When Castles Fall
by Jill Gagnon
Genre: Mystery, Thriller & Suspense / Supernatural
ISBN: 9798986568102
Print Length: 331 pages
Reviewed by J.B. Leddington
Danger lurks around every corner in Jill Gagnon’s alternative and deeply unexpected version of ordinary life in Florida.
A fast-paced thriller with a difference, When Castles Fall by Jill Gagnon introduces a gripping and surreal world in which danger lurks in the most unexpected corners of everyday life. Struggling to navigate this world is Jade Castle, a middle-aged woman whose existence takes a bizarre turn after her unpreparedness during a Florida storm sets in motion a strange series of consequences. From this seemingly mundane beginning, Gagnon weaves a tale of mystery and suspense that intrigues and perplexes from the outset.
To say that life is not going particularly well for Jade would be an understatement. Haunted by ghosts of an unclear past that have succeeded in tainting almost every aspect of the present, she’s trying to sell her former marital home following the tragic death of her husband, Jim. While the Florida real estate market isn’t particularly healthy, Jade’s chances of securing a sale are worse than most because, as the realtor euphemistically notes, “it’s hard to sell a house with a history.”
After a failed attempt to clear her mind and escape the gossip of neighbors via an evening run, Jade returns home to discover that a parcel from China has been left on her doorstep. Knowing that it must have been ordered by Jim prior to his death some months earlier, she opens the box with trepidation. Inside she finds two books on self-defense and a collection of related items:
“There were eight pepper spray cartridges; one for each room and her car, she assumed, and two with straps made to carry while walking or jogging. Something called a Kubotan key chain, complete with a manual. Whatever that was. A door stop alarm and a taser were at the bottom along with a bunch of other gadgets she’d never seen before.”
It’s clear that something deeply troubling and undeniably peculiar must have happened, something that cost Jim his life and nearly cost Jade her sanity. “She stared at the new necessities of her life before locking the door and heading to the shower to rinse away the sweat, fear, and sorrow.” At this point, Gagnon uses Jade’s insuppressible memories to transport her and the story back in time to one year earlier, to the point when everything changed.
A young man named Joey is seeking to escape an unknown pursuer. “He felt the eyes of the stranger bore into his back and picked up his speed. If he could get to Cheyenne, everything would be fine. She wasn’t far.” Cheyenne is a car rather than a person, but she can’t protect him from Ronny, a malodorous stranger who claims to know his father. Meanwhile, Jade and Jim rush to switch off the breakers and secure their house before the incoming tropical storm takes out the electricity.
Sadly, they don’t prepare for the intruder who breaks in that night while Jim is getting some much needed sleep and Jade is forced to investigate an unexplained light in the garage. “She blinked and looked again. Her heart skipped a beat. There was someone. A man. An unkempt, scary-looking creature.” This encounter is just the first of several otherworldly and devastating events that Jade faces after she runs afoul of Ronny and his coerced partner in crime, Joey’s teenage friend Parker.
But what is she willing to do to save herself, Jim, and maybe even Parker, too?
As When Castles Fall progresses with all its tragedy and weirdness from here on out, Gagnon’s vivid prose paints a rich and immersive picture of Jade’s tumultuous experiences, including the possibility that one of the home invaders can transform into a snake and the fact that the police officers she turns to for help have nefarious motives all of their own. The atmosphere of distrust that quickly surrounds her is palpable, as is the unsettling realization that there is far more going on in the world than she has ever anticipated.
Given its preternatural characters and zany plot points, the narrative takes a number of unexpected turns, revealing a highly detailed alternative Florida in which reality mixes with fantasy. Gagnon skillfully blends the ordinary with the extraordinary here, creating an environment where dreaming of serpent pie is one of the least implausible elements of Jade’s altered reality during her quest for truth and justice. It’s often quite unsettling, but there are distinct moments of humor, too.
As the core of When Castles Fall revolves around Jade’s efforts to save herself, her love, and an almost innocent teenager from the sinister machinations of a diabolical predator, the novel delves deep into disturbing themes such as deception, manipulation, casual violence, and the highly undesirable consequences of unchecked power. As the story unfolds, Jade’s amateur investigation is characterized by both suspense and danger, with the storm serving as the catalyst for a series of events that culminate in considerable death and destruction.
Gagnon’s skill as a storyteller shines as she presents the complexities of Jade’s situation, ramping up the tension and increasing the uncertainty with each revelation. Jade herself is a compelling protagonist, grappling not only with external threats but also with her internal struggle to discover the truth. In particular, Gagnon does an excellent job of portraying Jade’s inner turmoil: “She heard their voices and heard the quiet. The odors were as strong as they were then; the stench of sweat, a whiff of gas from the mower, the manure smell of Milorganite …”
The supporting characters are also well developed, particularly the insidious Ronny and detective duo Carl and Don, with each having their own motivations and secrets, which add extra enjoyable layers to the story. The strangeness makes it difficult to get a grasp of what is happening sometimes, although this nicely reflects the sense of disorientation and disbelief that Jade experiences throughout much of the novel. She can never really be sure who to trust and what to do for the best.
When Castles Fall is a testament to Gagnon’s ability to blend elements of the mystery, fantasy, and thriller genres into a cohesive and twisty narrative. The novel is most compelling due to Gagnon’s uncommon interlinking of the fantastical and the mundane, which challenges the boundaries of reality and gives rise to an unusual and immersive story.
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