 As a citizen of the UK, the Satanic Panic of 80s America was something of an oddity over here when it was in full panic mode. While some of the hysteria managed to filter its way onto these shores, most of it seemed like something out of an 80s comedy. Dee Synder taking on the might of moral America and its politicians has to be one of the most surreal things I have ever seen. Sure we had our own little moral outrage bunny with the tenacious Mary Whitehouse brigade. Still, they never managed to fully weaponise themselves into an effective force against the dangers of heavy metal, dungeons and dragons or even comic books. This brings us to Whisper Down the Lane by Clay McLeod Chapman (no relation), a novel set at the height of the Satanic Panic hysteria and present. Whisper Down the Lane is a novel about consequence, the past's actions impacting the future, and how we can never really escape our history. Told from a dual narrative viewpoint from Sean, a young boy at the centre of some genuinely terrible accusations, and Richard, a man trying to escape his past and live the life he always dreamed of. As the two narratives head towards their inevitable head-on collision, the reader is gifted with a story, that despite never straying into what some might call classic horror territory, will chill you to the bones. Whisper Down the Lane is a novel built on a fat narrative; imagine being on a steep, slippy mountain track with a strong wind behind you and a dark storm beginning to brew behind you. With the conclusion of the story being the relative safety of the base of the mountain. You take the first tentative steps down the track; everything seems OK; you can take it nice and slow, but with each step closer to the end, the trail gets that bit steeper, that bit more unsteady. Soon you find yourself in a headlong run down the mountain, all while with that dark storm threatening to engulf you and send you crashing to the ground. With each turn of the page, you thrust forward faster and faster as Clay McLeod Chapman's frantic narrative pushes you on. I swear Whisper Down the Lane forced me to stick with the book. I don't think I have read a book this quickly, from the fantastic opening chapter, which wrong-foots you so much you are in danger of metaphorically breaking your ankle (see if you stick with me long enough, my review metaphors make sense, to the mounting sense of pure dread, Whisper Down the Lane, is a book demands your undivided attention. Sometimes when you are faced with an opening chapter as great as the one here, you might be concerned that the rest of the book doesn't live up to the promise, but don't worry, Clay McLeod Chapman builds on with every page that comes after it. But, be warned, this book is alarming, even though, except for one scene towards the middle of the book (1), it never strays into graphic territory. Chapman uses the existential dread of a life spiralling out of control and manipulating minors by people in places of perceived safety to build a real sense of dread. Whisper Down the Lane is Sean and Richards story, where both of them allow Chapman to explore the fallout and hysteria surrounding the satanic panic. Sean's story is perhaps the most heartbreaking of the two, a child caught in the whirlwind of a lie, manipulated by those with a clear agenda, into doing and saying things that may or not be true. A lie that has dire consequences for one of Sean's teachers. It is a terrifying account and one that, even if it weren't loosely based on actual events, would still have you riveted to the page. Chapman handles this half of the story with a clear line of sensitivity; yes, Sean did something awful, and under normal circumstances, we would be horrified by what Sean does. However, Chapman ensures that we remain sympathetic to his plight. He also skillfully manages to keep you unbalanced as to what is happening, are the events described by Sean genuine? Was he part of some Satanic ritual lead by one of his teachers, or was it all just a lie that went south, egged on by the manipulation of another person with an insidious agenda? Typically ambiguity is something I'm not a fan of in novels; I like my narrative straight and straightforward, whether I am going up or down the mountain (hey, it's my review, I'll wear out this metaphor if I want to), Whisper Down the Lane, much like Last House on Needless Street, has shown me that ambiguity can be a great thing. Richard's story is a more simple tale on the surface, but as things are revealed, the underlying narrative's complexity is slowly revealed. What Richard's story shows us is that time is cyclic, and as a species, we never learn from our mistakes. The sense of dread and fear that Richard experiences worryingly mirrors the new sense of anxiety and fear that exists in the world today. The rise of the internet and online witch hunts gives Whisper Down the Lane an extra layer of terror. As Richard's world collapses around him, we cannot help but feel his pain and anguish like a house of cards. While he might not be the most likeable character, thanks to his aloofness and a slight sense of superiority to the other teachers in his life, you can see that he is striving to be a good man who wants nothing more than to live his life drama-free and be a good father to the son of his partner. Whisper Down the Lane is an intense read; Chapman clever use of the dual narrative to keep the readers guessing what is happening, resulting in wrong-footing the reader on almost every page, to the point where you feel you are in the middle of Richard's spiral into hell. When it comes to revealing plot points and revelations, Chapman hits every beat perfectly, conferring the narrative with a rhythm that is unconditionally infectious, and compels you to keep on reading. By Jim Mcleod (1) Trigger Warning Please note this book contains two scenes of graphic animal deaths talking scared podcast Does your child draw pentagrams? Have you noticed the neighbours hanging their robes over the washing line? Worst of all, have they started listening to …. HEAVY METAL?? You may be experiencing a satanic panic. Worry not, our guest, Clay McLeod Chapman can diagnose this for you. Clay’s new novel, Whisper Down the Lane is both a homage to the horror of the 80s, and an exploration of how that decade's battle with truth, memory and Satan(!!) lives on today. His story riffs on the very real scandal at the McMartin Preschool, as well as the wider hysteria that led to people being sacked, vilified and even imprisoned based upon absolute bulls*t. As you’ll hear, it’s a darker tale than I had imagined, but it’s also jam-packed with references, easter-eggs and allusions to the horror that made the decade. Along the way Clay talks to me about how the satanic panic never really went away, how it ties into our very modern sense of ‘truth’ and he tells me why he never wants his kids to read his stories. On my part, I tell him the world is ok and other unconscionably optimistic things! Oh, and I’m convinced that Clay orchestrated Lil Nas X’s ’Satan Shoes’ to help him sell more copies. Listen to this excellent interview with Clay at Talking Scared Podcast https://www.buzzsprout.com/1322413/8241985 whisper down the lane Inspired by the McMartin preschool trials and the Satanic Panic of the ‘80s, the critically acclaimed author of The Remaking delivers another pulse pounding, true-crime-based horror novel. Richard doesn’t have a past. For him, there is only the present: a new marriage to Tamara, a first chance at fatherhood to her son Elijah, and a quiet but pleasant life as an art teacher at Elijah’s elementary school in Danvers, Virginia. Then the body of a rabbit, ritualistically murdered, appears on the school grounds with a birthday card for Richard tucked beneath it. Richard doesn’t have a birthday—but Sean does . . . Sean is a five-year-old boy who has just moved to Greenfield, Virginia, with his mother. Like most mothers of the 1980s, she’s worried about bills, childcare, putting food on the table . . . and an encroaching threat to American life that can take the face of anyone: a politician, a friendly neighbor, or even a teacher. When Sean’s school sends a letter to the parents revealing that Sean’s favorite teacher is under investigation, a white lie from Sean lights a fire that engulfs the entire nation—and Sean and his mother are left holding the match. Now, thirty years later, someone is here to remind Richard that they remember what Sean did. And though Sean doesn’t exist anymore, someone needs to pay the price for his lies.    Comments are closed.
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