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Reviewed by Jamie Michele for Readers' Favorite
The Other Place by Scott Nagele begins with Emma, a young girl having lifelike dreams involving “the Gatekeeper,” a figure with the power to manipulate her into committing horrible acts, such as starting fires. She is troubled by these dreams, which are amplified when she learns that they resemble the life of Mary Ellen MacDonald, a girl accused of similar acts in Nova Scotia in 1922. As Emma's dreams become increasingly disturbing, her parents, Rob and Marcia, also begin to experience unsettling visions. The family discovers that they are intertwined with Mary Ellen's tragic story, with Emma seemingly becoming a vessel for Mary Ellen’s spirit. Emma’s experiences with the Gatekeeper escalate as she is pushed forward with her growing connection to the past, while her parents, with no clue how to help, are faced with the possibility that supernatural forces are at play...and what exactly that means for their lives. “...it’s no dream; it’s the other place.”
Scott Nagele's The Other Place is a haunting immersion into a crossroads of dreams versus reality, with a unique twist on a familiar dream sequence format that makes it feel fresh. Nagele does a great job of integrating textured, atmospheric prose to give readers a genuine feeling of the settings and evoke a palpable sense of dread. It's like every childhood fear we had as kids morphing into its physical manifestation. Emma's experiences with the Gatekeeper are chilling, and there's something about malevolent forces that compel little girls to act against their wills that is especially scary. Mary Ellen is the most interesting character to me and her tragic past and what she suffered are heartbreaking. Overall, this is a great story that digs into the moral quagmire of unresolved trauma and the power of pain that reverberates across timelines, making it the perfect read for those who appreciate dark psychological thrillers with a side of pyromania. Very highly recommended.
