Apartment 16 and Being Drawn into the Abyss: A Book Review

Author: Adam Nevill.

Apartment 16 is Adam Nevill's second book and much of the story takes place in London. However, England is only one of the settings, as parts of novel take place in a occult world derived from the concept of vorticism. Voriticism is a 20th Century art movement that never caught on. If you studied this style of artistry, then you would no why e.g. lots of straight lines and little continuity. Moving along, vorticism brings a lonely nightwatchmen, Seth, into the haunted abode of a ficitonal artist named Hessen. Here, vorticism takes hold of him and of other characters, most significantly Apryl, a visiting niece. These two characters make up the bulk of Apartment 16, while the deceased artist Hessen makes himself more and more known in later, terrifying pages.

Apryl visits London to settle her aunt's estate, but she finds something strange. In several journals, Lillian has documented her bizarre life, which is a life trapped inside Barrington House. Her husband had committed suicide years before, after strange sounds, demonic voices and late night ramblings had agitated other residents for years. Inside apartment 16 Hessen was experimenting with a new style of artwork, which borrowed from actual artists and poets e.g. Ezra Pound. However, there are dark arts at play here. These supernatural elements are what draws Apryl in, while Seth plays lackey to the powerful, but evil forces inside apartment 16.

Yet, Seth is not an unsympathetic character, but a troubled one. A struggling artist, Seth is lured to the job of nightwatchman at Barrington House through a want ad' asking for artists. This lonely man is quickly hooked and then drawn by sounds of shuffling feet behind the door of apartment 16. Unfortunately, once you open this door, it cannot really be closed again. Then, strange shapes appear and Seth's outlook on life and the city is especially drab and dreary. It is as if only the negatives of urban life can be seen by this and other characters. This negative aspect of the vortex is what has caused several previous characters to end their lives, while Hessen's portal to something dark and sinister is doing its best to draw more into the abyss.

The last major character in the novel is Hessen, a fascist and a mysterious man, who sought recognition from NAZI powers during the war years. Out of sight initially, this character moves ever forefront as his powers grow and his strength is found in the vortex. Ezra Pound stated in his poem the "Vortex," that everything is drawn to its power: "all experience rushes into this vortex." One of Hessen's central powers, from the grave, is holding those who condemned him within Barrington House close to their home. They cannot escape his pull. Much like a swirling whirlpool, all of the characters are drawn in to some extent. Some characters perish, others fight back while still others make ammends and serve the beast. Finally, this vortex draws Apryl, Seth and Hessen together for a fairly exciting climax.

Yet, Nevill seems best when he is feeding the tension or the vortex. His writing for action in the final chapters seems to stutter and stop in the supernatural realm. As well, the conclusion is left open in favour of teasing a sequel. After reading for 400+ pages, a more firm ending would have been appreciated. Instead, Nevill seems to be developing a wider story arc with this novel, which could include several more novels based on the scope of Apartment 16. This critic favours a more close ended style of conclusion for novels, so there is some bias here. Well written, interesting and entertaining, Apartment 16 is recommended for horror fiction fans, with Nevill backing a villain who never truly dies, evil.

Overall: 8 out of 10 (lots of interesting characters, exciting, late reveals of characters).

Another review of this title at Graeme's Fantasy Book Review:

Apartment 16 Reviewed by Graeme Flory

The full version of Ezra Pound's Vortex (not one of the best poems):

Vortex at Poetry Foundation

Available at Amazon:



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