Winterwood by Patrick McCabe. © 2008 Bloomsbury Publishing. ISBN 9781596915138. Paperback. Horror. 256 pages. $14.95 US. Source: purchased

Synopsis: In this chilling and unforgettable novel, Patrick McCabe shows us that nothing—and no one—is ever quite what they seem. Shortlisted for the Irish Book Award for Novel of the Year, Winterwood is a disturbing tale of love, death, and identity.

Review: One (professional) reviewer said he felt like he needed to take a bath after reading this book. I really have to agree with him. This was a wonderfully written book, the words just rolled off the page with the lyricism of a poet. But dear god it creeped me out, and not in a good way. Mind you, I *like* being creeped out. I love ghost stories. But the ghost of Ned Strange just inhabits the book the way he inhabits Redmond and it might leave you up at night.

So while I give this book high marks for the writing and for getting inside the head of someone possessed by the horrors of a dead man and driven to, well, things, I’m not entirely sure I can actually recommend this book to many people. It depends on what the reader can take.

Shop Indie Bookstores or Order Online from Amazon

Jennifer

Jennifer works as a production editor for a major publishing company in NYC but will not review any books put out by the company (under any imprint) on this site since that can be considered a conflict of interest. Areas of interest include Robin Hood, pirates, zombies (and horror in general), Beowulf (and other early English literature, though Beowulf has a soft spot in her heart), medieval history, Celtic history and literature, history of diseases, and some odd subjects like bog bodies. She lives in New Jersey with a husband and a cat. You can find her on LibraryThing, Twitter, and Goodreads.

More Posts - Website