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Starve Acre

Andrew Michael Hurley

3.83 · Rating details · 2,749 ratings · 574 reviews

The worst thing possible has happened. Richard and Juliette Willoughby’s son, Ewan, has died suddenly at the age of five. Starve Acre, their house by the moors, was to be full of life, but is now a haunted place.

Juliette, convinced Ewan still lives there in some form, seeks the help of the Beacons, a seemingly benevolent group of occultists. Richard, to try and keep the bo ...more

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paperback, 256 pages

Published April 2nd 2020 by John Murray (first published 2019)

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Aug 28, 2019 Paromjit rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: family-drama, supernatural, netgalley, horror-fiction

Andrew Michael Hurley has a real gift for the gothic style, horror tinged, atmospheric storytelling that immerses the reader here in a chillingly dark and disturbing world. He draws on his trademark themes of history, superstitions and folklore in a ominous narrative that goes back and forth in time. The Willoughbys have relocated to the rural Yorkshire Dales to an inherited home, Starve Acre, a name that certainly doesn't inspire comforting heartwarming pictures. For Richard and Juliette as par Andrew Michael Hurley has a real gift for the gothic style, horror tinged, atmospheric storytelling that immerses the reader here in a chillingly dark and disturbing world. He draws on his trademark themes of history, superstitions and folklore in a ominous narrative that goes back and forth in time. The Willoughbys have relocated to the rural Yorkshire Dales to an inherited home, Starve Acre, a name that certainly doesn't inspire comforting heartwarming pictures. For Richard and Juliette as parents, the very worst that could have happened is swamping their lives, the unbounded intense grief at the loss of their little 5 year old boy, Ewan. Ewan had been a sweet and happy boy, but had changed drastically recently, becoming more temperamental and worryingly cruel, with locals afraid of him and leaving his parents concerned. They deal with their grief in different ways, with Richard focusing on the history of Starve Acre, and the field with the legendary Stythwaite Oak, discovering wood block prints depicting hangings, the scary figure of Jack Grey and unearths hares bones.

Juliette remains convinced that Ewan is still there, but worried that his presence is weakening. To address this, she invites into their home an occultist group, The Beacons. The unnerving events that follow are not what was planned as it all culminates in one hell of a freaking shocker of an ending. Hurley gives us vivid rich descriptions of the location, and leaves the reader unsure as to what is real, whether the fantastical elements can be believed, and the tortuous grim nature of the hell that is grief. This novella held me in its chilling and tightly gripping arms, right from the start until I finished it all in one sitting, upon which I was left stunned and dazed as I returned back to reality.

This book should be on everyone's list as the dark nights of the approaching Autumn inch closer, it is perfect reading fare for Halloween. Highly recommended. Many thanks to John Murray Press for an ARC. ...more

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Oct 09, 2019 Amalia Gkavea rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: october, contemporary, folklore, netgalley-books, paranormal, britain, british-literature, gothic-fiction, england, mystery

''He says my name sometimes. He tells me to come to the tree.''

A young family moves to the moors, to a house where dreams and nightmares co-exist. The forest nearby hides secrets and strange apparitions. But the young parents are hopeful, away from the noise and threats of the big city. Soon, everything changes. A young boy becomes almost unrecognizable, his intentions inexplicable and violent. A tree appears at will and a presence, called Jack Grey, seems to have entered the boy's mind and ''He says my name sometimes. He tells me to come to the tree.''

A young family moves to the moors, to a house where dreams and nightmares co-exist. The forest nearby hides secrets and strange apparitions. But the young parents are hopeful, away from the noise and threats of the big city. Soon, everything changes. A young boy becomes almost unrecognizable, his intentions inexplicable and violent. A tree appears at will and a presence, called Jack Grey, seems to have entered the boy's mind and is there to stay. What happens when the house you have chosen has a heavy shadow? Too heavy for anyone to bear. How do you defend against a threat you cannot see? How do you cope when the greatest and most unbearable of ills haunt your every step?

This novel excels in the creation of the proper atmosphere for a novel that seems -and I stress the word ''seems''- full of mystery, a homage to the dark Folklore of the British forests. There are certain passages that can freeze your blood because the imagery described and communicated is so powerful, almost tangible. But the novel seems to rely on these features and never moves into something deeper. Yes, the story is definitely intriguing and the ambiguity surrounding the family and, particularly, the child is effective but it is nothing we haven't seen before. I felt that it soon lost a purpose and there were many threads that needed handling and closure. In the end, I thought that the novel was the personification of the phrase ''much ado about nothing.''

The characters are weak and uninspiring. Richard could have some potential but he is lost in the nightmare that is Juliette. I am sorry but I've seldom found such an irritating character in the pages of a book that wants to be taken seriously. She is plainly horrible long before the tragedy that befalls their household. And even this does not account for her obsessive, dismissive, ignorant attitude towards everything and everyone that doesn't agree with her opinion and choices. She even attacks a psychiatrist because the know-it-all- goddess Juliette has already formed her personal diagnosis. I cannot imagine sharing the same house with such a shrew, not to mention her sister. Juliette has reduced her husband into a void presence, a stranger in his own house. So, he is one of the most patient characters I've ever encountered in a novel. And one of the most boring and unrealistic. One side, a snoozefest, the other side a bloody nuisance. I wonder how I was able to finish this book...

And yet, I know the answer. I finished the book because the prose itself was rather good and the scenery was brilliantly depicted. But these elements are not enough. Yes, I could use the adjectives ''atmospheric, complex, challenging.'' It had potential, it could have been perfect. However, the characters were a disaster, the plot used Folklore elements without a purpose, lacking in depth and development, and the dialogue itself was uninspired, the themes repetitive and stalled. And don't get me started on the closure. I was far from impressed and having The Devil's Day on my upcoming reads, I feel the shadows closing in…Let us hope for the best...

Many thanks to John Murray Press and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

My reviews can also be found on https://theopinionatedreaderblog.word... ...more

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Oct 17, 2019 Peter rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: netgalley, horror

Ominous
Starve Acre is a folk horror tale, full of menace and fuelled by guilt. Richard and Juliette Willoughby, and their young son Ewan moved to Richard’s family home in the Yorkshire Dales following the death of his parents. The house known as Starve Acre has unhappy memories for Richard as he recalls his father’s mental breakdown. The unfriendliness of the house and the surrounding fields haven’t changed and the main field that folklore tells of homing the legendary Stythwaite Oak sees nothin Ominous
Starve Acre is a folk horror tale, full of menace and fuelled by guilt. Richard and Juliette Willoughby, and their young son Ewan moved to Richard’s family home in the Yorkshire Dales following the death of his parents. The house known as Starve Acre has unhappy memories for Richard as he recalls his father’s mental breakdown. The unfriendliness of the house and the surrounding fields haven’t changed and the main field that folklore tells of homing the legendary Stythwaite Oak sees nothing ever grow there. The barren field of dirt is vividly drawn and the huge Oak tree is imagined as it may once have dominated the landscape. The tree carries a supernatural history that radiates evil where it was once used as a hanging tree - hanging young men for crimes that seemed out of character. Although it no longer exists above ground, Richard is convinced its root system is still there and infecting the surrounding area. As he digs to discover any evidence he uncovers wooden carvings and the untouched skeleton of a hare.

Ewan dies at 5 years of age after a period where the community witnessed episodes of his cruelty to animals and other children. The story deals with switchbacks in time to Ewan’s activities and he insisted that it was Jack Grey telling him to do those evil things. Jack Grey is the local bogeyman who seems to manipulate others into doing evil acts. Richard and Juliette are dealing with the bereavement of their son in different ways but Juliette is riddled with guilt and we wonder what may be the source of those emotions.

“It seemed to Richard sometimes that Juliette had actually brought twins into the world: Ewan and Guilt. The latter had always been the stronger of the two. It fed more, weighed more, demanded more of their attention. When it had outlived Ewan, it had grown larger still.”

Juliette insists she can still feel Ewan’s presence in the house but his spirit is drifting away. She calls in the Beacons as mediums to communicate with Ewan and identify what she is feeling. The Beacons leave abruptly, shaken and frightened, and advise the Willoughbys to move out immediately.

The ability to start the story with the suspicion of evil, introduce paranormal folklore, and continuously ramp up the horror and dark content to a shocking aberrant conclusion, is convincingly achieved in this novel. The suspense of lurking peril adding to an evil foreboding atmosphere is masterfully crafted by Andrew Michael Hurley. The location is vividly portrayed with an air of warning hanging on every scene and the well-drawn characters fit the story perfectly. I enjoyed the mix of the guilty parents, Juliette, whose mind is slowly slipping into madness or compliance with the supernatural, while Richard feels the frustration and despair of not accepting paranormal signs and being unable to convince his wife that her behaviour is irrational and they need to get away from this abnormal environment.

If I had one issue, it is that I expected a bit more horror or trauma from this story even though I appreciate the threat of horror is often greater than the horror itself.

I recommend reading this book and I'd like to thank John Murray Press and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC version in return for an honest review. ...more

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Nov 03, 2019 Beata rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Starve Acre was a perfect read for this time of year.
The story is woven around a folk tale of a tree that was used for hangings hundreds of years ago and which possibly made the soil barren around Starve Acre, a house that has belonged to the Willoughbys for generations. The house now belongs to a couple, Juliette and Richard, who grieve after the death of their five-year-old son. The theme sounds simple, however, everything that surrounds the house and the fields around it is not. In the course ...more

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Nov 04, 2020 Beverly rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: horror

Gorgeous cover art of a giant tree with a hangman's noose makes Starve Acre a beautiful, little book to behold. It is just as chilling and absorbing and lovingly written on the inside. I felt I could see the house, the dead wood, and where the digging was taking place. The cold seemed to seep into your bones. This author has a real gift for imagery.

The story is a dreary one, a couple has lost their young son. Ewan died at five years old, worse even than this, his memory is benighted by the boy's ...more

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Apr 07, 2019 Blair rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: 2019-release, historical, netgalley, read-on-kindle, ghosts-and-horror

In a manner of speaking, I'd already read Starve Acre. A novella of the same title, published under the pseudonym Jonathan Buckley, was issued as part of the Eden Book Society series earlier this year. I loved it (you can read my review here). But this new version promised an expanded take on the themes of the novella, plus a different ending, so I was still excited to (re?)read it.

Richard and Juliette Willoughby are in mourning for their young son, Ewan. In the aftermath of his death, their wor ...more

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Feb 11, 2020 Janie C. rated it really liked it · review of another edition

I read this book in two sittings. Combining a troubled family with a property possessing a nefarious history, this book is impossible to put down until the final unsettling pages. A fast and ominously intense read.

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Aug 12, 2019 Ceecee rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Having really enjoyed The Loney and Devils Day I was really pleased to receive this ARC and I was not disappointed. From the opening sentences with the beautiful winter descriptions of Croftendale in the Yorkshire Dales right through to the mind blowing ending I was hooked. This is the story of Richard, Juliette and Ewan Willoughby and their home Starve Acre. It is a story of grief, guilt and sorrow following the death of young Ewan, it encompasses local legends, superstitions, magic and beliefs Having really enjoyed The Loney and Devils Day I was really pleased to receive this ARC and I was not disappointed. From the opening sentences with the beautiful winter descriptions of Croftendale in the Yorkshire Dales right through to the mind blowing ending I was hooked. This is the story of Richard, Juliette and Ewan Willoughby and their home Starve Acre. It is a story of grief, guilt and sorrow following the death of young Ewan, it encompasses local legends, superstitions, magic and beliefs. The story weaves effortlessly from before Ewan died to afterwards and we learn how Ewan changes and becomes a cause of consternation and fear to the villagers as well as to his mother.

Starve Acre is well depicted and I enjoyed the sections where Richard reorganises his father’s books and finds the wood block prints which show the legendary Stythwaite Oak (which is on their land and Richard is excavating for), later on he finds one that shows Jack Grey the local bogeyman and later on he finds ones which depict hangings from centuries ago. Jack Grey and the tree have a major effect on Ewan. One minute he is ‘morose’ then ‘hyperactive’ and certainly he becomes vindictive. For instance, he joyfully builds a snowman with his parents, the next day he viscously destroys it. I found Richards and Juliette’s reaction to Ewan and his subsequent death very thought provoking. They didn’t know what Ewan’s life meant- he took all their love and filled them with sorrow. Juliette is initially inert and wracked with grief but later this changes. Richard tries to keep busy with the excavation in order to find some acceptance and peace.

There is a lot of magic and superstition in the story. Mrs Forde and the Beacons were interesting and Mrs Forde senses something fetid in the house which turns out to be true. The hares bones that Richard finds during the excavation of the tree and what happens later is certainly magical and strange. Richard feels the discovery brings a ‘sense of imminence of things brimming on the cusp’. I don’t want to give away any spoilers but the hare causes a few jaw dropping moments. Gordon, one of their friends tries to warn them of impending doom.

What a read! The ending socks you right between the eyes. It was fantastic in every sense of the word. It was eye popping, jaw dropping, heart stopping, mind boggling, dumbfounding and amazing. It is extremely well written with some beautiful descriptions. It is a dark tale so when Ewan welcomes New Years Eve guests with some gorgeous malapropisms that is a welcome laugh out loud moment! It is very different and you have to suspend disbelief but it is so well written and really worth reading.

Thanks to NetGalley and John Murray Press for an ARC in return for an honest review. ...more

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Sep 28, 2019 ABCme rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: kindle, netgalley

This is a book to devour. The writing is exquisite, the characters are indepth, the bleak end of Winter scenery on the quiet moor heartbreakingly beautiful.

Richard and Juliette have recently lost their young child and are each grieving in their own way. Richard hides on the moor, Juliette in her deceased son's bedroom. They grow further apart each day.
An occult healing session turns their world upside down.

Starve Acre is a story with few characters, traveling at a slow but very pleasant pace, g ...more

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Jul 29, 2019 Joseph rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

And so, the secret is out. Starve Acre, originally issued by Dead Ink Books as part of their Eden Book Society series, was not written by the elusive (by which read “fictional”) 1970s author Jonathan Buckley, but is, in fact, Andrew Michael Hurley's third novel. Starve Acre has now been published by John Murray under Hurley’s name and with new cover art. Having enjoyed "Buckley"’s horror novella, I was eager to read this version, curious to discover whether it would be an expanded take on the or And so, the secret is out. Starve Acre, originally issued by Dead Ink Books as part of their Eden Book Society series, was not written by the elusive (by which read “fictional”) 1970s author Jonathan Buckley, but is, in fact, Andrew Michael Hurley's third novel. Starve Acre has now been published by John Murray under Hurley’s name and with new cover art. Having enjoyed "Buckley"’s horror novella, I was eager to read this version, curious to discover whether it would be an expanded take on the original.

As it turns out, I would say that around 85% of the text of the two novels is identical, such that the forthcoming version of Starve Acre is less a reworking than a variant of the previous edition. There is an important difference, which I’ll come to later but, in essence, the book remains the same: to quote Hurley himself, a work “very much in the folk horror tradition”, about “how grief strips the world into two”. So, if you’ve already read my review of the Eden Book Society edition, bear with me: there will be some repetition which, in the circumstances, I trust can be forgiven.

Starve Acre’s protagonists are Richard and Juliette, a couple who have lost their only son, Ewan, and are trying to get to grips with this tragic, life-changing event. Whilst Juliette believes that Ewan lives on in their house in rural Yorkshire, Richard, an archaeologist by profession, becomes obsessed with the sterile field contiguous to this house, and what lies buried beneath its dark soil.

The Eden Book Society series is based on the fictional premise that its books were written back in the 1970s. True to that brief, the original story contained some period-specific references which suggest that decade (such as Richard working on a typewriter and the conspicuous lack of mention of more recent technologies such as mobile phones). This ‘historical’ backdrop has been retained. However, in true folk horror tradition, the evil which lurks within the pages of the novel is ancient and timeless – an age-old shadow which is at one with the landscape and soil, an arcane folk figure which has terrified the villagers for centuries and which returns to curse the ‘city outsiders’ who naively try to live a dream of a simple country life.

This evil is nudged back to existence after Hurley’s protagonists, Richard and Juliette relocate from Leeds to the rural house which used to belong to Richard’s parents. Richard is not too keen on this move, particularly since it evokes memories of his father’s final mental breakdown. Juliette, however, fantasizes about their little son Ewan playing with the village children, and about raising a family of rascally young Willoughbys far from the hustle and bustle of the city. These dreams are shattered when Ewan dies in circumstances which remain vague and unexplained. Juliette falls into a debilitating depression, whereas Richard, like his father before him, spends days digging in the soil of the neighbouring “Starve Acre”, unearthing what look like the roots of an ancient “hanging tree” and the bones of a large hare. A well-meaning neighbour introduces the couple to a local mystic who conducts a séance-like ceremony in the house. It all goes horribly wrong, leading to the novella’s chilling denouement.

The story’s narrative is deftly handled, shifting seamlessly between the grief-soaked present of the Willoughbys, flashbacks to Ewan’s disturbed final months and half-remembered legends of bogeymen of English folklore.

At first I struggled to detect any notable novelty in this edition of Starve Acre, except for a subplot concerning Richard’s mother, which helps to reinforce the us-and-them mentality of the village folk. The major – and quite surprising – difference comes at the very end. I would not like to give the game away and so what I will reveal is that whilst the new version of Starve Acre is not as graphically violent as the original edition, it achieves an equally powerful climax by shifting to the final pages one of the most disturbing and hair/hare-raising images of the novella.

If anything, this new ending emphasizes a sense of ambiguity which the novella shares with some classic ghost and horror stories including, to name just one famous example, Oliver Onions’ The Beckoning Fair One. Thus, Starve Acre can be read literally as a supernatural tale or, at another level, as a study of a descent into madness and obsession, its otherworldly elements merely the morbid imaginings of sick minds. Either way, Hurley continues to confirm his status as the current master of folk horror. ...more

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Nov 05, 2020 Ivana - Diary of Difference rated it really liked it

Shelves: read-in-2020, format-print, genre-crime-mystery-thriller, stars-4

Reading Starve Acre by Andrew Michael Hurley was a unique reading experience for me. Starting right after Halloween, it was the perfect eerie continuation of the spooky reading mood. Thank you to the teams at Tandem Collective and John Murray Press, for sending me a gifted copy of this book.

Synopsis:

The worst thing possible has happened. Richard and Juliette Willoughby’s son, Ewan, has died suddenly at the age of five. Starve Acre, thei ...more

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Oct 26, 2019 Susan rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Having enjoyed Andrew Michael Hurley’s previous novels, “The Loney,” and “Devil’s Day,” I was excited to read his latest work. “Starve Acre,” is a novella length story, set in a similar, bleak countryside setting, as his previous books. Dr Richard Willoughby, a university professor, inherits his family home – the starkly named, ‘Starve Acre,’ and moves there – a little against his better judgement – with wife Juliette. Their son, Ewan, is much wanted by Juliette, who adores the boy. However, Ric ...more

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May 20, 2019 Blair rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: 2019-release, historical, read-on-kindle, recent-favourites, ghosts-and-horror

Richard Willoughby took over his parents' farmhouse, Starve Acre, so he and his wife Juliette could start a family, but they have always been regarded as outsiders by the villagers of Stythwaite. Now, their son Ewan is dead and Juliette, mired in grief and depression, is a shadow of her former self. Richard has been coping by throwing himself into work – he's a university lecturer – but eventually he's forced to take some leave. In the absence of other distractions, Richard begins methodically d Richard Willoughby took over his parents' farmhouse, Starve Acre, so he and his wife Juliette could start a family, but they have always been regarded as outsiders by the villagers of Stythwaite. Now, their son Ewan is dead and Juliette, mired in grief and depression, is a shadow of her former self. Richard has been coping by throwing himself into work – he's a university lecturer – but eventually he's forced to take some leave. In the absence of other distractions, Richard begins methodically digging up a field on his property, searching for the roots of an ancient tree that was once the stuff of local legend. Meanwhile, a neighbour is determined to convince Juliette that a spiritualist can help dispel her grief.

Starve Acre packs a hell of a lot of detail and nuance into its 96 pages. Every character is beautifully drawn, including the secondary ones such as the Willoughbys' friend Gordon and Juliette's sister Harrie. Ewan's transformation is both intriguing and eerie. Great care is taken, too, over the setting, with the fictional village easy to envision: a closed-off, insular place, pleasant to observe but difficult to live in; Starve Acre an ugly house amid a bleakly beautiful landscape. And then, of course, there's the hare...

Sometimes I know from the very beginning that I'm going to fall in love with a book. Other times, its genius dawns on me very slowly, with a kind of gradual delight. Starve Acre belongs in the latter category. I was wowed by how perfectly the many threads were drawn together. The story also emits a deeply effective sense of creeping dread.

As for the identity of the author, the cat is out of the bag on this one: it's Andrew Michael Hurley. Starve Acre was announced under Hurley's own name at the recent Hodder 2019 preview event. (I'm not sure yet whether their edition will be exactly the same book, or whether the story will be expanded: I'm interested to find out, as the novella feels entirely complete in itself, but is also so dense with detail that it could easily be developed further.) Even without this knowledge, I'd have pegged Starve Acre as Hurley's. The intricacy of the imagined geography, in particular, is strongly reminiscent of his previous work, and some character traits and relationships echo his brilliant novel Devil’s Day.

TinyLetter | Twitter | Instagram | Tumblr ...more

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Jul 13, 2019 Karl marked it as to-read · review of another edition

Shelves: 2019-07-books-bought

Cover by Daren Hopes

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Nov 09, 2019 Nancy Oakes rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: dark-fiction, uk-fiction, 2019

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. full post here:
https://www.oddlyweirdfiction.com/201...

I don't read a lot of contemporary horror novels, but there are a few authors whose books I will preorder once I know they're on the horizon for publication. Andrew Michael Hurley is one of these people -- I absolutely loved his The Loney (in my opinion the best book he's written), quite enjoyed his Devil's Day, and now he's back with another fine novel, Starve Acre. This time around Hurley is much more straightforward in terms of horror tha full post here:
https://www.oddlyweirdfiction.com/201...

I don't read a lot of contemporary horror novels, but there are a few authors whose books I will preorder once I know they're on the horizon for publication. Andrew Michael Hurley is one of these people -- I absolutely loved his The Loney (in my opinion the best book he's written), quite enjoyed his Devil's Day, and now he's back with another fine novel, Starve Acre. This time around Hurley is much more straightforward in terms of horror than the previous two, but don't be fooled: what happens here, as in the case of his earlier books, plays out on many different levels other than simply gut-reaction horror. It is truly one of the most disturbing contemporary novels on the darker side I've read in a while, in a good way, of course.

Once again, Hurley sets his story in a remote, rural locale, more specifically in the Yorkshire Dales. It is here where Richard Willoughby and his wife Juliette have come to live in his family home, Starve Acre, handed down to Richard after the death of his mother. Juliette was convinced that it would be better to start and raise their family in the Dales rather than the city in which they live, and eventually their son Ewan was born. As the novel begins, it is clear however that this is a couple in the depths of grief, as their only child has died. Juliette spirals into deep depression and despondency to the point of spending each night on a mattress in Ewan's room, where she hopes to "pick up the faintest traces of Ewan," still remaining there by filling the space with mirrors and making recordings every night, hoping for "moments of contact." Richard, who is on a sort of enforced sabbatical from teaching History at university, copes by staying busy with some sort of work, organizing his father's library and after discovering old woodcuts there, seeking the location of and hoping to excavate the roots of the old Stythwaite Oak, which, as legend has it served as the local gallows tree. His friend Gordon tries to warn Richard away from continuing his search, but disregarding his advice, Richard continues on, finding nothing but a skeleton of a hare which he brings into his home to study it. In the meantime, Gordon, hoping to offer help to Juliette in some measure, introduces her to a strange group of mystics called The Beacons who organize a sort of seance in the Willoughby home. The story truly launches from this point, and we are taken back in time to Ewan's childhood and life at Starve Acre up to the time of his death. A few somewhat cryptic hints by the author clue us in that perhaps not all was well there, but little by little we get a more complete picture as to why.

I have to say that this is the sort of contemporary horror story I actually enjoy reading, very rare in my repertoire these days. Starve Acre is a novel about what is left behind after the loss of a child, with much of the story focusing on the landscape of grief itself. The supernatural elements are subtle and nicely layered, secrets are unfolded little by little, and there is that lovely sense of ambiguity that kept this book in my mind for a long time while thinking about it. While it may seem to move a bit slowly, that's actually a plus in this case since it culminates in one of the most unexpected, horrific endings I've encountered in a very long time. My single complaint centers around Richard and the hare, to which the author provides a not-so satisfying explanation toward the end of the novel which I didn't buy at all. Since I don't want to spoil things I can't go into detail, but astute readers will figure it out. Despite that particular flaw, I can without hesitation recommend Starve Acre -- Hurley is so very talented, his work is refreshingly original, and I've become a true fangirl.

I have an extra copy, so if anyone in the US would like it, I am happy to give it to you, free and I'll pay the postage to get it to you. It needs a home ... ...more

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Sep 11, 2019 SueLucie rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: netgalley

I have read both this author’s previous books and been impressed by his skills at conjuring atmosphere. He gives us more of the same here with a setting on the Yorkshire moors in an isolated farmhouse and its adjacent field, the focus of local superstition and a grisly history. The tension is heightened by the family’s own recent history and the tragic loss of their 5-year-old son. The circumstances of his death are unclear for most of the book. The events leading up to it, though, and the child ...more

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Nov 11, 2019 Forrest rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Note: This is a review of the The Eden Book Society edition, released under the pseudonymn Jonathan Buckley.

"Fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me."

As I made my way through Starve Acre, I could not help but notice the strong similarities between the initial conceit and that of the movie Wake Wood, a movie I greatly enjoyed. But the copyright on this edition read 1972, claiming that the book was originally published in that year and re-released by a reincarnated Eden Book Society Note: This is a review of the The Eden Book Society edition, released under the pseudonymn Jonathan Buckley.

"Fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me."

As I made my way through Starve Acre, I could not help but notice the strong similarities between the initial conceit and that of the movie Wake Wood, a movie I greatly enjoyed. But the copyright on this edition read 1972, claiming that the book was originally published in that year and re-released by a reincarnated Eden Book Society. I thought, "Wow, the makers of Wake Wood must have ripped off this obscure book"! Silly me. Only when I saw "the 1972 Subscribers" and recognized friend's names and twitter handles in the list did I realize that I had been duped. No, it appears, the author of this book ripped off Wake Wood, at least in a couple of key elements: 1) The death of a couple's child is the central driving factor of the narrative and, 2) the locals know something that the new move-ins do not, and they are all acting rather strangely.

After that, the plot, thankfully, becomes more original. I won't spoil it for you, as there are plenty of spoilers that could give it away, but the real power in the book shows in the denouement, not in the body of the story, really. The beginning of the end of the book quite took me by surprise, but while making my way through the ending I thought "no, this couldn't have ended any other way". It was then that I really saw the brilliant confluence of the writing, seemingly disparate narrative threads coming together seamlessly, like an atonal symphony (albeit a simple one) that comes together in an inevitable crescendo. But after the action of what one would consider the end (on many different levels), the after-action sequence is what shocked me. Downright shocked me, sending those proverbial chills up my spine. It was a tight, sudden knife twist, after I had already been stabbed, unexpected, and elevating the horror to another level.

Knowing now that the book was written by Andrew Michael Hurley, and having heard from a lot of people that I "ought" to read Hurley (that "ought" being something that, frankly, makes me bristle a bit), I can see why people like his writing style. It flows very well (this was a very quick read) and the characters are strong. The wicked ending after the ending almost makes up for what I take to be the blatant theft of ideas from Wake Wood. I will likely read Hurley (I hear The Loney is not to be missed), but I won't be reading the Hurley version of the book, newly released. So, feel free to send spoilers my way. But, keep it on the down-low. We don't want to dig more creepy things out of the ground, do we? ...more

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Nov 02, 2019 Roman Clodia rated it liked it · review of another edition

Hurley controls his pace well in this folk-horror novella, and there's a nice contrast between his elegant diction and the visceral violence in some of the scenes ~ yet I somehow find his work underwhelming, perhaps because the tropes are so well-established in the genre: the city outsiders falling foul of country knowledge and superstitions, the malevolent bogeyman who seems to possess young men, the child who hears things that adults don't and who commits acts of evil...

All of this is overlay ...more

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Aug 30, 2020 Fiona MacDonald rated it it was ok

Another book that I have heard so many great things about, but it seemed like I completely missed the point of the story. Hurley's writing is very lyrical, and there are some gorgeous descriptions of 'Starve Acre' - the eerie but beautifully rustic house that Richard and Juliette have moved to with hopes of giving their young son Ewan a country upbringing after being cooped up in Leeds. But tragically, Ewan dies and the couple slowly start to unravel, even more so when Juliette's sister Harrie a ...more

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Sep 26, 2020 Melissa rated it liked it · review of another edition

This book plays on the very real fear parents have that their child might turn out to be cruel, that their child might hurt others for fun, that their child might (view spoiler) I think some of what Hurley was trying to do got lost in the shuffle because he throws a lot of different elements into the pot - possibly fraudulent spiritualist, queer-coded neighbor (were his "lodgers" supposed to be his lovers? I've ...more

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Dec 17, 2019 Indieflower rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Beautifully written, creepy and atmospheric tale of grief and guilt, set in the Yorkshire Dales. Andrew Michael Hurley is so good at setting the scene, I loved the sense of place, it was so well described I could almost see it and it went well with the sense of inevitable doom hanging in the air. The only thing that rankled was level headed realist Richard's casual acceptance of an undeniably supernatural and abnormal occurrence, all the while poo pooing his wife's experiences, it didn't seem to ...more

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Mar 08, 2020 Jessie rated it really liked it · review of another edition

This was absolutely and utterly disturbing. I still have some questions that felt like they needed clearing up, but overall, this was so well written and stunningly crafted. It was dark, eerie, atmospheric, gloomy and - although it felt a bit too slow-burning at times - I really enjoyed it in the end. It took me a while to get through the first half, but the second half really pulled me in and pulled it from a two or three-star, to a four-star book. This book, and especially it's ending, is not ...more

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Apr 06, 2019 Joseph rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: horror, gothic-and-supernatural, weird-fiction, contemporary-fiction, owned

A few weeks back, cult horror writer Andrew Michael Hurley announced the forthcoming publication of his third novel: “Starve Acre”. It is, he revealed, a work “very much in the folk horror tradition”, about “how grief strips the world into two”. Its protagonists are Richard and Juliette, a couple who have lost their only son, Ewan, and are trying to get to grips with this tragic, life-changing event. Whilst Juliette believes that Ewan lives on in their house in rural Yorkshire, Richard becomes o A few weeks back, cult horror writer Andrew Michael Hurley announced the forthcoming publication of his third novel: “Starve Acre”. It is, he revealed, a work “very much in the folk horror tradition”, about “how grief strips the world into two”. Its protagonists are Richard and Juliette, a couple who have lost their only son, Ewan, and are trying to get to grips with this tragic, life-changing event. Whilst Juliette believes that Ewan lives on in their house in rural Yorkshire, Richard becomes obsessed with the sterile field contiguous to this house, and what lies buried beneath its dark soil.

I’m understandably loath to besmirch the reputation of an established author with charges of plagiarism, but the premise of the novel seems uncannily similar to that of a novella, also titled “Starve Acre”, by an obscure figure of English horror, one Jonathan Buckley, born in Ripon, Yorkshire in 1909 – a journalist and writer of books of natural history and two short gothic novels. Buckley’s “Starve Acre” was posthumously published in 1972 by the Eden Book Society, and distributed exclusively to the Society’s subscribers. It has just been reissued by Dead Ink Press who has acquired to rights to the Society’s back catalogue…

“Starve Acre” – Buckley’s, I mean – is the fourth book in the ongoing Eden Book Society Series on Dead Ink Press. It has just been issued, hot on the heels of A Dedicated Friend, and, in reverse order of publication, Judderman and Holt House. Of the four, it is the one which least relies on the metafictional frame story which holds the series together. And this is hardly surprising. Like Hurley’s novel, its setting is a house on the outskirts of a remote Yorkshire village, a setting which has hardly changed from the 1970s to today and does not need time-specific props. Indeed, save for some references to the late 1960s, there’s little to show that the story was (at least purportedly) first published nearly 50 years ago. Moreover, in true folk horror tradition, the evil which lurks within its pages is older still – a timeless shadow which is at one with the landscape and soil, a malevolent folk figure which has terrified the villagers for centuries and which returns to curse the ‘city outsiders’ who naively try to live a dream of a simple country life.

Buckley’s/Hurley’s protagonists, Richard and Juliette relocate from Leeds to the rural house which used to belong to Richard’s parents. Richard is not too keen on this move, particularly since it evokes memories of his father’s final mental breakdown. Juliette, however, fantasizes about their little son Ewan playing with the village children, and about raising a family of rascally young Willoughbys far from the hustle and bustle of the city. These dreams are shattered when Ewan dies in circumstances which remain vague and unexplained. Juliette falls into a debilitating depression, whereas Richard, like his father before him, spends days digging in the soil of the neighbouring “Starve Acre”, unearthing animal bones and what look like the roots of an ancient “hanging tree”. A well-meaning friend introduces the couple to a local mystic who conducts a séance-like ceremony in the house. It all goes horribly wrong, leading to the novella’s chilling denouement.

The story’s narrative is deftly handled, shifting seamlessly between the grief-soaked present of the Willoughbys, flashbacks to Ewan’s disturbed final months and half-remembered legends of bogeymen of English folklore. Throughout, there is an aura of dread and menace, occasionally flaring into bursts of graphic, gut-wrenching violence. What I particularly liked about “Starve Acre” is a sense of ambiguity which it shares with some classic ghost and horror stories including, to name just one famous example, Oliver Onions’ The Beckoning Fair One. Thus, it can be read literally as a supernatural tale or, at another level, as a study of a descent into madness and obsession, its otherworldly elements merely the morbid imaginings of sick minds. Either way, it’s as creepy as hell.

http://endsoftheword.blogspot.com/201... ...more

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Nov 28, 2019 Andy Weston rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: ghost-story, horror, british-literature

I’m disappointed by this. I’ve read quite a bit of folk horror recently and the best of it has been original and compelling, this is neither.
It’s pretty typical fare as British ghost stories go these days; a couple grieving after their recently deceased young child, having not long ago moved into an isolated house in a Yorkshire Dale in which the husband’s father had died.
Intriguing though is that two novels called Starve Acre have been published within 6 months of each other by two differen ...more

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Sep 28, 2020 Andy rated it really liked it · review of another edition

I read Hurley's first novel "The Loney" some years ago and thoroughly enjoyed it. This one is quite good as well, and shares Hurley's seeming affection for slow-building atmosphere and desolate locales. This too is another slow-burn with a mood of grief, mental illness, anticipation and shivery winter. It recalls most English ghost stories -- a country house, a séance and a ghost(?) with a touch of folk-horror.

The story centers around a couple who are mourning their son Ewan who died unexpectedl ...more

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Oct 31, 2019 Bookread2day rated it liked it · review of another edition

Starve Acre by Andrew Michael Hurley is an interesting tale. As reading one of the comments on the back cover I thought that I might get shivers feelings, as like to freak me out. But I didn't find the scenes frightening enough for me. I think I was more expecting to experience much more sinister ghostly atmosphere, to send chills right through me, but I didn't experience any of that.

However Richard and Juliette's son Ewan did give me that edgy feeling with things that he disclosed to his fathe ...more

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Apr 27, 2020 Bella rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction, horror

I flew through this creepy and gothic tale, it's so well paced. The setting and the characters were very evocative and the claustrophobic atmosphere of the house was so tense. It does such a good job of balancing the supernatural elements of the story with the grief and terror of parents reeling from loss. I enjoy this author's writing a lot and this was a great read that will stay with me. ...more

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Oct 30, 2019 Rob Twinem rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Andrew Michael Hurley is an author I have come to admire very much. He uses the wild rugged unpredictable Lancastrian coast (The Loney) and the beautiful desolate Yorkshire dales as a setting for Starve Acre his latest novel. His stories cross a number of genres, part contemporary gothic whith elements of horror, the supernatural, and local forklore with a dash of superstition. It works extremely well Starve Acre is a delightful unsettling novel to read.

Juliette and Richard move to the family h ...more

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Nov 29, 2020 uk rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: ghost_story

A quite exceptional, unobtrusive tale of wonder, menace, and silent horror. Great.

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Sep 11, 2019 Don Jimmy Reviews rated it really liked it · review of another edition

From the start of this book, I wasn’t too sure what to make of it. I’m not sure I was enjoying it to be honest but there was something about it that kept me going – it’s also short – almost a novella – so there’s the possibility that I thought to myself that it wouldn’t take too long whether I liked it or not. Then something surprising happened. It sucked me in.

What we have here is a story that is dark and atmospheric. At times the story is frightening, and I had that “walking over my grave” fee ...more

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About Andrew Michael Hurley

Andrew Michael Hurley

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Andrew Michael Hurley (born 1975) is a British writer whose debut novel, The Loney, was published in a limited edition of 278 copies on 1 October 2014 by Tartarus Press[ and was published under Hodder and Stoughton's John Murray imprint in 2015. ...more

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