Starve Acre
A Novel
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- $13.99
Publisher Description
"An impeccable work of folk horror" -- Irish Times
An atmospheric and unsettling story of the depths of grief found in an ancient farm in northern England—now a major motion picture starring Matt Smith and Morfydd Clark.
The worst thing possible has happened. Richard and Juliette Willoughby's son, Ewan, has died suddenly at the age of five. Starve Acre, their house by the moors, was to be full of life, but is now a haunted place. Convinced Ewan still lives there in some form, Juliette seeks the help of the Beacons, a seemingly benevolent group of occultists. Richard, to try and keep the boy out of his mind, has turned his attention to the field opposite the house, where he patiently digs the barren dirt in search of a legendary oak tree. But as they delve further into their grief, both uncover more than they set out to.
Starve Acre is a devastating novel by the author of the prize-winning bestseller The Loney. It is a novel about the way in which grief splits the world in two and how, in searching for hope, we can so easily unearth horror.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In this meditative, dread-filled novel from Hurley (The Loney), the lives of bereaved parents Juliette and Richard Willoughby become increasingly bizarre as they attempt to process the death of their five-year-old son, Ewan. On their remote estate, Starve Acre, on the British moors, Richard takes to digging endlessly in the fields for animal bones and mysterious tree roots, while Juliette consults a group of local mystics called the Beacons. After the Beacons perform a spiritual ritual (which they insist is "not a fucking séance") at Starve Acre, questions surrounding the last days of Ewan's life arise and mix with the specter of a local folkloric boogeyman—an eldritch presence buried beneath the soil of Starve Acre itself—making it ever more difficult for Juliette and Richard to hold onto the truth. Hurley has a slow and steady hand in establishing a gloomy, nearly gothic atmosphere, allowing his characters' grief room to breathe even as he tightens the noose in ways readers won't see coming until the chilling and memorable conclusion. This is folk horror that knows how to take its time. Fans of T. Kingfisher and Francine Toon will find a lot to love.
