The Haar: A Horror Novel

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who seems to be able to buy off the local Scottish police and news reporters with all his dirty American money... I did not expect David to give me another amazing unexpected story, yet here we are. When you have been loving every book by an author, you are scared that the next one might not meet your expectations. I did feel the build up did take quite long, I felt I was waiting and waiting for something dramatic to happen. Eventually it did. It wasn’t quite what I was expecting. There was a small explanation as to why these circumstances had arisen, but I felt there were a few holes that definitely needed filling. For me it’s a slasher for no real reason, and I think those reasons could have gone into more detail. The characters are 3-dimensional people-the dialog is authentic and compelling-serving to develop their personas but also give life to the scene. I found myself laughing out loud a few times reading, NIGHT SHOOT and I remember having a similar experience with his previous novel. I received my copy of The Haar as part of my Abominable Book Club Bare Bones subscription so this is my first time of reading David’s work, and it is an impressive novella of folk horror and love that can outlast death.

Sodergren has a great feel for pacing, building up main character Elspeth so that she feels completely relatable, even when she is at her most vulnerable. I loved the moments in the book that are edging on meta, taking digs at bad horror movie tropes (What’s with all the unnecessary nudity and showering?) and really hammering home all those points we love and love to hate about watching horror on the screen.The book becomes even worse in regards to the characters, because there's barely any likable ones in this bunch. Almost every single character is so absolutely odious in one way or another that it becomes irritating to read, and I know many people say slasher genre victims are supposed to be unlikable so the viewer/reader can root for the killer, but I disagree; I don't want to root for any killer, I want to care about the people who are in danger, I want to be invested in their fates. When they're this painfully unlikable, I don't look forward to them getting killed, I just put the book down because it's so annoying to read. it's why it took me literal weeks to get through this book.

Since the publication of his first novel, The Forgotten Island, he has written and published a further eight novels, including the gore-soaked folk-horror Maggie's Grave and the romantic and disturbing The Haar. Night Shoot is wildly entertaining. If you’re not laughing, you’re scared out of your mind. A final girl story people will be talking about for a long time.”The characters were well developed, especially given the length of the novel. I particularly appreciated the inclusion of some queer representation with a lesbian relationship prominently displayed at the beginning of the novel. Since the publication of his first novel, The Forgotten Island, he has written and published a further five novels, from slashers to gialli to folk horror to weird westerns. He is currently working on several more novels, including a trilogy of violent revenge stories to be published in 2022. Because it’s another one of those films that begins with a dynamite sequence of horror and then flails around like a fish out of water for the rest of its runtime. But let’s enjoy the good while it lasts. That main character, Muriel McAuley, is by far the best part of the book. Sodergren dedicates the novel to his grandmother, and it’s clear he took much inspiration from what he knew to create Muriel. Mrs. ( not Miss) McAuley feels like someone I would meet. I wouldn’t be surprised if one day she stepped out from this novel into the real world. Her fierce yet loving personality can only be endearing to the reader, and her desperation to keep her home and see her missing husband’s face one last time creates a pathos that will stay with you for a long time. I’m going to say nothing else - you’ll know by now if you’re a fan of his work. And if you have yet to discover the genius that is Sodergren, just know that Maggie’s Grave is one of the best horror novels I’ve read this year (it sits behind only The Fisherman). Basically you need it!