Matt McAvoy Book Review

This is true horror from Louise Worthington, and genuinely creepy it is at times, too, with a vividness to its setpieces which would make Richard Laymon proud.  With her usual moody, atmospheric and psychological writing style, and characters with more layers than a Viennetta, Louise gets under your skin with Rosie Shadow, and stays there, increasingly itching you as the book goes on.  Part supernatural, part gore-thriller and part emotional drama, this is a well-crafted fairytale for adults, with some surprising ingredients.  Its little antagonist is unambiguously evil, the daughter of an undead abomination of a man, who feasts on corpses in a former prison, which is now a visitor attraction.  There is no real attempt, nor any need, to explain what Archie is – he just is, and I like that a lot.  His mystery is compounded even further by his paranormal connection to his daughter, but more so by his fantasy-inspired link to the giant tree.  There are aspects of Sleepy Hollow to this modern-day gothica, set in the unlikely location of England’s western counties – that too is a plus, in my opinion; anything which breaks moulds and forms its own identity is always worth writing – and this book does both in abundance, with originality at its core.

I’ve so far read and reviewed one other by this author, but this one was much more clearly categorized; it is horror, of that there is no doubt, and good horror, too.  As always with Louise’s work, it does require your undivided attention, and I recommend setting the scene and mood for yourself, without interruption, before starting – but do start.  If you like your horror with a modern-day social twist, a traditional slice of fantasy and unrestrained visuals, you’ll have a search on your hands to find many better than Rosie Shadow.