I honestly have to sit here and question what I just read. Before I get people coming into my comments saying 'you just didn't get it', I got it. I fully understood the overarching concept of grief and withdrawal. Honestly, that was one of my favourite parts: seeing how eventually we got less information about the characters, almost as if their gradual disappearance from the narrative was like disappearing within an overwhelming sense of grief. I did think Hurley did a great job of expressing the many horrific forms that grief can take.

Nonetheless, there was just no plot to this book. I was waiting for some excitement, a shiver down my spine, a sentence to make me look up and not want to look back at the page again, but there was nothing. I wasn't horrified by the book, merely unsettled by the weirdness. It was a feeling similar to the one I had when I read 'The Need' by Helen Phillips: confusion. I wanted more from this book, more of the gothic element. I really like an isolated manor story. Isolation and exclusion from society give room for an insanely creepy narrative, but I don't think the house as a plot device was used to its full potential.

This book could have been great if there were less ambiguity and more plot. I can understand why ambiguity makes for a great horror story, but usually, that ambiguity doesn't mean a lack of plot, it means not knowing the full picture of what happened. I don't really think there was a full picture to base this story off in the first place. This book just did not work for me at all and, if it wasn't so short, I don't think I would have finished it.

Thank you to Andrew Michael Hurley, Netgalley and John Murray Press for providing me with an e-copy in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

This is the second book by Andrew Michael Hurley that I've read and it was much better than the first... but extremely hard to sum up in a review all the things that I felt! I really feel that i finished the book with more questions than answers...

Genius! Loved it, loved it, loved it. I read it in one sitting. Absolutely tore through it. Quite unlike anything I've read for a long time.

Someone on Twitter asked which books we would read based solely on who the author is. As one might expect, many of the answers were Stephen King, J.K.Rowling aka Robert Galbraith, Neil Gaiman, Patrick Ness, Terry Pratchett, John Green, and the list (of far too many men) goes on. For me, Andrew Michael Hurley also needs to appear on this list.

The first work I read of Hurley’s was Devil’s Day (5 stars) and what Starve Acre and Devil’s Day have in common is the ominous, slow-burning threat of something that might be about to happen, but might not. Hurley has a gift for drawing the reader in with deliberate and methodical prose, allowing you to become completely absorbed. By the halfway point, you’re trying to work out where the threat is coming from. Is it really the hanging tree? Is it really the spiritualists? Is it really the child? Is it really just the fragility of the human mind in the pits of grief?

I know I’ve posed many questions here but not one is a spoiler. Readers have been given clues in the blurb and these continue in the first few pages. Without chapters, this book captures a reader because there is no “good place” to stop reading. You either keep going, are interrupted or you drag yourself away.

As with Devil’s Day, Starve Acre suffers in its reviews because readers go into the story expecting traditional horror. This is an error on the reader’s behalf. Hurley’s work takes on a dark and gothic edge and weaves it with our own fears of the supernatural. Hurley stretches what your logical mind is ready to accept, teasing you into accepting something before surprising you with the truth of the situation. Hurley’s writing is a masterclass in how to combine all these elements into a work that leaves you wanting more but feeling satisfied at the same time.

The days of summer are starting to grow shorter and the best time to read Starve Acre is approaching. Wait for a cold and wet weekend during the winter months, commandeer your favourite reading spot, a cosy blanket, and a hot chocolate. Turn off your phone, grab noise-cancelling headphones if you need them. Take a deep breath and dive in. I guarantee you won’t regret it.

As a final note and to balance the list provided in the first paragraph, my list of “will read because of their name” also includes Sarah Perry, Sarah Moss, Jessie Burton, Kate Morton, and Laura Purcell.

I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Richard and Juliette move to Starve Acre for a reason that will resonate with most parents; the countryside offers their son, Ewan, space and freedom to roam and grow. But the house has bad memories for Richard as he grew up there with a father who slowly descended into mental illness. Young Ewan is drawn to the field opposite the house, the Starve Acre, so called because nothing grows in the bare earth. Legend has it that a huge oak tree that was used as a gallows has poisoned the soil with evil. Plunged into grief after his young son commits several acts of cruelty and then suddenly dies, Richard becomes obsessed with finding evidence of the old oak tree. But when he instead finds a set of tiny bones, things get even stranger.

The strength of this book is the reserve and self-control of the writing. It has an austere beauty very much like the English countryside - the writing makes me think of bare winter branches. Hurley stops short of horror and instead presents a story of folklore and supernatural that is both deeply unsettling but also completely convincing. It could be a metaphor for grief and the descent into “madness”, or it could be a Poe-esque ghost story - you decide.

A nifty little story. The descriptions of the settings, the raw feelings of the characters involved had me engrossed.

I love the writers style of writing and wish this had been longer but I have to say I thoroughly enjoyed it.

This was a very atmospheric read and I loved the descriptions and esoteric happenings. But there were some inconsistencies - whilst Richard watched a hare slowly coming back to life (that was brilliantly described!) he was dismissive about his wife's beliefs in the afterlife.
Also, I felt it ended far too abruptly and I wasn't sure what we were meant to think at the end - that the hare was the reincarnation of their son?
Still it was a very interesting story, if not one I'd read again.

Juliette Willoughby and her husband Richard are both grieving for their son, Ewan, who died at just five years old but their grief takes very different forms. Richard, whose family have lived at Starve Acre for years, continues with an archaeological investigation of a barren field – which local folklore gives as the site of what was known as a ‘hanging tree – and Juliette clings to the house, spending almost all her time in Ewan’s room, and certain that her son, in some way, is still in the house. This feeling is encouraged by a local group – who can only really be thought of as occultists – who claim to be able to help deal with the lingering spirit but, when they arrive for their ritual things start to go seriously wrong. This, combined with the gradual unfolding of the story of the events leading up to Ewan’s death make for a very dark and disturbing story – but told with style and wonderful timing…

An unhappy house in an unhappy location in the Yorkshire Dales. Richard and Juliette lose their 5 year old and they both cope in different ways. The cover was atmospheric, as was parts of the story. It came across as dated, whether it was meant to be or just how it was written? I didn’t get much sense of brooding menace, so it wasn’t much of a chiller - no doubt other readers will find this novel sinister and evil! I might try one of the authors other books.

My favourite of his books so far, a triumph. He is fast becoming one of my favourite authors and a folk horror master. I can’t find fault with this one at all.

If you enjoyed The Witch, Midsommar or The Wicker Man, you will love this book.
It is delightfully creepy, cold and bleak. A short novella style that will have you finishing this tale in one sitting. Thoroughly recommended to anyone in search of a folky style of horror.

This book is described as a gothic horror and I had high expectations for it.

It’s starts with an introduction to Richard and Juillete who are trying to get back to normal life following the death of their son. They had moved to Starve Acre in the countryside to give him a better way of life via the slow pace of life, fresh air and space in the countryside. However, following his death, Juliette in particular is finding it very difficult to cope so Richard brings in “The Beacons” - a spiritual/occult group to help give her piece of mind, but things don’t quite go to plan.

From the synopsis I was thinking this would be a really atmospheric story giving me chills and goosebumps. It is certainly atmospheric but it never rises to actual chills. First of all it’s a slow build up. We learn about Ewan and how he was troubled but it’s never deep enough for me to engage or care about him. Juliette is very annoying. As much as her grief is heartbreaking - she’s much too self centred and annoying. Richard is the typical stiff upper lipped Englishman that makes for a quiet, passive, doddering (and seemingly old husband) who shrinks away from making any decisive actions or facing what is in front of him.

As for the ending ... I get what the author was try8ng to do but then it just creates a lot of plot holes in my opinion. Is the hare Ewan? Did Ewan become Jack Grey? Did Juliette kill Ewan? What did the Beacons actually do? Who invited Jack Grey in - Richard, Juliette, The Beacons, or was he always there from when Ewan died? So many questions but at the same time not super burning questions. The book ended with a meh for me.

This book was just the right level of unsettling for me after I became way too freaked out by Hurley's previous novel The Loney!

Richard and Juliette are grieving the loss of their young son Ewan who has recently died amidst strange circumstances. Richard had been focusing on work but he is encouraged to take some time out and becomes drawn to, and obsessed by, an archaeological project on the family's land - digging in search of the roots of a huge oak which served as a gallows tree.

While Richard ignores warnings from neighbours about the barren ground and their conviction that it is a source of evil, Juliette consoles herself by keeping Ewan's bedroom as a shrine and becoming involved with a group of occultists called The Beacons.

Hurley has created a sinister bogeyman Jack Grey, a network of folktales about the oak tree, disturbing woodcut engravings depicting the village's past, and utilised a hare in ways that it will take me some time to forget.

While this is all delightfully creepy and unsettling, the novel also offers more rational explanations to make the reader question the supernatural events by highlighting the raw agony of grief: grief viewed as both natural and unnatural; grief as a form of madness; the particular pain of losing a child; disagreement over whether there is a time limit when grief can be viewed by outsiders as self indulgence and best wiped out with medication.

Hurley's novel is fairly short but I found it a satisfying and dark tale with themes of city vs countryside, safe vs dangerous, rational vs superstition, outsiders, and malevolent landscape. A great read for a night when the branches are tapping at the windows!

Atmospheric, disturbing and poignant, 'Starve Acre', fuses the darkest human emotions with supernatural echoes. Richard and Juliette were hoping for an idyllic life in the country, although the place they chose had a dark history and little to recommend it. They lost their child Ewan, who before his death seemed haunted by dreams and voices, in the house and in the land that accompanied it.

The story is sad and sinister. You are undecided whether this is a journey into the dark and desperate grief of two bereaved parents. Or a haunting and possession, engineered by the dark echoes of the past residing in Starve Acre.

The setting and folklore woven into the story produce vivid imagery that evokes the horror unfolding. The desperation and the ways people cope with grief are explored, as is their vulnerability to manipulation and the dark paranormal forces drawn to such individuals.

The reader is left to put their interpretation on events but is left in no doubt that Juliette is in a dark place and may never return.

I received a copy of this book from John Murray Press via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

I received this e-book from John Murray Press via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. (Review posted on NetGalley, Goodreads and Amazon.)

This is a short book, written in the novella form, and is an absorbing read. Squarely in the folk horror genre, it tells the story of the Willoughby family, Richard and Juliette and their son Ewan, who move to Richard’s family home of Starve Acre in an attempt to escape the city and live the good life.

Richard grew up at Starve Acre, but it does not hold happy memories; quite the opposite, in fact, since his father experienced a mental breakdown and died there. He is resistant to the move, but Juliette insists, and initially all seems to be going well, with five-year-old Ewan settling into the local school and Juliette integrating in village life in nearby Stythwaite while Richard continues his work as a university professor.

The house and its environment begin to cast a pall, however – the field where nothing has ever grown, the mysterious shed which had something to do with Richard’s father’s breakdown, the menacing wood – and after a series of increasingly violent and disturbing acts Ewan dies, in circumstances which are not fully explained (although I have my own theory about this).

In fact this is the starting point of the book – we first meet Richard and Juliette as they are struggling with their crushing grief in their own ways. Richard is trying to subsume his feelings in work – on leave from his job, he is focused on digging in the barren field opposite the house trying to locate the lost Stythwaite Oak, a tree that was once used as a gallows. Meanwhile, Juliette is becoming increasingly convinced that Ewan has not departed and is still present in the house.

The narrative shifts back and forth, with Richard reliving his memories of the events leading up to the Ewan’s death while trying to support Juliette as her behaviour becomes increasingly erratic. Events take a weird turn when Richard discovers the bones of a hare as he is digging in the field, and soon after that Juliette invites the Beacons, an occultist group, to conduct a séance in the house.

The hare becomes the focus for the rest of the book, accompanied by a growing sense of unease, oppression and supernatural malignancy. Half-remembered folk-tales of Jack Grey, a bogeyman figure who seems to have been controlling Ewan’s actions, become mixed up with the hare and Juliette’s conflicted feelings about her son; love, grief, fear and perhaps guilt combine to drive her towards madness and a final dreamlike denoument.

The novella form made this book a quick read, and it is tightly written with a deft handling of the growing sense of unease and final (shocking) horror. I did feel some of the characters and parts of the storyline might have benefited from a longer exploration - I wanted to know more about Juliette, about the Beacons (the enigmatic Mrs Forde), the village and Jack Grey. However, this is not to detract from what is an accomplished and haunting book exploring grief, fear and mental health. One to read at Hallowe’en!

What in the name of all that is holy have I just read? I have never been so creeped out by a book but being able to evoke such emotions meant that I strangely enjoyed it. I have never read the critically acclaimed The Loney so this is my first introduction to Andrew Michael Hurley's writing and wow can he write! It's like Andrew Michael Hurley studied horror writing at the University of Stephen King and graduated with first class honours.

Starve Acre is a very creepy place, reputed to have had an old hanging tree on the land of which Richard is searching for evidence. When his son Ewan was alive, Ewan claimed to be able to see this fabled tree and Ewan could also hear the voice of scary legend Jack Grey, telling him to do certain wicked things. Richard's wife, Juliette, is obviously suffering terribly after the loss of her son but she claims to see Ewan in the house. The story gets really spooky when Juliette invites a group of occultists into her home and even the leader of the group is creeped out by the house.

Starve Acre is deeply atmospheric, as well as being very weird and horrifying but I rather liked it. Not only due to the lack of chapters, but because of the increasingly intriguing and spooky storyline, it's a book that is very difficult to put down. To say that it is weird would be an understatement; if you think Stephen King books are weird then Andrew Michael Hurley is like Stephen King on steroids.

Starve Acre is a difficult book to recommend to all as it fits more of a niche group of readers; you definitely need to have an open mind and not take your fiction too seriously. If you're looking for something different with a hint of the supernatural and a huge dollop of weird, then you'll love Starve Acre.

I chose to read an ARC and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

Starve Acre by Andrew Michael Hurley comes at you like an eerie howl on a cold, dark, lonely night! It reminded me so much of the movie, “The Skeleton Key”.

I loved his other novels and this one is no exception.

Both Richard and Juliette are trying to deal with the death of their 5-year-old son Ewan. Richard is focused on unearthing the great big oak tree in the field next to their house. Juliette is trying desperately to communicate with her son’s spirit. The house itself seems to be inciting both their compulsions.

And then there’s that hare…

It’s a short read, with an ending that goes bump in the night!

#netgalley #starveacre #andrewmichaelhurley #johnmurray

Juliette and Richard Willoughby are grieving the sudden death of their five year old son Ewan. Ewan was a premature baby and struggled to keep up with his classmates at school, he also became increasingly violent as he got older.
Juliette is convinced she can still feel and hear him in the house and spends all her time in his bedroom and searching for him but has not left the house since his death. She enlists the help of The Beacons, an occult group that shows her the light to release her from her grief.
Richard is trying to move his focus to a field opposite the house that is the centre stage for many myths and legends of the hauntings of Jack Grey.. He is sceptical of The Beacons but Juliette definitely seems better since their visit - to begin with at least.

This is a story of two parents learning to cope with the loss of a child; however it primarily focuses on Richards views with far too much description/explanation of his work in the field rather than the issue of the story.

An okay read but felt it fell short of the storyline potentials.

After their son, Ewan, died suddenly at the age of five, Richard and Juliette Willoughby’s home is a sad, haunted place. Juliette is convinced that her son is still present in some form, while Richard distracts himself by digging for a legendary oak tree which used to stand in the field opposite the house.

Starve Acre is a very atmospheric, menacing book. Hurley sets the scene very well and the general vagueness and consistent sense of intrigue throughout the story was very effective… for the first quarter. Every time a mysterious reference was dropped, it was explored and explained a few pages later, just before the next one was mentioned. This systematic style of storytelling really detracted from the mystery after a while, because it became very plain that any questions were going to be answered as soon as you had them.

That being said, the overarching mystery of the field and what happened to Ewan took forever to be answered, with all the minor developments taking priority and slowing the plot right down. I got bored before the halfway point, and this isn’t even a long book.

Also, although I was pretty happy that the book wasn’t very long, the ending was way too abrupt for me. I’m sure the intention was for the ending to be the kind that keeps you thinking, because everything couldn’t be fully explained, but to me it just felt like the book wasn’t finished.

Starve Acre has a lot of potential, but fell a bit flat for me.

This book is based around a couple who are grieving after their young son died suddenly. They live in an old house in a small village.

I don't normally read this type of book and thought I would try something different.

It's a well written book and not too long but I found it a bit too weird for my tastes.

I'm still not totally sure what went on, it seems a bit supernatural and I found the last page totally bizarre.

Sadly not for me but if you're interested in supernatural type books than you may enjoy this.