In the Night Wood
As seen:
By Dale Bailey, and and, John Banks
avg rating
1 review
A FOREST. A BOOK. A MISSING GIRL.
NOMINATED FOR THE WORLD FANTASY AWARD AND THE SHIRLEY JACKSON AWARD FOR BEST NOVEL BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR – TOR.COM Charles Hayden has been fascinated by a strange Victorian fairy tale, In the Night Wood, since he was a child. When his wife, Erin – a descendant of the author – inherits her ancestor’s house, the couple decide to make it their home. Still mourning the recent death of their daughter, they leave America behind, seeking a new beginning in the English countryside. But Hollow House, filled with secrets and surrounded by an ancient oak forest, is a place where the past seems very much alive. Isolated among the trees, Charles and Erin begin to feel themselves haunted – by echoes of the stories in the house’s library, by sightings of their daughter, and by something else, as old and dark as the forest around them. A compelling and atmospheric gothic thriller, In the Night Wood reveals the chilling power of myth and memory. TweetReviews
Macclesfield Library Reading Group
In the Night Wood by Dale Bailey
We have rated three stars as our groups were very split in opinion!
Thank you to The Reading Agency and Harper Voyager Books for providing Macclesfield Library Reading Group with copies of In the Night Wood by Dale Bailey for us to read and review. Differing opinions on the book sparked an incredibly interesting conversation during our meeting.
Monday Night Book Group:
“I enjoyed the book’s ultimate message of hope and light at the end of the tunnel after suffering a bereavement”
“The author’s style of writing was inconsistent; occasionally brilliant but sometimes a bit clunky”
“The description of the main characters’ marriage falling apart was very well written”
“Sadly the book’s Gothic setting was never fully capitalised upon”
“I disliked the main character’s treatment of his wife following their bereavement – he appears to leave her alone to slide further into addiction and this seems heartless and cruel”
“Disappointing - I expected more of a horror story with a plot that kept me guessing”
Thursday Night Book Group:
‘Loved it! Thoroughly enjoyed the style of writing-very similar in style to Shirley Jackson. Loved the suspense and anticipation in the book and the reveal at the end. I enjoyed the folkloric qualities of the book and it felt like it was based on real folklore.’
‘For me this book was disappointing. The cover of the book was better than the content. This could have been so much better but the story didn’t go anywhere’
‘Not sure if I enjoyed the story – the people were too alike and the writing was very old fashioned’
‘You could tell the story was written by an American but by an American who romanticised 19th century England. A good gothic type tale as far as it went – the description of grief of losing a child was good but the husband seemed very uncaring of his wife and was more interested in his possible book – he also didn’t come across as the sort of man who would have a sexual affair? I would have liked more about the fairies and fae of the original story.’
‘Thrilling and engaging dark fairy story filled with suspense. I really enjoyed the story within a story and finding out events as characters themselves found out. Beautifully written with descriptions building suspense’
‘Enjoyed it – gothic fantasy set in what felt like an old fashioned Yorkshire- spooky but not scary’
‘I didn’t really enjoy this book – not liking fairy tales/fantasy generally but thought that there were various themes that could have been developed and therefore perhaps the book could have been longer. I was frustrated at the ending wanting to know how the couple would continue.’
