Barrowbeck by Andrew Michael Hurley A Book Review by Tony Jones
‘Barrowbeck’ fails to hit the heights of
Andrew Michael Hurley’s earlier fiction
In the UK, Andrew Michael Hurley is a significant force in the revival of folk horror With his outstanding debut The Loney (2015) being both a commercial and critical hit (winning the Costa First Novel) after initially being released on a tiny print-run of 300 copies. Hurley’s second novel, Devil’s Day (2017), was equally startling, but his third book, Starve Acre (2019), is my favourite. And I look forward to catching the film version soon. This startling short novel was initially released as a minimal edition under the pseudonym Jonathan Buckley. And it is a pitch-perfect exercise in mounting terror when a young family realise there is either something psychologically wrong with his son or a dark presence is haunting him. Bleak does not begin to describe this terrifying novel.
Having been a huge fan of Hurley’s earlier work, I found Barrowbeck to be a massive disappointment.
It retains its usual folk horror hallmarks, including remote north of England landscapes, threatening surroundings, local superstitions, village life and the occasional whiff of a cult. However, the manner in which the plodding story is framed failed to ignite and just when some of them were getting interesting it jumps forward into the next time period. As it jumps from ancient times into, eventually, the near future there was just no time for character development. And I already struggling to remember the characters who featured in the earlier sections. They were far from memorable.
For a novel in the horror genre, ‘Barrowbeck’ is surprisingly devoid of any real scares. Even though there is a certain level of ominous atmosphere surrounding the Barrowbeck location. It is not enough to carry the book. The opening sections, which detail the sinister history of the local area, actually kill the atmosphere and fail to hold the reader’s attention.
A ‘cursed land’ scenario alone is not enough to hold a novel together. And despite its brevity, the lack of substantial connections between the stories makes it a monotonous read.
The sections (or stories) occur in 1445, 1792, 1899, 1922, 1938, 1970, 1984, 1995, 2010, 2022, 2029 and 2041. I found them more engaging as they became more modern, moving away from the drudgery of farming the land and superstitions. Some sections were more connected to the ‘cursed land’ story arc. The themes covered included local superstitions, prophecies, the effects of the First World War, prophecies, strange customs and small glimpses (not enough) of the supernatural.
Some parts felt like short stories, or with slight rewrites, could be presented as such. There is nothing wrong with this, and An Afternoon of Cake and Lemonade (1970) was one of the most vital parts about a family who helps a disabled boy, but just when the story gets interesting, it ends. Covenant (2029) was also impressive; a doctor new to the village tries to embrace its strange customs while knowing her husband is having an affair.
Again, it ends just when it looks to be getting spicy.
I did enjoy the final section, A Valediction (2041), which is a very un-Hurley-style ending that worked well and circled back to the beginning. Even though Barrowbeck stirred on a moment, for the most part, this was a frustrating, monotonous, plodding read. And not up to the high standard of Andrew Michael Hurley’s three earlier novels.
A Book Review by Tony Jones
Barrowbeck by Andrew Michael Hurley
For centuries, the inhabitants of Barrowbeck, a remote valley on the Yorkshire-Lancashire border, have lived uneasily with forces beyond their reckoning. They raise their families, work the land, and do their best to welcome those who come seeking respite. But there is a darkness that runs through the village as persistently as the river.
A father fears that his daughter has become possessed by something unholy.
A childless couple must make an agonising decision.
A widower awaits the return of his wife.
A troubled man is haunted by visions of end times.
As one generation gives way to the next and ancient land is carved up in the name of progress, darkness gathers. The people of Barrowbeck have forgotten that they are but guests in the valley. Now there is a price to pay. Two thousand years of history is coming to an end.
