Hare House is not its real name, of course. I have, if you will forgive me, kept names to a minimum here, for reasons that will become understandable…
Slow, sinister and shrouded in a foreboding atmosphere, this novel is a slice of wintry folk horror featuring witchcraft, curses and incipient madness. Me and my team read this as part of our book club at work. It took my a while to finish but unfortunately I didn’t enjoy this one as much as I wanted. Here is my review of Hare House by Sally Hinchcliffe:
THE PLOT, CHARACTERS AND STORY PROGRESSION
The beginning of this book is incredibly gripping. The lore behind the main character really had me turning the pages. You’re introduced to her at a turning point in her life and she’s beginning somewhere new. I could relate to this greatly! The story itself progresses slowly, but fast enough to keep you engaged and interested. Sally drops little nuggets of intrigue that get you wanting to know more. Each character has their own personality which is so incredibly well written, I could picture them vividly in my mind and what they would be like in real life.
Unfortunately I felt towards the end that the plot built up to… nothing? I was expecting some big twist or final blow out to tie up the slow burn but I was just very confused. Nothing was made clear, it felt like so much was never fleshed out or fully explained. Perhaps done purposefully to let the reader come to their own conclusions and get people theorizing? I took to Reddit upon finishing to see if I was alone in my confusion and I was not, it seems others too couldn’t fully grasp what happened and what it was all for! Which felt like such a shame after such incredible characters and world building, which we will get on to next…
WORLD BUILDING, ATMOSPHERE AND SETTING
The atmosphere in this book is incredible for autumn/winter. It has the kind of setting that makes you want to grab a blanket, sit in front of a fire and read for hours. Sally’s writing is beautifully descriptive and easy to read which makes sinking yourself into the world and following along with the characters effortless. This was my favorite thing about the book and I’d probably read again just for that warm, fuzzy feeling and suspense.
THE VERDICT?
I really wanted to love this book, the cover is beautifully, the setting is to die for and the characters are likable and fun to read. It is just such a shame that the story itself felt so lackluster and anticlimactic. I think the ending was rushed and could have done with a few more rounds of edits to tie up loose ends and bring everything to a nice close with a cliffhanger or something of that nature.
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐
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