a spooky, gothic tale with a hint of madness. this one moved very slow, however, and while ada was a very compelling narrator, it sometimes felt like there were too many secondary characters to keep track of with their corresponding arcs, and therefore got a bit muddled. the description and ambience were top-notch, though.

What a delicious slow burn. It had so many elements I adore—set in Canada, historical/literary fiction, strong “good for her” vibes, and great LGBTQ+ representation. I went in with high hopes, and I’m happy to say they were definitely met!

Written in epistolary format—something I always appreciate—we get to delve into the main character's experience as she moves to a new town to become a school teacher. While there are some horror elements, it is definitely more literary fiction leaning heavily into female rage. I could relate to a lot of what Gish explored through Ada.

Gish’s writing was also so perfect for this. There was an eerie understated element to it, and it suited the setting beautifully. It’s such a great sign when someone’s debut is this well done. I’m excited to see what else Gish has in store for us.

"Grey Dog" by Elliott Gish is a poignant and beautifully crafted coming-of-age story that explores themes of identity, friendship, and the complexities of growing up. The narrative centers around a young protagonist navigating the trials of adolescence in a world that often feels unforgiving. Gish's writing is both evocative and accessible, capturing the emotional turmoil and triumphs of youth with remarkable authenticity.

The characters are vividly drawn, each contributing to a rich tapestry of experiences that resonate deeply with readers. The bond between the protagonist and the titular Grey Dog serves as a powerful metaphor for loyalty and companionship, adding an extra layer of depth to the narrative. Gish masterfully balances moments of introspection with heartfelt dialogue, making the story both relatable and engaging.

Overall, "Grey Dog" is a touching exploration of the journey toward self-discovery, filled with moments of humor and heartache. It’s a compelling read that will resonate with anyone who has ever felt out of place or sought to find their voice. Highly recommended for fans of character-driven stories!

This was a true slow burn narrative: Gish's prose offered no clues as to what secrets Ada Byrd was running away from with her new teaching post. I felt at times this made the story difficult to stick with, but it was a promising debut of sapphic Gothic horror. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this work.

vivid! beautiful prose! unsettling! the exposition was so expertly written that I really felt as though I knew how every part of the village and each character looked and acted. I love spooky journal entries now.

Thank you NetGalley and ECW Press for an eARC of "Grey Dog" by Elliott Gish in exchange for an honest review. Wow, I was not expecting to love this book as much as I did. It's a perfect concoction of horror, historical fiction, queer, and gothic lit. The cover is what drew me in at first, and I absolutely fell in love with the writing style and the premise. A gorgeous sapphic story that I would recommend to anyone who loves a slowburn. I cannot wait to one day own it to show it off on my shelf!

“‘Every town needs its witch, doesn’t it? Someone to whisper about in the dark?'”


Elliott Gish’s Grey Dog is a masterwork of feminist horror that uses its historical setting alongside the barbed edges of its subject as an incisive tool for social critique. The novel is also unapologetically queer, both in the sense of bringing a radical lens to its view of past and present, and in terms of its authorship and characters. Reminiscent at turns of Ottessa Moshfegh’s unapologetic approach to themes related to womanhood and mental illness, and with a dash of Lars von Trier’s Antichrist about its more fevered Nature scenes, the novel should appeal to readers of the emergent pink horror subgenre. Like Gish’s Grey Dog, other pink horror works focus on themes of women’s liberation and rage expressed through a horror lens. An emphasis on feminist themes isn’t all Grey Dog has to offer, however; fans of folk horror longing for something that goes beyond a simple Wicker Man copycat will also find much to love in the texture and ambiguity of Gish’s storytelling.

On the surface, Grey Dog‘s premise is simple: a disgraced schoolteacher named Ada Byrd is assigned to a remote maritime community where she struggles to fit in. As the novel progresses, Ada experiences a kind of mental unravelling that involves hallucinations (or visions) brought on by the titular Grey Dog–a kind of spirit of the wilderness, or so it would appear. The (un)reality of Ada’s experiences is questioned continuously throughout the book, not only by Ada, but by the villagers of Lowry Bridge. As Ada is enticed deeper into the forest (literally and metaphorically), the more she is treated with suspicion and contempt by those around her. Still more worrying, perhaps, is that the Grey Dog’s desires are anything but clear: is it an ally or an enemy? Does it wish Ada dead? Can it be said to wish anything at all, or is it a fantasy brought on by Ada’s isolation?

Ada’s experiences in Lowry Bridge are recounted through a meticulously kept journal that hints from the start that there is more to her history than it would first appear. The gradual unfolding of the twists and turns at the heart of the book is so carefully constructed that hinting at the answers would ruin the experience Gish has so thoughtfully crafted. All the same, it’s worth stating that the trauma lodged at the book’s thematic centre manages to surprise while still throbbing with a painful sense of inevitability. Outside the surreal, oneiric nature of Ada’s hauntings, there is a stark realism to the circumstances that led to her assignment in Lowry Bridge–a realism that attends both to the history of women’s oppression and to ongoing issues surrounding autonomy, abuse, and conformity.

For all that Ada is a lonely figure, however, Grey Dog is populated by a rich cast of characters, some distasteful, some loveable, and many pitiable. Sorrow pervades the text, with glimmers of joy sprinkled throughout almost to underscore the bleakness of the villagers’ lives.

This is not to say that Grey Dog will sink you into a deep depression. There’s an incisive humour to Ada’s observations that undercuts the horror of her circumstances, and the gripping plot means that though the words and ideas stay with you, the compulsion to read further doesn’t give you time to wallow. The ongoing mysteries and steady pace of the writing easily captivated me, while Ada’s defiance in the face of social obligation and expectation more often fired me up than they did depress. While Ada herself can be a thorny, troublesome character to pin down (for the supporting cast as much as the reader), the anxieties simmering beneath her story ring true and hit hard. You might want her to make slightly different choices, yet you can’t help but applaud her when she comits to a more challenging (if violent) path. It isn’t just about what Ada does in a literal sense, but about the symbolism of those choices on a grander scale.

In the wake of a number of recent film and book releases in the popularly-named “good for her” subgenre, I’ve grown quite jaded about how these stories are told and how much they actually have to say. It can often feel as though all a book (or, more often, a movie) has to do to earn a “feminist” classification is feature a closing shot of its female character growling at the screen while covered in blood. It’s not that every story that ends this way is bad, but that the emotions behind these scenes begin to feel dishonest, the story beat becoming just another scene to check off on a series of popular tropes.

Gish avoids these pitfalls, or did for me. Though visceral, Grey Dog’s constant questioning of Ada’s rightness helps cast both her and the narrative in an uneasy light. This isn’t a work that offers easy, pat answers, nor does it reassure. Rather, the text retains a jaggedness that reflects something more challenging but also more authentic to human struggle. Gish achieves this in no small part through her prose, which displays a poetic restraint at the same time that it paints a vivid picture of its setting and of Ada’s fragile and feverish mental state. Because Gish knows when to hold back, the novel’s most powerful moments really sing.

Along with Grey Dog‘s themes of Otherness as it relates to community and ostrasization, is its emphasis on both wilderness and wildness. The woods surrounding Lowry Bridge, and into which Ada often retreats, are a character all their own. The realm of the Grey Dog, the forest is both a haven and a harbinger of Ada’s ultimate inability to reconcile her freedom, desires, and nature with the expectations of human society. While a lesser work might link some bioessentialist understanding of womanhood as somehow more “in tune” with Nature, however, Gish instead uses the intimate (and often terrifying) connection Ada has with the wilderness to comment on the ways in which female wildness (unlike the rapacious wildness expressed by many of the men around her), is denied in her social context. It is this denial, it seems to me, against which Ada comes into conflict the most.

Although there’s a profound intelligence to Grey Dog it remained a page-turner for me throughout, its most powerful moments thrumming across my skin and and given all the more force for the quieter (but no less tense) interludes that sustain the story.

Check this one out if you love queer horror, historical horror, or stories where the narrator isn’t unreliable as a gimmick so much as the text reveals the unreliabilty of all narrations.

'Grey Dog' by Elliott Gish is a gripping and imaginative tale that blends Gothic horror with a rich, atmospheric setting. The story follows a unique protagonist in a world that’s both eerie and enchanting. Gish’s writing is immersive and evocative, drawing readers into a narrative full of intrigue and suspense. With its compelling characters and unexpected twists, this book offers a fresh and thrilling escape into a realm of pure female rage where every page promises something new. If you’re into dark, atmospheric stories, this one’s a must-read!

I love love love historical horror! Add in some gay? Where could you go wrong! This novel gave me everything and more than I expected. While I don't read this genre combination regularly, when the mood strikes I devour it like I did this book. Gish just has a captivating voice in this that I didn't quite expect. It's slow and eerie and gradual but I was never once bored or deterred, where Ada went I was sure to follow. The power of this novel, like many books that fall into this genre purview, it not necessarily for shock and awe, but in its subtlety. As many of us know, the horror of reality is far greater than any that can be imagined.

Really enjoyed the historical chritsian setting in this book. The vibes were there, the horror was there... I rated this one a 3.5 overall.

This book is wonderfully unnerving, using tropes of various genres to build towards a strange and compelling narrative. The way this book unfurls is wild and funny, and I enjoyed its playfulness.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced copy of this book, in exchange for an honest review.

The prose of this novel really caught me by surprise and stole my heart. Absolutely breathtaking. I immediately started telling everyone to read this immediately and I wish I started it sooner! I cannot wait to read more from Elliot Gish. This is my IDEAL type of horror!

It’s 1901 and Ada Byrd arrives as the teacher in a new town. She is haunted by events of her past and is eager to assimilate, however, strange occurrences keep her on edge as she begins to learn more about the true nature of the town and its inhabitants.

This was an incredibly slow burn, a bit too slow for me, I think. It did seem to be heading in a particular direction but ultimately pivoted to something else entirely and I was pleasantly surprised by the true horror of how the story unfolded. Truly feminist historical horror.

I love a creepy historical novel, and this one delivers! The way the setting is built so richly, between the writing style, the back story, and the deep description; it really feels like you're reading a woman's diary from that period. If you like historical horror with complex women protagonists, give this one a read!

This book was an interesting read. I found it rather slow up until the very end in the terms of the thriller aspect but the book was a very good read in regards to everything else. The characters, the backstory & metaphors were so well thoughtout, I really admired the authors writing and their way of slowly unfolding a story (perhaps too slowly?) .

thank you to netgalley, the publisher, and elliott gish for the advanced reader copy of "grey dog". wowow, this was unique! i usually do not read historical fiction as it does not maintain my attention and intrigue, but the premise drew me in. i will say that, like many historical fiction stories, this is definitely a slow burn. this made me lower myrating, because i prefer the pacing to amp up just a bit quicker. however, what made up for the pacing was the prose. my goodness, the PROSE! example: "I am not a place where nature can be weeded and tamed and kept in order. I am tree roots – and dark hollows – and ancient moss – and the cry of the owls. I am not a thing that you can shape, not anymore. I am no garden, but the woods, and if you ever come near me again, every but of wilderness in me will rise up to bite you. I will tear your throat out with my teeth." say what you want, but gish knows how to write exquisitely.

What a wonderful, creepy, witchy gothic read! The feminine range/going mad/unnatural woman in that era vibes were on point! This was a slow born horror but in the best way!

A historical horror novel about a teacher in an isolated area.

I think that it took a while for this to build, which is not my preference for a horror novel. It didn't really draw me in because it was such a slow burn.

https://www.washingtonsquarereview.com/online-exclusives/2024/7/1/grey-dog-by-elliot-gish-review-by-stephanie-trott

I’m torn about my feelings towards this book even after taking time to think it over after finishing it. I loved that it was told through journal entries and was so excited that it was a queer horror taking place in the early 1900’s. In the end I was shocked that it took take me a month to get through. So much of it dragged on and I found that I had to force myself to keep picking it up. I strongly feel that this would have benefited from being a short story. I would recommend to someone who was into period pieces, stories told through journal entries, unreliable narrators, or atmospheric slowburns.