an unsettling tale

Andrew Michael Hurley creates the essential true-life base to power this slow-burn gothic story. Richard and Juliette have moved to the country to give their young son Ewan an idyllic childhood steeped in birdsong, close to woods, trees and earth. But we learn very early on that Ewan is dead and Juliette is manic with giref,

In flashbacks we see how 5 year-old Ewan's disturbed behaviour (vicious acts which he says 'Jack Grey'told him to do) resulted in the family being ostracised in the little community, Well-meaning but intolerable family members try to help - but Juliette's condition declines, Richard is excavating their barren field (the 'Starve Acre') where once had been a hanging tree where 3 boys has been hanged for crimes they committed at 'Jack Grey's' bidding; the hare skeleton which Richard finds... I can't spoil that part of the plot; Juliette slips further and further into the mad, untouchable isolation of grief.

Hurley is brilliant at communicating the beauty of nature: the sky is 'star-rich'; nature unfurls in all its green lustre in the spring; sounds and colours are subtle and exact. Hurley manages to make the menace grow naturally from the beauty, so that its hold over the family doesn't seem wholly unnatural or frightening. This novel, Hurley's 3rd, is less than half the length of his first The Loney (which is reviewed along with his Devil's Day on my Listener Page) and the ending sentence is a complete surprise: shocking, disturbing but somehow credible - certainly not horror as it has been billed. It's too human, too natural for that. The much shorter length makes the whole a little less satisfying than his other longer novels.

The narration helps to keep the story rooted in real life too with the Scottish and country accents which make real people we can believe in even when events are so strange..

4 people found this helpful

Malevolent

Quite the tale. Loved both of Hurley’s other books and this is as good or better. Powerful scene setting, slowly builds towards its denouement that is nuanced.

I understand this is the last of his folk horror trilogy, look forward to the urban setting of his next!

2 people found this helpful

Another great book from Andrew Michael Hurley

Not quite as good as his two previous books but still an excellent listen. The shorter length means less time for character development. It still manages the same sense of dread and lingering doom as previous Hurley books through his superb writing. I also feel that Burnip is the perfect narrator for these books he’s on fine form yet again here. Can’t wait for the next one

1 person found this helpful

Modern gothic

Stories about events with no solving always get my attention.. What an interesting book, but i felt it ended on a cliff hanger.. Would love to know more about the mediums and such

Lack of excitement

I listened to the whole story. It was a little bland. It portrayed depression well... a little far fetched maybe...

Uninspiring

Functional prose coupled with cardboard characters and unrealistic interactions. The pace is slow and the lack of atmosphere combined with a formulaic plot, seen a thousand times before in various guises, makes progress a chore. The events take place in the Dales but such is the paucity of description, it could have been anywhere. The conclusion is bland and unrewarding. Perhaps it's because I came to this straight from reading M John Harrison, but I found the experience dull and the writing clumsy. As for the narration; it's what the novel deserves.

I talk about the ending in this review FYI!

I loved this book. Loved it. But I got really confused when I saw the was only 12 minutes left of the book. Then it just... Finished. It felt like mid paragraph, just so abrupt. So many questions! I'm hoping I'll find a sequel! This is why I've only given 3 stars. Brilliant plot but felt very unfinished.

A pretty grim affair

I cannot say I enjoyed this book. The story is grim and bleak and I came away feeling grim and bleak. Beautifully written, the author evokes the wild and remote countryside on the edge of the Yorkshire Moors but there is no joy whatsoever in this book. Just anxiety and grief and finally some horror. It may have worked better if you read this as a novel, as it would not immerse you in this cold grey wotld quite as much as when you are listening to it, but I really cannot recommend it as an audible book.

1 person found this helpful