In The Night Wood – Dale Bailey
In this contemporary fantasy, the grieving biographer of a Victorian fantasist finds himself slipping inexorably into the supernatural world that consumed his subject.
American Charles Hayden came to England to forget the past.
Failed father, failed husband, and failed scholar, Charles hopes to put his life back together with a biography of Caedmon Hollow, the long-dead author of a legendary Victorian children’s book, In the Night Wood. But soon after settling into Hollow’s remote Yorkshire home, Charles learns that the past isn’t dead.
In the neighboring village, Charles meets a woman he might have loved, a child who could have been his own lost daughter, and the ghost of a self he thought he’d put behind him.
And in the primeval forest surrounding Caedmon Hollow’s ancestral home, an ancient power is stirring. The horned figure of a long-forgotten king haunts Charles Hayden’s dreams. And every morning the fringe of darkling trees presses closer.
Soon enough, Charles will venture into the night wood.
Soon enough, he’ll learn that the darkness under the trees is but a shadow of the darkness that waits inside us all.
Review
I was first drawn to In The Night Wood because of its beautiful cover. That and the prospect of a story about a haunted house in the middle of the woods combined with the Fae is all I needed to dive in.
In The Night Wood tells the story of Charles and Erin Hayden and a very peculiar book that connects them both. Charles first finds the book, also titled In The Night Wood, in the library of a relative. He reads the weird fairy tale and suffers through some vivid nightmares about it, but ultimately forgets about the book. Until he’s in college and reads a footnote mentioning the book. On a hunt to find it in the local library he, quite literally, bumps into Erin. Erin turns out to be a descendant of the book’s writer, Caedmon Hollow. Coincidence? Charles and Erin fall in love and get married.
Now we re-enter the story a fair few years later. Charles and Erin are moving from the US to the UK as Erin is the last living descendant of Caedmon Hollow and therefore inherits his house, Hollow House. An indescribable loss has scarred them both in different ways and has derailed their relationship. Hollow House might be the new start they need. Or is it?
The forest around the house seems to hold more than just regular wildlife. The wall around Hollow House was obviously built to keep either someone in or something out. Then there’s the disappearance of a girl that’s the spitting image of Charles’ and Erin’s daughter and the fact that both Erin and Charles start seeing strange apparitions. Are they real or are both of them just lost in their grief, the mysterious surroundings of the Hollow House property and the fairytale that drove Caedmon Hollow to insanity?
In the Night Wood is a haunting tale about loss, temptation and the hunt for the history of Hollow House, particularly it’s infamous inhabitant: Caedmon Hollow. It’s a fast read at only 200-odd pages and it’s packed full of dark visions and eerie scenery.
Both Erin and Charles are fighting their own demons, getting more and more wrapped up in Hollow House and the forest. It was sometimes heart-breaking to read, the grief and despair palpable. The forest has been put on the page to leave a lasting impression, a living entity full of secrets drawing in its victims.
I enjoyed every page of this book. The writing is lyrical, vivid and melancholy. You can’t help but care for Erin and Charles and feel their anxiety and desolation. The house and Caedmon Hollow are an interesting mystery and every little piece of the puzzle that Charles uncovers is as exciting for me as it is for him. The story builds up to a thrilling end that leaves you with as many questions as answers. This, for me, only contributed to how much I enjoyed the book. I love it when some things are left to the reader’s own interpretation and imagination. In The Night Wood is a fast-paced, mysterious and gloomy gothic novel perfect for anyone who loves their share of haunted mansions and the Fae.
Release Date: February 7th, 2019
Publisher: HarperVoyager
Age Group: Adult
Pages: 224
Format: Hardcover
Source: Bought
