“Knock Knock Open Wide ” by Neal Sharpson is a tale steeped in Irish folklore that delves deeply into the human psyche, exploring family legacy and the fine line between reality and unreality.
Synopsis
On a chilly October, Etain Larkin visits with her sister and her lover at a Halloween party. As she’s heading home, driving through the dark, isolated Irish countryside, she discovers a dead body on the side of the road. Not wanting to leave it there to be dismembered by animals, she takes it to a nearby farmhouse seeking help. She’s thrust into an evil she’s never known, as she’s held there and experiences traumatizing events she’ll never speak of again.
A decade later, Betty Fitzpatrick is attending University in Dublin and falls helplessly in love with Ashling Mallen. She soon learns of Ashling’s dark family history and troubled childhood with her alcoholic mother Etain and their tragic family history. Yet, Ashling hides a secret obsession with children’s TV. Show Puckeen with the goat puppet hidden within the black box. Her dark obsession and troubled past combine with drastic consequences on the present and future.
Tropes and Representation
- The Sins of the Mother
- Unreliable Narrator
- Is It Real or Not
- Ancient Curse
- Forbidden Knowledge
- Corrupted Reality/Time
- Pagan Rituals and Sacrifice
- Ritual Objects
- Cursed Objects
- Isolated Communities
- LGBTQIA+
- Sapphic
- Queer
- Lesbian
Cast of Characters
Ashling Mallen- Etain Larkin’s daughter, mentally and emotionally scarred by her family’s tragic past and the loss she’s experienced, as well as the complicated relationship she has with her alcoholic mother and distant relationship with her Aunt Kate.
Betty Fitzpatrick- Quirky and shy, she’s fallen for the mysterious Ashling. She wants to help her navigate the darkness of her family trauma while affirming her love and dedication to her and their relationship.
Etain Larkin- Overcome with mental and emotional trauma caused by the events that transpired in the Irish countryside and the tragedy and loss that haunted her family following those events. She spends her time in a drunken stupor, taking her grief, sorrow, and frustrations out on Ashling.
Aunt Kate- Etain’s sister and Ashling’s daughter. She was once close to her sister, but due to a misunderstanding, she withdrew from her and reunited with the family amid a tragedy.
Barry Mallen- Etain’s husband and Ashling’s father
Niamh Mallen- Ashling’s twin sister
Content
The themes in this novel are deliciously dark and explored with such epic scope and depth, creating an immersive, propulsive read that kept you on the edge of your seat. The key themes in Knock Knock Open Wide are:
- Generational Trauma and Family Secrets
- The Sinister Side of Childhood Innocence
- Celtic Folklore
- The Fragility of Memory and Perception
The themes that drove this story were the explorations into the darker elements of Celtic Folklore, the fragility of memory and perception, and the toxic impact of generational trauma and family secrets. You see throughout the novel, the sinister forces at play as it pertains to traditional Irish Folklore and the huge impact it has on the plot and the overall story.
Next, you experience how disorienting it can be to balance reality with unreality. This creates a suspenseful dynamic for the reader and bolsters the unreliable narrator trope. Lastly, the slow unraveling of the trauma that started with Etain Larkin and how it trickled down throughout her family was another major key part of this story’s plot and structure.
Writing Style
Sharpson’s writing style is atmospheric, poetic, and clever. He features rich, detailed descriptions creating vivid imagery for each scene. Then there’s the multi-timeline where we follow the root of ensuing trauma that impacts the Larkins and Mallens. While non-linear, it does an excellent job of weaving the multiple narratives, showcasing how trauma and memory unfurl across multiple generations.
Then we have the marriage of folkloric storytelling with modern media, creating a dread that spans time and generations. When it comes to the character-driven elements of this story, there’s a strong emphasis on how the trauma impacted the characters. Highlighting the internal horrors involved in this story.
A favorite is Sharpson’s rich, introspective internal monologues, where you learn more about the characters, their motivations, and the complexities of their identity and how it weaves into the overall story.
Plot Development
Sharpson crafted a slow-burning horror that slowly unravels itself and sticks with you every step of the way. Myth and trauma and explored at length with plenty of action to maintain the reader’s interest despite the slow, intentional pacing.
You get the feeling that he tells you just enough to satisfy your initial curiosity while whetting your appetite for more. The result is that you rapidly turn the pages to discover the truth. The conclusion was perfection as it wove together the various narratives into a central one. Giving you a satisfactory ending with just a touch of sinister undertones.
Characters
The characters in this story are rich, deep, complex, and troubled. Sharpson dives into the human psyche, exploring the far-reaching consequences of trauma. He also does an excellent job of manipulating one’s ability to process reality from the confounding mythical aspects impacting the characters.
While written in third-person POV with multi-viewpoints it wasn’t confusing and allowed you to understand the character deeply, creating depth and making them real.
Closing Thoughts and Rating
As I’m slowly getting back into reading more horror, this was a terrific way to kickstart my journey into this genre. It was a brilliant mashup of cosmic, folk, psychological, and supernatural horror. Complete with complex storytelling, epic characterization, dynamic themes, and deeply unsettling horror elements.
This is a great horror for those who enjoy complex stories with well-crafted characters exploring dark themes surrounding Irish Folklore, generational trauma, family secrets, and a disturbing children’s puppet show. This is also ideal for those who are interested in Folk or Cosmic horror and want to sample bits of it before committing to a novel fully steeped in either genre.
