Tamara Tilley

A Sound Among the Trees: A Novel by Susan Meissner

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


A SOUND AMONG THE TREES had a rather unique story to tell. I would not classify this book as a Christian novel since there were so few references to God, and only one character towards the end of the book really comes out and says her life was changed by her relationship with the Lord. Everyone else in the book seems to be walking around their present life on eggshells, not wanting to infringe on the lives of those around them or do anything to upset the supposed haunted mansion of Holly Oak.

A trio of characters and the house itself takes the lead at different times throughout this novel. Broken up into five different sections, mostly regarding the mansion–and one section entirely devoted to a string of letters written by one of the women of Holly Oak during the Civil War, this novel had me stymied as to what the message is the author was trying to get across to the reader.

When I came to the section devoted to the letters written by Susannah Page–the woman believed to be haunting the antebellum mansion–I was not thrilled. Reading 100+ pages entirely in letter form had the possibility of turning me off completely. But, instead, it really was a unique way to allow the reader to get to know Susannah Page, and separate her from the rumored stories that had given her credit for the houses foreboding and oppressive vibe.

In the end, I liked A SOUND AMONG THE TREES, though it was mildly melancholy. The darkness of the story of both what went on in the house, and the house’s affect on the characters brought about despair. If the secrets that had been hidden in the house had come to light sooner, the characters would not have had to live their lives, always with a sense foreboding, instead of embracing the historical events that took place in times gone by.

Book provided for review purposes.



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