Book Nook; Horrid by Katrina Leno

"In the soft beam of the light's glow, the foyer looked even spookier than it had a few minutes ago.  There was a faded Oriental rug running the length of the hall; a wide open staircase spun upward and disappeared into shadow; and the banister and entrance  table were covered in a thick layer of dust."

I have been very drawn to ghost stories of late. I'm still not ready to let go of the spooky vibes of the dark season and as we are expecting another cold spell in Yorkshire this week, with the possibility of snow, it still feels far too early to start reading the faerie tropes that I enjoy during the warmer months.  So instead, I picked up Horrid.

This book has been sitting in one of my bookcases in my study since it was first published in the 2020 lock-down.  I have been wanting to get to it, but I also wanted to wait until I had time to give myself up to the story completely, without any distractions. So for the past couple of days, that is exactly what I have done, relaxing on the chaise in the sunshine, reading about a haunted house in Maine.  It is based around a poem by Longfellow; There was a little girl, who had a little curl, right in the middle of her forehead, so each section of the book is based upon a single line of verse.

Horrid is a tale steeped in death, both beginning and ending with a life lost.  The novel explores how bereavement often acts as both a catalyst for change and a revealer of family secrets, secrets that might have been hidden for decades, but which suddenly come to light, leaving the bereaved family members reeling.  This is what happens to the protagonist Jane, who is forced to leave LA when her father dies and move back to her mother's family home in Maine, a place that her mother has avoided for years. And with good reason too, for the family manor-house is anything but welcoming and the ghostly atmosphere of the story spooks right off the page!

This is the kind of ghost story that gives you an unsettled feeling in the pit of your stomach as you read - that feeling which tells you that you're starting to get a little bit scared, a little bit spooked. I love reading spooky books that have a thick atmosphere of dread about them. This novel ticks all the boxes, building in suspense until the final denouement takes place on Halloween.  The ending is quite surprising too - almost as if it's not quite the end at all and perhaps a sequel is on the cards? I hope so because I really enjoyed this one. It has been lovely spending time in this haunted house of the author's creation.  Sometimes the prettiest little girls are the meanest. Enjoy!

BB Marie x