Withered Hill by David BarnettMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
This was SO GOOD. Very eerie!
The plot follows Sophie, who finds herself naked and scratched up, with no memory of who she is, nor how she came to be in the unusual town she finds herself in.
From the get-go, I had no clue what was going on and loved every second of it. The people of Withered Hill are completely nuts, but at the same time there's a sad logic to the way they behave and the choices they make. Even their bizarre rituals make their own kind of sense.
The grey morality of this book was my favourite aspect - questionable things are done that have a clear logic, making the reader question who is really in the wrong. At the same time, there is a real menace over the town, creating an atmosphere that will make your skin crawl.
The book alternates between 'Inside' and 'Outside', so we witness the days leading up to Sophie's entry to Withered Hill, which are equally menacing. I really enjoyed the contrast, and followed events in each section with rapt attention.
I did enjoy the ending, but it felt a little heavy-handed on the exposition. Honestly, the way it wrapped up was mostly perfect but I still want MORE.
This was easy to devour, and is the perfect book to snag for Halloween season. It's an extraordinary blend of horror, thriller and mystery, with a fast pace and some clever considerations.
Highly recommend for horror fans!
With thanks to NetGalley for an ARC
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