THE TORMENT OF MR. GULLY: Stories of the Supernatural

by J. Clarke ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 15, 1990

From an Australian writer, 11 stories, each with a chilling, macabre touch. Several feature ghosts, disappearing houses, or menacing old men or women. In the eeriest tales, the young narrators go off the deep end: one drowns the neighbors' baby because they've been mistreating their dog; another insists that Auntie has bitten off her hand, though everyone else can still see it; a third suddenly finds himself indifferent to life, himself, or indeed anything except his little sister. Clarke creates and sustains the requisite ominous atmosphere, even in ""Scared Stiff,"" which (until the end) is almost funny; and achieves some subtle effects in ""The Last Strawberries"" (told from a ghost's point of view) and in the title story, about a class that harasses an elderly teacher only to learn that he's dying. Not bedtime reading.

Pub Date: Oct. 15, 1990

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: 150

Publisher: Henry Holt

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 1990

Categories: CHILDREN'S