Finally got another #allthebookreviews title in the mix! This is a fun one, because we had completely different experiences with this book. I think this is a physical book vs audiobook debacle. From what Chandra told me, the narrator didn’t really set the mood properly for this one.
Thanks to Penguin Books for the gifted copies in exchange for our honest reviews
STARVE ACRE – Andrew Michael Hurley (Originally Released October 1st, 2019 – new paperback released July 4th, 2023)
Book Description:
An atmospheric and unsettling story of the depths of grief found in an ancient farm in northern England, soon to be 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 new 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.
Chandra’s Thoughts: 2/5 stars
Grief, occult, folklore, creepy kid horror. PHEW. Yes please and thank you. I decided to read this one via my ears and honestly, I think that did deter me from enjoying this story as much as I could have. Why? Because the narrator’s voice was so soothing that I honestly felt like I was watching an animal documentary and I kept imagining all the characters as meerkats and gophers. Don’t ask me why my brain is like this, it just is! What I should have done was switched to my physical copy and read this with my eyes instead. After bopping myself on the side of the head a couple of times, I found myself concentrating on the story itself (sans animals and y’all it was HARD) and found the pacing a bit slower than I would normally have liked. There are some truly suspenseful moments and I do love to hate on these characters as I found every one of them quite interesting. However, the philosophical aspect of this story and the ambiguous ending left me wanting.
I’m extremely curious as to how this will translate on screen and I’m definitely going to watch it. This is my first by this author and I will definitely read Hurley again – with my eyes for sure. And this over is just amazing and makes ALL THE SENSE after you read the story. If you love a slow to semi-moderate pace that gets you thinking, this is definitely the story for you. It’s absolutely beautifully written – I’m just not the reader for it.
My Thoughts: 5/5 stars
I can’t wait for the movie to come out and see how they adapt this story. This has the potential to be incredibly atmospheric and tense on screen, and I hope it translates well from the book.
I truly need to get better about reading books about creepy woods and rural areas at night 😂 letting the dogs out when it’s pitch black out is unsettling enough but hearing things walking around is when I nope back inside.
This folk horror book is mixed with grief after the death of their young child. Their home, known as Starve Acre, is a dark and haunted property, and they seem to be in denial about it. Grief will drive people to lengths they never imagined going, and that is the case here. This is a short book, so I don’t wanna ruin anything, but if you like folk horror, the occult, and a slow building horror throughout, then I highly recommend this!
Jessicamap Reviews 