What is it with horror and hotels? If you are old enough to remember Psycho and The Shining, you probably have certain built in expectations while reading. When a couple pull up for a night’s lodging, you have been conditioned to squirm a bit.
I guess it makes sense that motels represent fear in stories. In a still largely gated society, where you can stay away from people you don’t trust, motels are one of those rare spaces where you see all kinds. And to make matters worse, sleeping is a naturally vulnerable state. Mix these two together and they produce a low level tension.
The Sun Down Motel is a recent novel that plays around with these fears. It opens in 1982 when the young night clerk disappears. Thirty-five years later her niece pulls up, determined to solve her aunt’s disappearance. She moves into her aunt’s old apartment, takes her old night shift, begins her own investigation. The otherwise unremarkable town of Fell, NY has a violent history. Several women were murdered and a local man inexplicably shot and killed his son. There are ghosts, sexist cops, and two love interests for the niece.
I have a feeling I will love the movie version of this novel. The midcentury motel, scary apparitions, and love triangle may come to life. I’m sorry to say the book didn’t quite do it for me. It may be a matter of timing: I have recently read two gripping, unputdownable novels. This one just didn’t grab me.
Listen to Me also features strange moments at a motel. A Chicago couple are driving east to visit his parents. They are in a bad place, figuratively, as the woman was recently mugged and her slow recovery is trying her husband’s patience. A heavy summer storm forces them to stop. Will the woman face her fears here? It ends with a peculiar confrontation involving some motel patrons and the couple’s dog. I enjoyed it without feeling fully satisfied. It’s the kind of book that makes you wish the author had waited a few years and done a few more revisions.
Books Smitten 