Welcome to Litsy!

An apt title for Halloween. In this story the author, who made a splash with debut the loney, again draws on local myth and legend. Set in the ribble Valley, close to pendle Hill, in a remote hard farming community, there is a day when the devil comes down to collect offerings from the doorstep b4 returning to the hills. John + new bride return from Suffolk for a funeral, John wants a life back there with many ghosts physical + imagined.Enjoyable

Insidiously slow creeping horror in isolated rural community; you know something horrible is coming but you just don‘t know in what brutal form. Made worse by revealing by degrees the unreliability of the narrator (wtf!) The isolation and resulting superstitions and customs true all over the world I think. Beautifully written, and reinforces why my boots will not leave concrete. Note: the book description on Litsy is incorrect.

I'm about halfway through this book and it's still really slow, ugh

I‘m on a reading roll so far this year. I am almost reading faster than I can document them! I am enjoying this tenuous read where the conflict has been ramping and ramping up slowly through the book. It was one that was recommended by a bookseller from Daunt In London this past summer. He had a knack for selling me really interesting work!

Wow! I am not sure what to say about this book. I mean there were parts I liked and parts I did not. It was a bit slow at times and maybe it was because I was reading this late at night but it jumped around a bit too much for me and it was hard to know when events were taking place. It was a pretty quick read, and I liked the plot. It just lacked something for me.

It was a good pick for #hgpbc #horrorgoespostalbookclub #teamdracula

This book was mesmerizing—so atmospheric and lush with descriptions of the landscapes. A slow-moving novel, but not boring in the least. I loved the character development and the way the stories from different timelines unfold. I guess I can see why this book might be categorized as horror, but to me it feels like really well-done literary fiction.

Thanks for sharing this one, Torie (and thanks for the goodies)! 😃

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

#HGPBC #teamdracula

I seem to have forgotten House of Leaves at the office today (after another day of managing 0 pages of it)... and I won‘t be in that office again until Thursday.

So! Starting this book, which will likely go 12639% faster for me since IT‘S NOT HOUSE OF LEAVES. 🤪

I loved The Loney a LOT so was really looking forward to this, Andrew Michael Hurley's second novel. Especially as I heard him speak at a recent 5x15 event. Unfortunately this one just didn't grip me in the same way. It was ok, but just felt a bit flat. Lots of potential plot interest but they all kind of fizzled out. You can tell the author is in love with the landscape and that was beautifully written.

Long train journeys + Sunday paper + book.

I should be grading, but I want to get this book in the post to @sprainedbrain by Monday, so I'm taking some "me time" with a homemade chai latte. #HGPBC #TeamDracula

I LOVED this atmospheric, lushly written and surprisingly epic literary horror novel!! I think it will lead to some good discussion, so #TeamDracula- this is my pic (unless something usurps it in the next week 🤣)! #HGPBC #HorrorGoesPostalBookClub

This book definitely lived up to its predecessor (The Loney), both in terms of atmosphere and poetic descriptions of landscape. I was a bit thrown at first by the different time lines and the many character names but eventually everything fell into place. The story had me hooked till the last page and I highly recommend it to anyone looking for an autumny and slightly creepy read.

Reading in the evening sunlight. 😊

Perfect read to start on such a rainy morning. ☔️ 📖 🤓

Today‘s book haul 😍

Hurley‘s writing is gothic, gritty, and honest. I really enjoy his work. That being said, the build-up and foreshadowing in this story was so intense that I expected an explosive ending and was left wanting. Definitely check out his other book, The Loney.
*the book description on Litsy isn‘t correct, btw! Look it up elsewhere!

Starting this one today!

If you read The Loney this is his new book!!! It looks absolutely stunning and he stopped by the shop so I was able to get a signed copy 😍😍 of you have read The Loney do so now! It's a gothic masterpiece, perfect for Halloween 🎃🎃👻👻 and absolutely beautiful.