A lot of novels have been published recently dealing with the subject of witchcraft and witch trials, but The Hounding – Xenobe Purvis’ debut – is something different. Set in 18th century Oxfordshire, after the fervour for witch hunting has largely died down, it explores the dangers of being different in a small community where superstition is rife.

The five Mansfield sisters, who live with their blind grandfather on his farm, have become the subject of gossip in the village of Little Nettlebed. Their grandmother has recently died and the sisters are in mourning, but it seems that people have little sympathy for them. The Mansfields have always been seen as odd by the other villagers and since their grandmother’s death, a rumour has begun to spread that the girls have the power to turn themselves into dogs.

It’s Pete Darling, the drunken, misogynistic ferryman who starts the rumour after one of the girls refuses to speak to him, causing him to feel disrespected. As a summer heatwave descends on the village and the river begins to dry up, Pete’s trade is affected, giving him less to occupy his days and more time to drink. When he sees what he believes are the Mansfield sisters undergoing a strange transformation, it’s not quite clear what has actually happened. Has Pete had some kind of hallucination brought on by heat and alcohol? Is his own dislike of the girls causing him to see what he wants to see and conveniently giving him a way to punish them? Or are the sisters really turning into dogs in front of his eyes? Sadly, the girls are not popular in the village and other people are easily convinced that Pete’s story is true.

From calm, serious Anne, the eldest, down to little Mary, a solemn six-year-old – and in between pretty Elizabeth, shy, timid Grace and tomboyish Hester – the girls share a close bond and keep themselves to themselves, which leads to them being viewed as arrogant and unwelcoming. To Farmer Mansfield, however, they are his beloved granddaughters and he just wants them to be happy and safe. Other characters in the book also have their own views of the girls and these include newcomer Thomas Mildmay, who has been hired to help with the haymaking on the farm; the innkeeper’s wife, Temperance Shirly; and two local boys, Robin and Richard Wildgoose. The perspective we never really get is that of the sisters themselves, but seeing them through the eyes of others helps us to build up a picture of who the sisters really are and what they are like.

I found this a very atmospheric book; Purvis successfully creates a tense, almost claustrophobic feel through her descriptions of the relentless hot, dry weather and the small-mindedness of the villagers. A mixture of superstition, prejudice and fear of things they don’t understand makes the people of Little Nettlebed ready to think the worst of the Mansfield sisters and the girls don’t really do much to dispel these misconceptions because they do behave increasingly oddly when other people are around – almost as if becoming a dog is a safer option than being seen as different. I really enjoyed this fascinating and unusual novel!

Set in eighteenth century England, this story of five sisters who are rumoured to transform into hounds, has plenty of suspense, superstition and mystery. Although the author has succeeded in conveying the claustrophobic tension of a stiflingly hot summer and has presented the reader with a cast of creepy characters, including a perpetually drunk misogynistic ferryman, there isn’t much complexity or tension in the storyline and no clear protagonist to root for.

Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Spooky goings on in eighteenth century Oxfordshire - an isolated village, a drought and 5 unusual girls. A tale of misunderstanding, irrational fears and the power of gossip. What is so wrong with being different?

I really enjoyed this book!!! For some odd reason it reminded me of little women, even though the 2 books are poles apart but anyways I really liked reading it; the characters were well fleshed out, the writing was beautiful and thankfully the pacing wasn't too slow

I saw another review which said hat if this had been written a hundred years ago, it'd be a classic now. The Hounding tells a slow, winding story of a group of sisters. The villagers say they turn into dogs. Their guardian, their grandfather, says they're free spirited but grieving. But what's true?

It's a creepy tale as much about the inner thoughts of the men of the village as it is about the girls.

Definitely one to read! Thank you for the eARC.

Thought this story showed an intriguing insight into the superstitious nature of the people of the time. An unhappy ferryman with a misogynistic streak initiates rumours relating to five sisters who live on their grandfather’s farm. When chickens and livestock are found dead and strange barking noises are heard suspicions become centred upon the girls. The characters were well drawn and I was hoping for a revealing conclusion. However, it appeared that the writer couldn’t think of one and so the story became utterly pointless. Very disappointing.

A story about how dangerous it could be just to be different. The five Mansfield girls in their claustrophobic Oxfordshire village know of it, gossip being fuelled by superstition, by misogyny or past grievances.
Whilst the oppressiveness of that summer’s events is presented with atmospheric clarity, the plot dragged towards the end and I found myself skim-reading.

I really enjoyed this. It was eery, dark and surprising. Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this.

The Virgin Suicides meets Cursed Bread, The Hounding is a visceral and consuming fever dream of a book. The writing has a heady, timeless quality, proving that misogyny is, of course, everywhere at every time (and that cover is *chef's kiss*).

Dogs, girls and their emergence as one entity, consists the body of this novel, a very mindful cover.

That cover just blew me away for starters. The novel is a fever dream and it's creepy and weird but what a fascinating world! Couldn't keep my eyes off things. It's a very compelling read.

This is a story of scapegoating and liberation - usually the trope of witchcraft is used in stories like this, here it's that the women can turn into dogs.

The writing isn't strong enough to carry what is a familiar and predictable tale, and though the claustrophobia of the village is pertinent, there isn't a strong sense of history here.

⭐️ 5 Stars ⭐️

A haunting and beguiling debut that immerses readers in the eerie atmosphere of 18th-century England. Set in the secluded village of Little Nettlebed, the narrative revolves around the five Mansfield sisters, who become the subject of an unsettling rumour suggesting they can transform into dogs.

The story unfolds through the perspectives of some of the villagers—the local ferryman, a barmaid, and two young labourers—each offering a unique lens into the escalating tension. The absence of the sisters' own voices in the narrative feeds the rumours about their transformations and causes even the reader to question their humanity at points. Their identities are shaped entirely by gossip with only the perspective of their aging blind grandfather there to humanise them.

The title, The Hounding, cleverly encapsulates both the literal and metaphorical pursuits within the story, suggesting not only the alleged transformations but also the relentless scrutiny and persecution faced by those who dare to be different. The novel's exploration of societal aversion to difference and the consequences of mass hysteria feels both timeless and relevant.

I predict that this will be my favouite read of 2025. By the time its released in August, maybe I will be able to decide, is it safer to be a dog, or an unusual girl.

You should read this book if you like:
+ Unreliable Narrators 📖
+ Beautiful Prose 🐶
+ Unusual books about women 👧

I received an advance review copy for free via NetGalley. I am leaving this review voluntarily 📚.

This is a strange book to review. It’s well written and really evokes the heat and claustrophobic atmosphere of summer and small-village life. The five sisters at the heart of the book live with their almost blind grandfather on the outskirts of the village. Gossip and innuendo are rife and the girls are accused of shape-shifting into dogs. There are several inconsistencies throughout the novel and there were many questions which weren’t really answered, however the story pulled me on to the very end to find out how everything would be resolved. Sadly it felt like the author had run out of ideas by the end and I found the ending rushed and strange.

A strange but beautifully written book, The Hounding keeps the attention with it's great characterisation and atmosphere.

As the river dries up and thirsts grow, five girls who live with their grandfather are hounded by villagers one summer in Oxfordshire. Rumours, started by the ferryman whose trade is failing, hint that these unusual girls are capable of shapeshifting and becoming dogs. In the oppressive heat, mirages can occur and people are quick to believe outrageous suggestions. But what is true and what is not is as clouded as Grandfather's sight.

Sometimes it's dangerous to be different.

Disturbing but compelling.

I've read a few novels with this sort of story and genre, and this didn't feel very original or different to what's already out there. Same themes, same sort of story. An OK read but didn't overly catch my attention.

In eighteenth century England, five young sisters brought up by their grandparents are mourning the loss of their grandmother. The villagers find them strange, and one villager in particular, ferryman Pete Darling, is offended by their independence and disdain of him. He's prone to visions (probably due to drunkenness) and begins to say that he's seen the girls turn into dogs. Over a long, hot summer, events escalate and tragedy ensues.
This was one of those stories that has a feyness and other-worldiness about it that is never resolved - you can believe the girls can turn into dogs, or you can see it as an allegory for their response to the way they are looked on with superstition and fear by simple villagers. Even the most doughty and sensible of them - Temperance, the publican's wife; Robin, the farm lad; Thomas, their grandfather's righthand man; and their grandfather himself, do not know what to make of the girls.
The story definitely has an air of The Virgin Suicides, with the girls observed through others' eyes - the reader never actually gets an insight into their own thoughts, adding to the air of mystique which pervades the narrative.
A thought-provoking and engaging story, this leaves us questioning once again the role of the patriarchy in keeping women in their place, and reminds us that - thankfully - it is not always possible. Though women will always pay the price for their independence.
I was particularly struck by the title. The Hounding may suggest the girls' metamorphoses into dogs, but equally it suggests a witch hunt, with all the menace and danger that ensues for innocenet people who dare to be different from the their neighbours.

A story surrounding the mysteries and lives of the folk in a small village, Little Nettlebed Oxfordshire, in the 18th century, particularly Pete Darling, the ferryman, pub landlady Temperance, young local lads Richard and Robin, Thomas the new farmhand, and the five Mansfield sisters, orphans living with their grandfather Joseph on his farm. Told from the perspectives of these villagers, stories abound over the way the girls conduct themselves and they come under close scrutiny. When strange events start happening everyone is on high alert. With the witch trials in the not so distant past, some have long memories.

From the blurb this sounded a such a good read, and the opening chapters certainly backed this up. The isolation of the area, plus the lives of the villagers was well written, with the beliefs of the time very much at the core of the book. Oppressive and suffocating, life in a small community means everyone has an opinion and tall tales soon spread as gospel.

Well written and atmospheric, this should have been a captivating read, but I needed more depth of characters rather than so many POV.

A good debut.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House UK, Cornerstone.

I really like this book a lot. It The setting of it and the premise isn't completely original, young women hundreds of years ago being mistrusted because they are a little unusual, confident, assertive, independent etc, and the local people or officials set out to 'hound' them. In this case though, you never quite know the real truth of the matter and whether the 5 girls involved are actually turning into vicious dogs at will, or it's just a nasty rumour. It's a time of rumour, superstition, hallucination and unmet and misunderstood desires, festering in the heat of an English summer, where it's clear that someone will die by the end once events reach their climax. The 5 girls have been brought up by their grandmother after their mother died in childbirth and the asides are interesting in this area of female experience. There's a funeral of a woman who died in childbirth described in detail, that really struck me, where the pallbearers forced to carry the coffin are all pregnant women themselves, one sobbing, as a reminder of what their fate might be. I assumed that this was a documented piece of research that went into the scene, but whether it was or not, it's entirely believable that it happened and that's partly due to the careful, spare description, never overblown or cliched, which convinces the reader. It was a good read, and I wanted to know what happened eventually to the 5 girls, I wanted more...

3.5 ⭐

I think we've all read this book before, young females, doesn't conform to the norm, so probably something wrong with her.
Surprisingly this time it's not a witch though, but a dog.
The five sisters are accused of turning into dogs.
Small village life has a lot to answer for where rumours getting out of hand are concerned.
A good multiple pov story, that did have me wondering a few time, who was telling the truth.