Thank you to Andrew Michael Hurley, John Murray and NetGalley for the ARC of Starve Acre.
This is not my usual read but I was utterly intrigued. I wasnt sure where the story was leading but I allowed it to take me into a gothicy tale of strangeness. Clearly Ewen evoked very mixed feelings from his parents and although Juliette wasnt particularly likeable she wanted to explore his behaviour whereas Richard seemed to think his behaviour was acceptable in a five year old. He was rather an jneffectual personality. The story is laced with traditional village witchery which I love. About seven eigths through Id worked out what was going to happen. I hoped it wouldnt but there you go. She went right ahead and did it. Of course she did!

Andrew Michael Hurley returns with a hauntingly beautiful written novel of a couple shaken by the sudden death of her five year old son.

Juliette and Richard Willoughby were a happily married couple. They moved to a rural Yorkshire village into a house Richard inherited from his parents. Here, they think, or at least Juliette thinks, that this would be a much better environment for their little boy. But soon Richard gets obsessed by digging for the roots of an old tree on the field which belongs to his house. Their son Ewan, at first a lovely boy, begins to show signs of violence and there are some very upsetting events which he caused. He claims that he hears a voice which tells him to do those cruel things. After Ewan’s sudden deaths Juliette is absolutely devastated and can’t let go. An old friend tells her about a woman who can help people in her own special way. Richard is skeptical but wants to try everything to help Juliette with her grief. And indeed after this kind of séance Juliette begins to feel better. But that does not change things for the better after all.

Hurley has a gift for creating atmospheric books. He has a thing for English folklore and in all of his books he weaves some of it into it. I’ve read his two previous books and I liked especially “The Looney”. “Starve Acre” is a bit shorter than the other ones and that is a good thing. He keeps it nice and short here. He is not a master of suspense and his last book “Devil’s Day” was a bit too long and therefore a bit lengthy. Here the story feels just right. There are strange things going on in this little village and especially with Ewan. There are really some goose bump moments.

I am not so happy with the characters. Richard is a very boring guy and Juliette is horrible. Even before Ewan’s death she is an ignorant and controlling woman and Richard seems to have not much to say in their marriage. There is a scene with a psychiatrist in which she acts extremely weird. The story is also very mystical. Not everything is explained. It’s more left for your imagination. The ending is kind of strange and does not give you all the answers. But this is Andrew Michael Hurley’s style. I like the way he writes and creates a different kind of stories. I enjoyed reading this book although it was very strange. But maybe I just liked it because of that.

Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for letting me read this early for a honest review.
This book is a quick read and somewhat dark and I like both these aspects in a book but sadly this book wasn’t really for me, but I think it just wasn’t the right time for me to read it, I didn’t care much for the main characters I felt they were kind of boring and it felt very drawn out at the beginning in the first couple of chapters for me, it definitely did pick up after that and if it was the right time for me I probably would of enjoyed it a lot more because the whole fibe of the book was great and the whole ghost story stuff is my thing so I was a bit sad that I didn’t enjoy it as much as I thought, but nevertheless I am going to give it another read in the few months and may change my opinion on it then. Regardless of my views right now I would definitely recommend it to people that like the genre. I gave this book for now 3 stars.

I loved this book. It is so well-written, and conveys a sense of unease and creepiness from the first page. I was completely drawn in to the unfolding tragedy, and the ending was completely shocking, but wholly appropriate. I would thoroughly recommend this as a great read on a winter night.

Set in the wilds of remote north Yorkshire Starve Acre revolves around the death of a child, so the story is ultimately even bleaker than the location. The first narrative follows the events leading up to the death and the second a few months afterwards. Both are harrowing reads, especially as the death itself dominates both narratives but is described in only the vaguest of terms. On one level the book is a study of the grief felt by Richard and Juliette Willoughby and how they cope with the death of their five-year-old son Ewan. I know, and with good reason, many readers avoid novels which centre upon the deaths of children, but this gripping tale is a powerful study and equal to Andrew Cull’s masterful Remains which was published recently and deals with a similar subject.

This exquisite novel has several layers and like everything Andrew Michael Hurley has written the location is absolutely critical. Richard and Juliette inherited Starve Acre from his parents and although he did not particularly wish to return to his childhood home his wife persuades him to do so and not long afterwards the behaviour of their son Ewan becomes unpredictable, with signs of cruelty, and there is a brooding sense that something is not right. What makes this even more powerful is that the reader knows right from the off about the death of the boy and the book is about the journey to this horrific event and the latter disintegration of the family.

The house resides beside a patch of ground which was used for hangings in previous centuries, where a legendary oak tree once stood, Richard develops an unhealthy interest in, whilst his son is afraid of the area. Developing bad dreams and fear of the dark Ewan claims to hear a man called ‘Jack Grey’ who sounds like a bogeyman from folklore, however, I could not find any reference to him except for as a character in other ghost stories. These sequences simply crackled and the fear was palpable, especially as the reader knows what calamity is around the corner.

Throw in an outstanding séance scene, shocking animal cruelty, Richard and Juliette’s inability to help their child despite his cries for help and isolation at the local primary school and you have an outstanding story. Much of the supernatural element is incredibly subtle and kept very low key and just do not get me started on the hare in the pram. Simply outstanding imagery.

A highly recommended read and the sake of picking up something different I would recommend the Eden Book Society Edition so you can marvel at their efforts to recreate 1972 and introduce ‘Jonathan Buckley’ (deceased 1970 after a heart attack) to an unsuspecting world!

This is the second book I have read by this author (the first being The Loney). Hurley is particularly adept at creating a haunting, Gothic atmosphere; one with strange characters, often displaying odd behaviour against protagonists specifically. Starve Acre is written in a similar vein to Hurley’s first novel but is less focused on the supernatural; instead, he concentrates on the trials of a couple living in a remote part of northern England - and how they deal with the unexplained death of Ewan, their young son. Her husband, Richard, is trying to hold their relationship together, as is Harrie, Juliette’s visiting sister from Edinburgh. Juliette won’t let go of Ewan - his bedroom is a shrine; she sleeps in there for hours on end; she claims she can see and hear him. She is clearly distraught given what has happened to her son.

When Mrs Forde and the Beacons visit to try and resolve the situation (not through a seance, as such, but through some other means), it marks a significant change in Juliette’s behaviour - as does Richard’s creation of a hare from a pile of bones, something that becomes more important later on.

At times, Hurley’s novel is creepy and suggests a horrific past - namely through the frequently mentioned character of John Grey and the history of the field opposite Starve Acre. However, at other times, it seems a little forced - particularly concerning Richard’s hare and how it comes to life. I found this a little too fantastical and it detracted from the haunting loss of Ewan and the impact of this on his parents. Hurley does make links here but they don’t always feel as convincing as I’d have liked.

Starve Acre is a good read and I really enjoyed Hurley’s creation of a family in crisis, alongside the setting of a house that Richard never wanted to return to. It tells readers about the damage a small community can do - but also how powerless people can be when other forces are at play.

This story is about Juliette and Richard. Their son Ewan died suddenly age 5 and they are both grieving for him. Juliette gets convinced that a spiritualist will be able to help her.

I really wanted to love this book and was hoping that this was the one that would provide me with a good scare. Although I loved the isolation and atmospheric setting it just didn’t do much for me. The story was quite slow paced. The grief of both parents came across, i didn’t really feel the horror element as strongly.

Captivating gothic tale set on the remote Yorkshire Moors.

Richard and Juliette try in their separate ways to come to terms with the death of five-year-old son, Ewan. Richard fills his time with practical activity, digging for evidence of the Stythwaite Oak, a gallows-tree, in the field known as Starve Acre. Meanwhile, Juliette seeks solace with The Beacons, an esoteric group of preternaturalists led by the very ordinary looking Mrs Forde.

Starve Acre oozes with gothic atmosphere from the first page. Flashbacks intersperse the present to layer on the mounting dread.

Hurley’s masterful writing makes full use of setting to accentuate the sense of foreboding. His landscapes drip with melancholy and mysticism.

Perfect for long, dark nights.

Thanks to Net Galley and publisher John Murray for the ARC.

Starve Acre is a slow-burning horror, a creepy if slightly underwhelming winter read.

While there are clear gothic motifs, and I enjoyed the unique twist of the ending, I have to admit I didn't find Starve Acre particularly chilling or atmospheric. The opening was almost painfully slow, and the pace picked up so suddenly towards the denouement that it was jarring.

The depiction of grief was much more effective, as were the unsettling descriptions of Ewan's inexplicable behaviour. However, I struggled to connect fully with any of the characters - Juliette's voice was a noticeable omission. There were a few wonderfully startling visuals, and a couple of beautifully tense scenes, but the tension wasn't sustained, even over the course of such a short novel.

A strange, imperfectly-paced story, Starve Acre only really lives up to its premise as the narrative unravels in the final pages.

Starve Acre is an unsettling novel, soaked in grief and an overwhelming sense of isolation, both geographical and psychological. There’s a huge folk horror vibe (which i adore) with a real sense of place and the challenges of being an “outsider” in an isolated community, and strange, inexplicable events linked to the barren earth. Starve Acre meshes all this together with a family tearing itself apart - the domestic and the other worldly are intrinsically linked.

Hurley writes so well about the isolated parts of England, the cultures and communities that exist in places that are apart from most of modern life. A perfect read for a bleak day by the Yorkshire moors...

Short but thrilling!

Starve Acre is slightly different from the books I normally read but I found myself loving it! The writing style is so beautifully gothic I’m disappointed it wasn’t longer! I found myself reading this by firelight on a rainy Autumn evening and it just felt perfect. I had chills and thrills...you can’t ask for more!

There was a few bits I just didn’t “get” but definitely give Starve Acre a read. I promise you won’t regret it.

Short but creepy and unsettling this folk lore based book left me jumpy. It touches the darkest fears of parents and some of the things you think you would do or try in the face of such a huge loss.

An easy dark read

This is short and easy to read. It took me a while to understand what was going on as the story was told in hints and suggestions rather than directly. It was creepy and not my sort of thing at all but it was well told in the Victorian Gothic style of horror. Although rather gruesome I did not find it scary.

This short novel can be read in an evening and is a brilliant read for the long, dark nights. It concerns a family under extreme stress. Their son has died aged five. Through present day, and past recollection, we piece together some of the history of this field where once there grew an enormous oak tree. The author builds the tension up over time and it’s a book that makes you uncomfortable. I really enjoyed it and would recommend it.

Until I read some reviews of this book I had never heard of the folk horror genre, but that sums up this tale well. An unsettling combination of folk lore, superstition, village gossip, a woman in touch with the dead, a resurrected hare and a couple grieving following the death of their 5 year old son - who maybe wasn't the innocent child one thinks of at that age. Prepare to be chilled and read with the lights on
Thank you to netgalley and John Murray Press for an advance copy of this book.

This is a darkly chilling book. As you read it, you feel an overwhelming sense of menace and malevolence making it an uncomfortable read.

Richard and Juliette are grieving parents, trying to navigate their emotions after the death of their son, Ewan. Juliette is deeply unhappy and trying desperately to cling to any sign of her son. Richard throws himself into work, trying to support his wife as best he can.

Add in some paranormal activity, disturbing flashbacks and increasingly tense conversations and you have this atmospheric and gloomy tale.

Not my usual genre, but very much enjoyed. Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for my copy of this book.

This is one of the most chilling novellas I have ever read. No jump-scares, no overwritten horror, just a creeping sense of Other seeping through the walls of Starve Acre, the house inherited by Richard Willoughby and where his wife Juliette insisted they move to and start a family.
The nearby village has never accepted the family, but is that more to do with the barren field by the house where nothing thrives, nothing lives, that even earthworms skirt around? Richard’s almost obsessive hobby is to unearth the tree used as the village’s gallows in the past, spurred on by his father’s haphazard collection of local history including woodcuttings of the gallows tree in grim action. Due to the death of their young son, Ewan, he pursues this task while his wife mourns in the unchanged bedroom of their lost little boy, refusing all help and support from extended family. Even her brisk sister, Harrie, herself a survivor of brutal domestic violence (so equipped with the knowledge and skills to overcome personal tragedy) cannot break through the carapace of sadness Juliette has grown.
Through the story we learn more about Ewan and our pity at his early death transforms into an awful, guilty sort of relief. This was not a happy, stable or kind child. Was he even a child at all when he did those things?
Psychic Mrs Forde and her Beacons hold a ceremony intended to put the soul of Ewan to rest, but what seems to be a positive outcome at first soon sets in motion a terrifying melding of last and future. Jack Grey will have his prize.
Perfect for fans of the understatedly uncanny and folk horror. I won’t look at those cosy Yorkshire houses set slightly apart from the rest of their village in quite the same way again.

Thanks to John Murray Press and NetGalley for an early copy of Starve Acre.

This short book packs a real punch; I was completely drawn in from the first few pages. I did not know more than the blurb when starting the book and I am glad of it as it allowed the story to unfold during the reading process and for me to approach the piece with no additional knowledge.

Hurley has a wonderful way with words and beautifully portrays the barren landscape and the questions these gothic scenes can unearth.

Safe to say I really enjoyed reading this and would highly recommend. Starve Acre is the perfect winter read and I will definitely be buying a few copies for my friends.

4/5

A short novel but an impressive one.

Richard and Juliette are grieving for their dead son Ewan in Richard's parent old home in a village. The story is told in the third person from Richard's perspective. While Juliette is convinced that Ewan is still around despite being dead, Richard throws himself into first work and then a project started by his father to uncover the remains of a mythical oak that once stood in the family's land.

While Juliette invites a group called the beacons to help her with her mourning, Richard remains the pragmatist and refuses to believe they can help despite facing inexplicable himself.

The story flashes back to Richard's time with Ewan, the joy they shared together and the difficulties as he seemed to change from a happy boy into someone morose and unpredictable.

Local superstition and mystery play heavily throughout the book leading to a deliciously chilling conclusion..

This is certainly a weird book; it reads as a contemporary tale focused on grief but with a distinctly gothic horror tone running through it. From the moment you are introduced to the Willoughby family, you are made aware that they have relatively recently lost their young son, Ewan. So you are entering a home still in the throes of a deep grief. Hurley's writing depicts this beautifully, even when he is depicting the landscape of Starve Acre - it all seems to tie back into that sense of loss and bereft helplessness. His writing is vivid and focuses far more on descriptive passages than I usually find interesting in a novel but it certainly serves to paint a picture of this bleak and unforgiving landscape that they are residing in.

Told through a series of juxtaposing trips through the past and the present, Hurley manages to bring the young Ewan, with all his troubled and disturbing manners, to life. This is important, as it could easily have revolved around a child you never know and have lost the emotional impact. The style also allows for a build up of tension throughout both aspects of the book; for whilst you are aware that Ewan has died, you are not told how, why or when. When combined with the undeniably creepy tone of the present, and the trips back into the history of Starve Acre and the legendary Stythwaite Oak that Richard is so obsessed with mapping the roots of, you get a tense and fraught novel.

Whilst it's quite a short read, it also packs quite an emotional punch and I found each of the varying tales threaded throughout were fascinating in their own way. The long gone past with the wood cuts Richard unearths in his father's library depicting the Stythwaite Oak in its hey day but also the scene of three boys hanging is tentative and fascinating by how oblique it is. The vagaries of the past are unearthed but never fully understood all these years later. The present day with the supernatural twists around the corner and the depiction of how grief can dig it's claws deeply has a faster pace, but still lingers on unexplainable moments. The relationships are impressively sculpted, the degrees of love, exasperation and concern unravelling around the characters, balanced perfectly with the conflict between the sceptic and the believer, each believing the other to be wrong or even actively ill. The flashbacks to Ewan's childhood get very dark, very quickly and everything intricately ties back to the mystery of Starve Acre.

This is a clever exploration of folk lore, of parenting, of relationships and of loss. It's unnerving and yet whilst it certainly hovers on the edge of horror, it never takes the full plunge. The places throughout are made exceptionally real, and you can envision the small village atmosphere and politics. It's well written, and leaves you with a number of questions hanging over your head as you finish the last page. I flew through it quickly and whilst it didn't hook me, it certainly had me intrigued until the last page. If you enjoy slow burning, realistic gothic horror then this is certainly one to look out for.