Synopsis:
Once manifested, guilt must be addressed. Sheila Ann Lee, a narcissistic, neurotic seeker of affluence, creates her own manifestation of trauma and leaves it forlorn, driving it to seek retribution against her as she seeks to overcome her own past, a past littered with those she destroyed. As it chases her, tortures her mind, and, eventually, uses her epiphany of real emotion to beset the true love she finds, it remains unclear to her and all those seeking to protect her whether it is a product of her mental illness or a supernatural being bent on her destruction, whether she is being haunted or she is the source of her own misery, and theirs.
Review:
I went into this one mostly blind (no surprise there, as that’s how I enjoy most of my reads). Sheila, the main character, is introduced, and dang, is she messy. But also incredibly relatable. She is presented as a hypochondriac of sorts, always feeling ill and out of sorts. She can only eat certain things, and she seems to have a constant dread looming over her.
What unfolds is that Sheila seems to be haunted by something, but it isn’t a clear entity, and oftentimes, it seems as though she is creating everything in her head. She starts to see things, and others even notice something strange about her, but she’s never able to pinpoint what exactly is going on. And as the reader, I was not able to figure out if it was actually something paranormal or Sheila’s trauma manifesting in a physical way. Whitedale does a wonderful job keeping things obscure to keep the reader guessing.
At the start, Sheila is not exactly what would be considered a good person. She seems to try her best, but has a bit of a victim complex, claiming things are happening out of her control without her influence at all. A lot of mayhem befalls thanks to her doing. She sets things up, convincing people to do things they normally never would have, without directly asking. It’s manipulation at its finest, when even the manipulator is blind to their actions.
The character arc of Sheila is huge. As the story goes, Sheila finds someone willing to love her for who she is, and Sheila learns to be at peace with a lot of things in her life. However, the thing haunting her not only continues to darken her world, but it has moved in on those she loves.
Ultimately, this is a story about facing your guilt and coming to terms with the dark parts of your past. Whitedale writes a very slow-burning plot while keeping you enticed with the wild events that transpire throughout.
I don’t know if Whiledale has an education in psychology, but he did a fantastic job blending insight with readability. The dialogue and introspection of the psychiatrists involved felt authentic while still being approachable to any reader.
The Haunting of Sheila Lee is a creeping tale of dread that almost makes you wonder if anything will turn out okay. It’s not a rising crescendo with a devastating crash; it’s a constant up and down tale that makes you question everything.
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