Review: Winterset Hollow

4 stars. To quote myself in the theater immediately after seeing Mother!: I think that was a metaphor for something. 

It was great - unusual, entertaining, funny and dark - but we have a lot to unpack.

Eamon and his two best friends, Mark and Caroline, decide to go on a day trip to visit their favorite author's old home: Addington Island. Its one-time inhabitant was inspired to write a popular book about animals having a feast on the island, and the story spoke to each of them in different, special ways. But after an apparently harmless afternoon of exploring, they realize that there's more to the island - and the story - than it seems.

Let's talk about the very, very good: the premise, and the depiction of the animals. They were perfectly characterized and I could feel them jump out from the pages of my beloved classics. I loved the twist and the intense chase/fight scenes. I truly was unsure how it would all end, and the bones of it were plotted nicely.

Let's talk about the maybe not as good: the author's writing style. It's pretty purple, pretty flowery, and while that results in some truly beautiful passages, it also results in what feels like... overwriting, or a distraction from the tension. There is also, as others have mentioned, a lot of head-hopping, which definitely tripped me up.

But back to the metaphor: I've seen conflicting reports on how successful or sensitive this author has been in representing the tragedy of colonization. I'm in no position to praise or complain. I would simply contribute that I thought this book asked really important questions, and threw out some fascinating answers.

Okay. We all know that I am pretty triggered by animal deaths and I will dock a star for a UDD. In this case I kind of sort of knew what I was getting into, and I'm not going to dock a star because every death in this story I would categorize as necessary. I absolutely, 100% got emotional - but in a good way, if that makes sense? These deaths were beautifully gorgeous and heartbreaking.

Would I have loved a happy ending for everyone? A return to the Hollow? Eamon as the island's caretaker? A celebratory, peaceful feast? Of course. I hoped. But this is basically a slasher horror/dark fantasy. This story gathered familiar aspects of our reading pasts and proceeded to chop them into little pieces. The animals grew up, suffered darkness, and learned to wield it themselves.

An amazing, incredible, savage debut.

Winterset Hollow on: Amazon | Bookshop.org | Goodreads