May 16, 2022
Both ancient history and the recent past trouble a tiny island off the western coast of Scotland in this meticulously plotted, if perhaps slightly overworked, tale of perseverance in the face of hardship and horror from Fletcher (A Boy and His Dog at the End of the World). While many of the remote island’s residents come from families that have lived there for generations, others have chosen the island in hopes of escaping painful pasts. Young widow Sig is a blend of both: she and her husband moved to the island because he grew up there, and after his death, Sig appreciates the isolation the island provides. When a music festival draws half of the residents away, Sig is among the disparate and detached people left behind, a group that’s forced to work together when communication with the outside world is cut off and some residents begin manifesting mysterious and terrifying symptoms of an unknown infection. Fletcher creates a sharply observed and finely crafted environment, but the setup begins to feel tedious long before the significance of each painstakingly established detail is revealed. However, once those revelations begin, the novel becomes a taut thriller, the tension and horror of which are inextricably linked to the seemingly rambling foundation. The end result—for readers who make it that far—is thoroughly satisfying. Agent: Karolina Sutton, Curtis Brown Group. (July).Correction: An earlier version of this review misstated the book's title.
December 1, 2022
Fletcher's (A Boy and His Dog at the End of the World) latest is a folk horror tale that never quite hits its stride. The book takes place on a remote island on the edge of the Northern Atlantic. The residents of this island, many of whom have lived and worked here all their lives, slowly succumb to an ancient curse that spreads like a virus. Cut off from the mainland, a band of survivors (including widowed scientist Sig, her niece Evie, and fisherman Matt) must escape from those they once called friends before this curse drowns them as well. The book has a large cast of characters, all given distinct voices and accents by narrator Siobhan Redmond, but their individual stories are a lot for a reader to wade through. These different tangents and multiple story lines, not to mention the narrative of how this curse was born hundreds of years ago, hinder the creeping dread that typically marks tales of curses. VERDICT The story eventually turns into a taut survival horror, but it is a long slog before listeners get there. An optional purchase for most libraries.--James Gardner
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