BOOK REVIEW: THIRTEEN DAYS BY SUNSET BEACH BY ​RAMSEY CAMPBELL

by tony jones 

We’re all going on a Greek summer holiday…
But beware, Ramsey Campbell is your host…

Ramsey Campbell found the inspiration for his latest novel “Thirteen Days by Sunset Beach” whilst holidaying in Greece a few years back, so in a rare fictional excursion beyond the shores of the UK the author packs his suitcase taking his readers on a search for sunshine. The two main characters Ray and Sandra are destined for Vasilema, meeting their extended family for what becomes a rather unpredictable two-week holiday on a Greek island where tourists are not exactly welcomed with open arms. Each chapter is presented as a day of their jaunt, which gets increasingly stranger with each passing day. Go to Blackpool next year folks!
 
The novel opens like most foreign holidays do; lost luggage, passport scares, short tempers and missed transport connections to their island destination. What did I say about Blackpool Ramsey?  Ray and Sandra are retired teachers who have invited their two children, their spouses and their three grandchildren on an exciting foreign holiday, their first visit to Greece. They are staying in apartments not far away from the party resort town of Sunset Beach. Ray and his wife have a more serious reason for bringing the whole family together, but in the early stages of the story we are unaware of what this is.
 
I really enjoyed “Thirteen Days at Sunset Beach” but it did move at a slow pace and if you have never read Ramsey Campbell before then perhaps this novel is not the best of introductions to his wide body of work. For the uninitiated there are so many to recommend, my three personal favourite novels are probably “Creatures of the Pool”, “Grin in the Dark”, “The Darkest Part of the Woods” and the excellent recent novella “The Booking” which I previously reviewed on Ginger Nuts. Of his short stories, take your pick, he has countless wonderful ones and continues to set the bar incredibly high for short horror fiction. Even if you’re familiar with his work you’ll probably fine this one a little bit left of field. However, nobody does the everyday uncanny better than Campbell, and even though the majority of the scenes are during the day, on the beach, in sunshine, or in restaurants he still has the ability to conjure unsettling and unnerving situations. As the family bicker they are unaware of the strange influence which has shrouded them, but we the reader see it and are more aware of their predicament.  
 
The supernatural elements are hinted at gradually and take their time to filter into the story. If you’re more of a horror quick thrill seeker then this might not be the book for you and the languid pace and lack of action may test your patience. It depends on what you enjoy, personally I didn’t mind the leisurely direction the story took and enjoyed the way the author slowly dropped breadcrumbs which hinted at the bigger picture, although some of these were too obvious. The novel had many highlights, including the shared and recurring dream sequences paralleled nicely with the increasing sense of dread Ray feels as the novel develops.
 
The island itself of Vasilema was a great creation and location. Remind me never to visit this dump folks (don’t worry it exists only in the imagination of the author). We are told this particular Greek island is relatively new to tourism, but nobody genuinely expects sellers or vendors to literally shun tourists or almost reject a sale. The family are given veiled hints; there are no mirrors in the apartments, buses don’t run after 8pm, people pray for them and the group are refused entry onto tour boats. This is a really strange island. Which the visitors put down to the poor English skills of the locals or their weird local customs. Campbell builds some great scenes out of very ordinary circumstances, for instance, Ray loses a book a local seller has given him on the local area. He then believes he sees someone deliberately ripping it up on the beach. What does he do?
 
Much of the novel is seen through the eyes of Ray, and he is the first to realise there is something dangerous going on, unfortunately nobody else in the family takes him seriously and find him mildly embarrassing. Ray was a likable and sympathetic character; he’s old, but not quite washed up yet, but there is a certain sadness attached to him and his long marriage to Sandra. Some of the other family members were not quite so engaging, including the two teenagers who were rather dull. However, the youngest grandchild, William, is touched in a different way and these were excellent sequences, with the scared little boy certain someone or something had been visiting his room. Not surprisingly and realistically, with family holidays tension is never far away, but after a while the constant backbiting began to grate with the respective spouses, for instance, arguing about how much of a tip was to be left.
 
When it comes to horror this was a real slow-burner and the novel was as much about the dynamics of the family, their interactions and squabbles as it was the dark heart of the island which has targeted them. Overall though it was a good balance of a domestic and supernatural story and I’m sure Ramsey Campbell fans will find much to enjoy and make intricate comparisons to his other novels.
 
Tony Jones

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