Shadow Flicker

Strange phenomena and dark mysteries hide within the flickering shadows cast by the windmills at the center of this chilling horror novel from Bastianelli (Snowball). After energy company Aerosource erects three wind turbines in the town of Kidney Island, residents complain about their plummeting quality of life, so Aerosource sends insurance adjuster Oscar Basaran to investigate. The townsfolk’s claims start simple; they complain of sleeplessness from the turbines’ constant hum, lingering headaches from the flickering light produced by their rotating blades, and sour milk because the cows refuse to graze in nearby fields. But the stories grow more unusual as strange things happen during what all have come to call “the flicker.” A woman spots a long-missing boy, another feels time stop, and a man insists the windmills are sending secret signals. Oscar’s sure these more far-fetched stories are delusions—until he experiences the flicker for himself. Bastianelli creates a spooky, claustrophobic small-town atmosphere but leaves the exact nature of the strangeness unexplained, a lack of resolution that will frustrate some but for others will only enhance the horror. It’s a dark, disturbing treat. (Mar.)