“I came here to be at one with nature, well I got what I wanted… now I have to live with it.”

3. White Pines – Gemma Amor

Up in the Highlands, I guess there are isolated houses that aren’t owned by werewolf families. Fine. This one is across from an island and Megs’ ancient birthright she kind of almost remembers, but is totally forced into once her marriage breaks up. She does not exactly get to live her best life, on her initial trip into town a dog pees on her boots (and this is not forgotten by Amor and frankly, ew, that would affect me all day and forever too), she finds mostly weird silence from the locals, and this is all after she figured out she had coin operated electricity in her house – this actually never seems to get sorted even though she got coins and I was very concerned.

Anyway, her birthright involves an island that will not stop calling to her and gives her headaches when she’s away from it. When she finally goes, she has to crawl past a prehistoric deer skeleton (I would’ve been trying to figure out how to get that back to the house) and over sheep bones, gets invited to a weirdo party, and then everything gets wonky in a monster way. A very big monster way. And also in a “shunting scene from Society with less enthusiasm” kind of way. It’s super gross. And that’s before someone loses their eyes, which is of course the universal time you know things are no longer fun. Losing all the eyes, tongue, boyfriend who followed Megs, some kid who seemed nice, all to follow and simultaneously upend the old ways. I do like folk horror and honestly it’s nice to see a middle aged protagonist making some damn progress too, even if that progress is quite wounding.

 

Thorfy would like to know where his invitation to the weirdo party is.