“Old Soul” by Susan Barker is a literary horror novel that attracted me immediately by its description. It opens with its two main characters meeting in the Tokyo airport where they just miss getting onto their flight. While having dinner and drinks together, they begin to discuss the tragic losses in their lives and find some eerie common threads that cause them to pursue their pasts. This sets the stage for the mysterious force the “Old Soul” to surface as we travel the globe meeting the victims.

Unfortunately for me the writing style, and lack of punctuation really put a damper on my ability to enjoy the book. Also for me, this book is more of a character driven fantasy than a horror story and perhaps would be better described that way.

I do think this book will appeal to anyone interested in a debut novel with a contemporary twist on a complex and chilling theme.

Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Publishing Group for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

→ 3 stars

this one is perfect for fans of sally rooney because the author also has bad blood with quotations marks. it surprisingly didn’t bother me as much as i expected to, but it was still annoying at times. “old soul” is marketed as a literary horror, and while the writing fits the literary aspect, i did not see the “horror” it promised. i think it does the book a disservice, because it’s a good book, but it’s definitely not a horror – somewhat of a thriller with paranormal moments, but not a horror.

the book is split in two – one part is a recollection of the memories other people have of the villain and their interactions with her and in the other we see the woman in the current time, trying to get another victim. i think this juxtaposition worked well, but i enjoyed reading the “interviews” more.

i don’t think any of the characters were fleshed out enough that, as a reader, you’ll care about what happens to them. i liked reading about what went on in their pasts, but i didn’t have a connection to any of them, not even the villain. theo, whom we meet towards the end of the book, was the one that had somewhat of a personality. so if you’re more of a character-driven person, don’t pick up this one, since it’s more heavy on its plot.

i disliked the ending as i was hoping the book would go in a different direction, but i can see why it ended the way it did. however, the epilogue missed the mark for me, as it relied too heavily on lyricism, to the point i simply didn’t understand what i was reading.

overall, it’s a solid debut and i liked the writing style quite a lot, so i will probably read the author’s future works as well.

Mysterious and steeped in dark romance, Old Soul resonates with an enduring sense of dread and a slow, simmering terror that will captivate, disturb, and envelop readers until the final, haunting conclusion.

This gothic folktale spans continents and epochs, unraveling the tale of a black widow figure ensnared by a sinister, otherworldly force, forever tied to the cyclical fate of Venus.

Susan Barker’s debut novel Old Soul is a multi-layered, engrossing ghost story of sorts—a slow burn, spiritual ghost story through the vein of a Faustian bargain.

Old Soul truly does start out like a trippy story you hear at a party and spins out in a multitude of directions. I use “ghost story” in a loose sense—some might even be annoyed by my use of the term ghost story—but both death and life are pervasive throughout the book.

Barker pulls the reader in with a story of a chance encounter at the airport. A Englishman and a Japanese woman find they have more in common than just a missed flight. They’ve both lost someone dear to them and both in the oddest circumstances. Jake, the Englishman who has lost a dear friend named Lena, then becomes one of the main figures, as he tries to tie together other stories of loss with similarly bizarre circumstances.

All in all, Old Soul isn’t a run-of-the-mill horror or mystery, though it has elements of both genres. The book is structured in multiple layers, so that one could easily revisit it in a second reading and find added enjoyment. A number of the story threads cross paths, which makes things more interesting. On the surface, the book is the story of Jake trying the figure out what happened to Lena and if he can find a way to stop it from continuing to happen to others, while others, such as Mariko—the Japanese woman who also lost someone—simply walk away because the loss affected them too greatly. That alone is the start of an intriguing plot line, but the book is even more intriguing than that (trying to keep spoilers to a minimum).

This reader enjoyed the deeper thematic concerns, especially the spiritual elements, as most of the characters are grappling with spiritual elements in one way or another—whether a Catholic faith, a Luciferian faith, a Buddhist faith or even a more loosely structured faith base. Such a quality seems more and more absent in recent books. Regardless of our faith system, most of us look for answers beyond ourselves—even if our chosen God happens to be social media adulation and a New Age spiritualism (yes, such a character exists within the confines of this book). You’ll think about Old Soul long after reading it. Highly recommended.

Good, not great. The story has a "Picture of Dorian Gray" vibe with a genuinely creepy subject. The frequent changes of time and point of view make for a choppy reading experience but I was still interested enough to finish the book. There were a couple of spots where there could have been a bit more background research for verisimilitude, if the author was trying for that.

Grim and darkly romantic, Old Soul buzzes with a timeless dread and slow-burning terror that will unsettle, enthrall and enrapture readers until the bitter end.

A gothic folktale woven over continents and centuries, Old Soul tells the story of a black widow figure, slave to a malevolent otherworldly entity and bound by the rise and fall of Venus.

Thank you to Penguin Publishing Group and G.P. Putnam’s Sons for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

This is my kind of scary story - I loved it. What would you do to live forever? What starts as two people missing their plane, talking over drinks, and then one of them searching the world for a person that never dies. I'm tired of stories with fairytale endings - this isn't one of them.

The genres are a bit iffy with labeling this as horror. There was a little bit of horror aspect. It was well written and a story full of plot twists.

What a mind blowing ride! I could not put this down! The story centers around a man named Jake who loses his best friend Lena after a mysterious woman in her thirties comes into her life. Jake travels around the world finding other people who lost loved ones under the same circumstances. Each chapter is split into a different testimony from the people he meets. I was in awe at the ending.

Thank you so much to G.P. Putnam's Sons and NetGalley for my ARC in exchange for an honest review!
🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

What a breathtaking, layered novel. Susan's writing feels so fresh and stands out in a crowded market. Every character is complex and addicting. The elements of horror are thought-provoking, creepy, and just so good! (Some of the desert scenes with Rosa were my favorite.) I couldn't put this down, nor did I want it to end. Thank you to the publisher for an advanced copy -- I have no doubt this will be a bestseller, and I can't wait to add a hard copy to my library & share it with everyone I know.

When you're being experimental with your writing, the decisions you make that break the mold must make sense for the story. Not writing dialogue correctly not only didn't work, but it didn't make sense. I can't get through the story without cringing at the lack of proper quotation marks (and the unnecessary letters with colons to show dialogue in the first few pages). This book might be good, but I'll never find out for myself.

Thank you to Penguin Publishing Group & G.P. Putnam's Sons for this advanced reader's copy.
*SPOILER ALERT*

Susan Barker's Old Soul follows Jake, an Englishman who comes across other people who've brutally lost loved ones after crossing paths with the same mysterious woman no one has seen since. He travels across the globe gathering chilling testimonies from others who encountered the Woman across the decades, which leads him to a sculptor in New Mexico - who knew the Woman better than anyone else had. Does the sculptor hold the key to who, or WHAT the Woman is?

"Old Soul" embodies everything I crave in a horror novel: supernatural elements, a haunting desert backdrop, themes of travel, death, murder, and a touch of smut. Susan Barker masterfully weaves a dual narrative that seamlessly unfolds the story. The pacing is impeccable, revealing twists and secrets without leaving readers in prolonged suspense, even with the occasional cliffhanger.

SPOILER
The Woman is an intricately crafted character, having evaded death for nearly 300 years due to an abusive relationship. The novel probes the fine line between pursuing happiness and succumbing to greed. This line is crossed when The Woman's desperation peaks in Theo's home, leading her to commit remorseless murders.

"Old Soul" is set to be published on January 28, 2025.

ARC releasing 1/28/25. A demon steals your soul to live longer or something? I don't know. Don't read this.

This was an excepted and wild ride that took me places I never would have guessed. Old Soul takes the trope of a beautiful woman who passes through time, think Addie LaRue and The Age of Adaline (why is it always that name)? Instead of taking the turn we have come to except from a character of this caliber, Susan Barker gives us a more complex and sinister character and delves into a myriad of horror aspects.

I absolutely love the way that this is written from the prose to stylistic techniques and even point of view. We have a present point of view that is a thread throughout the book while each rotating chapter gives us a testimony from someone who was affected by our ghoulish antagonist Eve. It is written like a crime procedural in this way without ever being boring or making me wish we were in present day again. I truly cannot tell you which aspect of the book I loved more as the testimonies were so unbelievably riveting while adding context to the agonizing present day storyline that had me at the edge of my seat/bed.

It was a weird, in a good way, choice to give us an antagonist with no true main character. There were a slew of characters introduced that could be considered a “main” but our Eve was the antagonist to humanity in general and I loved that perspective.

The ending isn’t a miss for me but WOAH, it was harsh. It reads like a gothic thriller or a ghost story so it could be slower for some but give yourself over to the plot and enjoy what is in front of you otherwise you’ll be missing out on a true gem. I will definitely be checking out previous and later releases from this authour, I’m hooked.

I have to admit that I was a little skeptical about this book prior to starting it. It's tagged on NetGalley as “horror” and “literary fiction,” and while I do enjoy a good literary fiction read from time to time, I don't normally want my horror to be highbrow. And I can definitely see why this novel is labeled the way it is – its very … I dunno … artistically written, I guess? Kind of fancy-ish? (My alma mater's English department would totally revoke my degree if they could see the unscholarly way I talk about literature these days.) Everyone in this book is very artsy and poetically tortured, and even the villain is very … what's the word I'm looking for? … civilized, maybe? Basically, it just feels a little “deeper” than your usual run-of-the-mill supernatural thriller. The text doesn't include a single quotation mark, if that tells you anything.

But, with that said, this book isn't an inaccessible slog. It's rather light on the horror – I'd consider it more unsettling than outright scary – but it is gripping. The chapters switch back and forth between the stories of “Marion's” past victims (facilitated by Jake, a man searching for answers regarding the death of his best friend) and her present-day attempt to lure in her newest sacrifice. The present-day storyline takes place in under 24 hours, but with the frequent flashbacks in time it becomes a much slower, more meandering tale. Who is this woman and why does she seem to drive those around her to their deaths?

I particularly enjoyed the storyline involving the Sculptor (Theo). Can you truly say you love someone if you're willing to sacrifice aspects of their future in order to secure your own?

The ending made me want to scream into the void. I think that's a good thing. Probably. When it comes to horror novels, anyway. And then the epilogue is hands-down the creepiest part of the entire book and is straight out of a dark, dark high fantasy novel. It feels so different from the rest of the story but I loved it.

My overall rating: 3.95 stars, rounded up. If you're a fan of literary horror (and can handle dialogue that lacks proper punctuation), definitely consider giving this one a read.

Many thanks to NetGalley and G.P. Putnam's Sons for providing me with an advance copy of this book to review. Its expected publication date is January 28. 2025.

I don't know what it is with this rash of books recently that choose to forego quotation marks, but it really makes for a miserable read. This book and author may be simply too good for pedestrian writing conventions, but I wouldn't know, because eschewing them blinded me to this book's finer qualities completely.

Thank you @netgalley for the ARC of Old Sour by Susan Barker. This was a creepy sad story with great imagery. I liked the back and forth between Jake and the characters, but sometimes felt like it was hard to keep track of who was talking. The idea of people taking multiple forms that cause death is a terrifying concept.

Jake’s best friend and Merika’s twin brother die in similar circumstances thousands of miles apart. Jake races to see if he can stop the Old Soul before she kills again.

This book is amazing! It kept me on the edge of my seat, eagerly turning each page to find out what happens next. The premise is so unique, and I had no idea what the characters were going to do. The intricate details were a slow burn of each victim's encounter with an evil force that led to tragedy. I'm left wondering if there's more to the story. This force seems unstoppable. True horror/thriller at its best.

Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Publishing Group for an e-arc in exchange for an unbiased review.

This messed me up very quietly and slowly. I'm still emotionally wobbly about, it but also enamored with all the ways Barker portrays loss and close relationships, even though so much of it was bleak. More literary than horror, there's a true sense of creeping dread throughout and a visceral rot that grows as each new tale within the overarching narrative unfolds. I'm also just a sucker for the Badlands, so I was in based on that setting alone. Gorgeous and dire, Old Soul is exactly what I want from literary horror.

I have so many thoughts about this book, so many emotions attached to it. This is the pinnacle of literary horror, in my humble opinion. It follows two strangers who meet by chance in an airport after their flight is cancelled, and the revelations of their past introduce a woman who seems to be connected to the tragedies of their lives. Who or what is this woman? That is the answer they seek. It's a read that makes you think long after you have turned the last page. (Original rating: 4.75)