‘Old Soul’ Review: Horror Meets Millennial Prose

Would you do anything to survive? Susan Barker’s new novel “Old Soul” holds this question at its heart. The novel is about a woman with no true name who can live indefinitely, but at a cost — she must constantly kill to satisfy the needs of her dark master. Throughout the book, the reader hears the testimonies of those who have seen this old soul touch the lives of loved ones, as one man, Jake, attempts to track down his best friend’s killer. “Old Soul” is a haunting read that may leave some with goosebumps, but ultimately, Barker’s electrifying concept is weighed down by its bland writing style and flat characters.

Formal choices within the novel take away from the story’s horrific focus and make the book feel like a wandering piece of millennial prose. Barker attempts to craft an otherworldly horror piece, but the work is primarily written in Sally Rooney-esque, punctuationless prose that feels detached, like a text from a disinterested acquaintance. Quotation marks appear sparingly, so it’s hard to follow intense action when it’s unclear who is speaking. Occasionally, portions of the novel are written in a diary format, but these sections continue with no punctuation and heavy use of underlining, which wrench away any sense of realism. These modern choices clash with the woman at the novel’s core, who is centuries old. If “Old Soul” was written more traditionally — or at least coherently — its themes would feel more impactful.

If one isn’t turned away by this writing style, they might find it hard to connect with the novel due to the characters’ lack of depth. There are two main characters in the novel — the old soul killing those she meets, and Jake, who is attempting to find her. The mysterious woman is a villain and we don’t get much narration directly from her, so it’s hard to connect to her backstory, although occasionally she dumps exposition onto side characters. Meanwhile, Jake spends most of the novel collecting stories from others, leaving him as a listener who doesn’t actively participate in the story except at the novel’s introduction and close. Due to the reader’s lack of time with Jake’s thoughts, it’s hard to connect to his fears and struggles. With these two characters leading the story, readers may feel unable to connect to the larger arc of the book. Perhaps if Jake had inserted himself into the testimonies with more force, the novel would feel more cohesive.

Despite these challenges, the novel is still quite creative in its vision and presentation. The old soul’s quest to kill in order to maintain her youth is an idea as ancient as vampiric tales, but Barker presents her story in a new manner — in order to kill, the old soul must draw or photograph her victims. This twist to the classic idea adds a creative dimension to each story that Jake finds.

Additionally, while Jake’s story collection makes it hard to connect with his character, the format also lends itself to small episodes of horror that are equally satisfying, almost as if “Old Soul” was a short story collection instead of a novel. In sum, the novel is not without its strengths, even if the entire novel isn’t as compelling as it could be.

The villain of “Old Soul” is sure to send shivers down your spine with her quest for longevity, but the novel may also lose readers looking for equally intriguing writing and characters. If the book embraced its identity as a reflective horror tale and narrowed in on a central main character, it would be able to hold readers’ attention more acutely. Nonetheless, “Old Soul” still has frightening moments to offer readers if they desire to plunge into its dangerous other world.

—Staff writer Hannah E. Gadway can be reached at hannah.gadway@thecrimson.com.