats been quite grand at some point. The residents seem quiet and unassuming, a little odd but they keep themselves to themselves so they don't bother anyone - Well, they might be Marian and her brother, John. Oh I do hope not!

This deliciously dark and inventive tale is a slow burner, dark and sinister with a sense of creeping menace and building tension and the odd prickle at the back of your neck when you're reading it.

It is narrated by Marian and right from the start it's obvious she is damaged goods. A middle aged woman who lives with her brother, has few relationships and some very strange habits. She sleeps with a whole bunch of teddy bears, hoards and doesn't seem able to cope with normal everyday life.

I felt quite sorry for her, especially when I found out what her life has been like but she did frustrate me. It's also very clear that she closes her eyes to an awful lot that's going on around her including the very unpleasant things her brother gets up to. She looked up to him when they were little as he was the only person who was ever, sometimes, on her side, he cares for her and where would she be without him? She's never had a job, she knows she is plain and fat and dresses in other peoples cast offs from the charity shop she is a misfit and he is educated, he's worked as a teacher so its hardly surprising he's a bit domineering, she knows she's a ditherer.

She puts up with his strange habits and often brusque and even bullying attitude towards her because he is her older brother after all, and she knows how to placate him and ensure she never gets on the wrong side of his nasty temper, as long as she goes along with his way of doing things and never ever questions things he does, down in the cellar, even when she is sure they can't be right everything will be fine.

Or maybe not

Events are about to take an even more sinister turn because she can't avoid the cellar for ever, even though she finds the thought of what might be down there very very disturbing.

One day she acts a little out of character and realises that maybe things can change after all ....

I was rooting for Marion all through but she surprised me with her about turn, its a dark story and I love darkness and macabre characters and this pair certainly fit the bill. It's immensely readable and kept me turning the pages til late at night.

I was left wanting a tad more detail on some parts of the book which are skimmed over. It leaves a lot to the imagination, perhaps that's for the best?

Scary and dark and well written - just my cup of tea.

Marion Zetland and her brother John live in a decrepit old home near a seaside resort town. They inherited the house from their now deceased parents and neither sibling works, having to worry little about money thanks to their inheritance. Marion--in her 50s--still sleeps with stuffed animals and relies on her mercurial older brother for everything. As for John, he spends a great deal of his days down in the house's cellar--a place Marion never sets foot--tending to his "visitors," who arrive at their home, but then never come out of the cellar again. Marion spends her time puttering about the house and studiously ignoring John's visitors, even while she sees him preparing them meals and when she does their laundry on Mondays. But one day, John winds up in the hospital, and Marion is forced to confront everything she has been avoiding for years.

I was really excited when this book showed up as "read now" on Netgalley, as I'd heard so much about it. It was a really quick read--yet a slow burner, if that makes any sense. The description touts about Marion going into the cellar after John's heart attack, but that doesn't happen until over 75% way in... I kept waiting, waiting, and waiting for that major plot to occur. It seemed like a lot of build up for that event and then a rush of events after. I guess I had expected more creepiness and not as much messed up characters - this novel is far more of a character study than I had expected.

That's not to say it's not good, because it is; it's just not what I was expecting, and it's definitely a slow read that focuses far more on its character development than action. The novel is basically told entirely from Marion's point of view (with just a few snippets of emails from John's visitors). As such, we get an in-depth look at how Marion's childhood formed the person she is--and how it influenced John, as well. We learn about their terrible and neglectful parents. We see how John vacillates between kindness and torture toward his sister. We see how Marion is stuck in some sort of childlike, helpless state thanks to all of this. But, you also can't help but wonder, how truthful is Marion being with us?

All of this information about Marion and John's life and information about the neighbors was great and definitely gave us excellent insight into their character and actions. I still couldn't help but want to know more about the visitors actually living in the basement of this horrible, creepy house and I kept hoping and waiting for more to actually happen. There's a few great "aha" moments, but still.

Overall, as a creepy character study into a very disturbed brother and sister, this book exceeds admirably. I would have hoped for a slightly quicker pace, but oh well. I'd be curious to see what comes next from Catherine Burns.

Marion is the frumpy, spinster sister of older brother John. She stays in the attic bedroom of the home they grew up in, and where they both still reside. Now in their fifties, neither have looked far beyond the home they were raised in.

No spoilers will be divulged, other than readers will gather early on that John is up to "nefarious activities" in the cellar of their home. Marion looks beyond John's peculiar hobbies, preferring to keep her head buried in the sand.

None of the characters in this story garner any sympathy, and any growth Marion experiences doesn't make her a better person. I gathered if anything, it made her even creepier.

This review is written with thanks to Legend Press and Netgalley for my copy of The Visitors.
Marion Zetland is a woman in her fifties, living in her childhood home with her brother, John. John is manipulative towards Marion, and forbids her to visit the cellar, where he is hiding a horrifying secret. But one day, when John is admitted to hospital, he asks Marion to go down to the cellar, and she must confront her fears. What will she discover there?
There is tension in the atmosphere from the beginning of The Visitors, and whilst the horror of what is happening in the Zetland's house is always there, making the reader feel uncomfortable, it's never in your face. Even the more violent parts are not particularly gory, and the reader is often left to use their imagination, especially at the start. I liked this approach, as it made the tension almost unbearable and gave the novel a very sinister tone, which runs all the way through.
Although Marion is in her fifties, she has never had a job or a serious romantic relationship. She still sleeps with cuddly toys. This makes her character very childlike, and as such, I found her very difficult to relate to. Although she is clearly subjected to emotional abuse by John, it was difficult for me to sympathise with her, as I did not believe that a mature woman such as Marion could be so naive. As such, I was never fully invested in her narrative, and this affected my overall enjoyment of the novel.
As The Visitors built to a climax, I was expecting an explosive ending, as the tension builds steadily throughout the novel. However, this did not happen, and as such, I finished The Visitors feeling slightly underwhelmed.

always thought I loved books that had a huge "creep" factor. Well, either my taste is changing or now these authors are taking creep to a whole new level (I think the latter is the case!). This was just beyond my comfort zone.

This book is about the relationship of a brother and sister. Marian, a spinster in her fifties lives with her older brother, John. They live in their parents house who died years before and the book flashes back to their sad and disturbing childhood days. Marian lives in an imaginary world and pretends that her brothers visitors to his cellar don’t exist. All this changes when John is taken into hospital and Marian has to see to the visitors.
This is a very disturbing book and a very difficult read. It was good to see how Marian changed as the story progressed and the outcome at the end. It is a very good debut book, captivating and creepy and I look forward to Catherine Burns next book.
Thanks to Net Galley and Legend Press for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.

Not exactly what I was expecting. I was hoping for something with more enigmatic themes or, if not that, something quicker paced. This feels less mysterious and more depressing.

Catherine Burn’s debut novel is an interesting novel that I wasn’t really sure about when I started reading as this is a slow burn with a very accomplished ending that leaves you with Wow by the end.

Using a device that jumps back and forth from time and spending time with a woman who doesn’t take responsibility, Burns has developed a character that leave a strong imprint on your brain long after you finish. Strong characters, fantastic descriptions and well constructed story leaves the reader with an urgency to find out where the story is going.

Constructed as a well written mystery thriller with hints of horror sprinkled within, makes this a modern classic that transcends the genres turning it into a story all of its own. It is very hard to not give any details about the book without ruining the story for anyone, but what I can say is that this book really has a pay off that makes this a highly recommended read.

The description of the book really does not do the book justice but it is a difficult to really explain without giving anything away. Reading the book as a mystery thriller, the book slowly reveals itself to the true horror that is found within family secrets, a person’s past and the inner conflicts of a person who refuses to recognise the reality around them.

As I am writing this review, I am finding it very difficult to not divulge the story as there are so many ways to ruin or giving too much away. This is a definite must read and although she has her own style but if forced to compare to another author, I would say Adam Neville. This is a highly recommended read and I would encourage everyone to read, stick with it and be rewarded for a new talent that we will definitely hear more from. I am keen to add her to my author’s list of people to read. There is a real talent here and if her debut is anything to go by, I am eagerly awaiting her next release.

This is a sensational, fascinating debut novel which is written so effortlessly and with such sensitivity. It's a slow burning thriller with shocks in abundance. It's dark, disturbing and unsettling but spiced with mystery. Marion and John were born to elderly parents in a large townhouse in a northern seaside town. Now the siblings are in their 50's with their parents long gone and it's obvious they are damaged.. They are unmarried, don't work or socialise, Marion who is not well endowed academically watches TV, lets herself go or talks to her collection of teddies; clearly lonely and left behind. She lives in a state of permanent mental fantasy fluctuating between idyllic and troubled scenario's in her mind. Her thoughts are riotous with the vivid imagination of a child. It's as though she can't let go of her childhood to make the transition into adulthood and repeatedly reverts back to it to stay grounded. But there are dark secrets. Marion's loneliness is so sensitively portrayed that it reminds me of all the lonely single women and widows post-war. Many of them lived alone, with an aged parent or a sibling. Very often they were perceived as eccentric with their plastic macs, headscarves and string bags as they trudged through their empty, meaningless, regimented lives. Some worked in schools, libraries and offices but many of them were quite like Marion and hid from the realities of life. I was raised by elderly parents as an only child and I can relate to a lot of the thoughts and feelings that passed through Marion's mind in her childhood memories. As you read you know there is something brewing; something not right. What is John, her bullying brother doing in that cellar? Making aeroplanes as he claims? Is Marion the timid mouse she is painted? Thank you to Netgalley and Legend Press. I look forward to more thrills from this author. I shall post this on Amazon and on my blog.

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The book felt unfinished and I felt underwhelmed. The review sounded good but I was left feeling blah about the book.

There was no closure. Marion admits to doing some bad things, but I still have no idea if it was her or John that committed the acts.

This is not a thriller. It’s basically a woman who has never grown up and doesn’t take any responsibility and a man who lives in his own little world. The Visitors are rarely discussed even though the title of the book would lead you to believe that the book is about them.

I'm sorry but this book is not for me. I did not post a review of this one online on Goodreads. Thank you for your consideration on approval for this book. Since I did not complete the book I do not feel I can give it a star rating, but must select one to send this to the publisher.

Fully formatted review available at: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2128215340?book_show_action=false

Fifty-four-year-old Marion and her older brother John have lived together for the last twenty years. Marion is jealous of the time John spends in the cellar with his "visitors." She never sees the mysterious inhabitants, but she doesn't dare go down the dark stairwell to investigate. It's best not to ask too many questions!

The eccentric siblings live in the six-bedroom home they grew up in. The house and its inhabitants are perpetually stuck in time. Their neighbor's home is exactly the same style, but "[seems] to exist about a thousand years in the future." Their mother meticulously maintained the estate when she was alive, but its condition has rapidly deteriorated in the two decades since her death. Every surface is covered in dust and cobwebs and the hallways are littered with broken appliances and old newspapers. The home is filled with so much junk that Marion feels "like a little mouse trying to burrow through it all." Mother would not approve!

The specter of the visitors is always hanging over the story, but most of the book is about Marion and John's unhappy childhood and the disturbing episodes that shaped Marion. After years of mistreatment, Marion is frumpy, unassertive, and emotionally stunted. She's been largely ignored her entire life, but the people who do notice her repeatedly tell her that she's unattractive and unintelligent. Her brother once said that if the human race was more like Marion, "it was unlikely they would have evolved much beyond the level of jellyfish." Her parents had little ambition for her; her temperamental father once said that Marion was "just too sensitive for the big wide world, and more suited to staying at home." Their mother clearly favored John and seemed to resent Marion's existence.There were many finicky rules in their home and Mother was always fussing at them do things in the proper manner. Even decades after Mother's death, Marion continues to hear Mother's passive-aggressive voice berating her from the great beyond. Their mother constantly told them stories of all the horrific things that lurked in the outside world, while willfully ignoring what was going on inside her own house.

Marion is offended when people see her as old because she still feels like a child inside. She's never experienced life outside of her family home. Life has passed her by, but she feels powerless to change her circumstances. She's internalized every rude thing that's been said about her and doesn't think she's capable or deserving of obtaining anything better. She feels trapped, but part of that is self-inflicted. She feels like she needs a physical barrier between her and the outside world. As meek as Marion is, she also has a nasty streak. She has a tendency to blame the victim in the television shows she watches. The harsh judgments give her an intoxicating sense of power that she doesn't usually get to feel in her day-to-day life.

John is arrogant and cruel, but Marion has always idolized him. She always defers to his "superior" judgment and he knows exactly how to manipulate her. Sometimes she stands up to him, but she quickly backs down because she can't withstand the crushing weight of his silent rage. There's no way she can betray her beloved brother. What would happen to her if he left? Plus, Marion has a vivid imagination and isn't confident in her perceptions. She often escapes to a rich fantasy life in her head, where she has a dramatic and meaningful existence that mirrors the Lifetime-esque movies she enjoys watching. Sometimes her daydreams become a little too real, causing her to wonder if she's going mad like her Great Aunt Phyllis. Did she conjure up the cellar dwellers to make her life more exciting? 

If you like character-driven stories that embrace their unrelenting darkness, this book might be for you. It was my ideal type of creepy slow burner: bizarre family dynamics, damaged characters, and a large, decaying house. It's the type of twisted book that makes me think there is something wrong with me for liking it! :D (Perhaps an attraction to dark tales is a side effect of being born near Halloween!) While reading, I felt discomfort, dread, uneasiness, horror, and a little bit of nausea. I hope I'm not being too misleading in saying this, but the general mood and atmosphere reminded me of Faulkner's A Rose for Emily (but really, it's no worse comparison than Room!) I recommend not reading the publisher's description, because it reveals something that happens in the last quarter of the book. I don't think I would've been a fan of this one if I was anticipating anything specific, especially something so deep in the story! Warning for animal lovers: Animals tend to meet terrible fates around this family.

Sometimes Marion imagines what awful things must be happening in the cellar, but she quickly dismisses those unpleasant thoughts. It's much easier not to think about it! Throughout the story we see how easy it can be to turn a blind eye to the obvious, even things inside of ourselves.The characters in this book have no trouble living with their sins. It makes you wonder what secrets the most unassuming people could be hiding and what unseen dangers could be lurking close-by. The Visitors is a chilling tale that's sometimes a little too terrifyingly real.