I have been on a horror book binge this summer (well, this year in general). Most recently, I read Picnic at Hanging Rock by Joan Lindsay. Written in 1967, the book takes place on Valentine’s Day in the year 1900 at a girl’s boarding school in Australia. A group of girls venture out- supervised, of course! This is Victorian!- on a scorchingly hot day for a picnic. Not all of them come back.

The author states: “Whether Picnic at Hanging Rock is fact or fiction, my readers must decide for themselves.” Is it fact? Or perhaps, as authors often do, was it more likely loosely based on an actual event? The reader is left to decide that for themselves.

However, it wasn’t the mysterious disappearances that bothered me- it was the aftermath.

I am not going to ruin it by telling you what happens, in case someone out there wants to read this Australian Gothic treasure. There was one violent scene that, let’s just say I would have written differently. But maybe that is what makes this book so good? The jarring sequences and events that linger in the mind.

I can picture it- the oppressive heat. The Victorian dress code (which was [obviously] upheld by the girls’ teacher who comes with them). A three hour tour in the sun that ends in a disaster that reverberates through the rest of the book.

It reminds me of sitting in a boiling hot classroom, in my Catholic school uniform, complete with knee highs, scratchy plaid skirt, white blouse tucked in. No AC. The windows cracked open a bit, but all that does is blow the hot summer air inside the hot summer classroom. And you’re left with a sickening, sweaty, drowsy feeling. That’s this book- in a good way!

Joan Lindsay was ruthless with her characters. She took the writing advice, “Murder your darlings,” very seriously. I suppose I would have written a slightly happier ending. Not happy, exactly, just slightly happier. Or slightly less melancholic.

There is a movie based on the book by Peter Weir, and a more recent mini-series based on the story was also made. Have you read it? Or watched it? I’d like to watch the movie and the mini-series. It seems like they will be good ones for the summer.

All in all, I enjoyed the book, and I’d recommend it to anyone who is a fan of gothic tales.

And while I wished Joan Lindsay hadn’t been quite so brutal with certain characters, that’s part of what makes “creepy” novels so good. They stick with you-they stick to you-either the story or the characters or both. Like little burrs that you pick up walking through the woods. And maybe, they make you realize how good you have it, or, at the very least, that things could be much, much worse.

I’d love to hear if you’ve read this book! And if you like what I write, please subscribe. Thanks!