It's not at all a fast-paced story, but the atmosphere is rich and foreboding throughout, and there are a lot of genuinely chilling moments. It's a ghost story with ties to religion, family, possession, and a whole host of other issues. It's definitely a psychological ghost story, as opposed to the more in-your-face, blood-and-guts variety that has become so commonplace. Even even when the most obvious instances of horror in this book transpire, there isn't any gore, which was refreshing. All in all, it's frightening and creepy, and the suspense - though it builds slowly - continues until the very last page. It's a great book for people who enjoy ghost stories without an overabundance of violence.