What a hauntingly beautiful, disturbing, poignant book. I’ll be honest, I picked this book up 100% because the author has continued to be all over writer social media, second probably only to someone called @TaraWineQueen in pure screenshots-per-day. I didn’t really know what to expect in any sense, regarding genre, quality, or style, and let me tell you, I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed this relatively short novel on all fronts.
Content Warning: Very violent, and heavy subject matter.
The Basics:
Title: Winterset Hollow
Author: Jonathan Edward Durham
Genre: Horror, Fantasy, Literature, Drama
Published: Credo House, 2021
Spoiler-Free(?) Summary:
Winterset Hollow has such a twist, it will be hard to summarize the action without ruining it for you. Let’s just say, for now, that it’s a book about many things. It’s about the disillusionment of meeting your heroes. It’s about how hurt people hurt people in a continuing cascade of trauma, and how understandable motives don’t make it ok. It’s about the death of innocense and nostalgia. It’s unapologitically, starkly decolonized. It’s about the near impossibility of true restoration and the futility of revenge.
If that’s enough for you, I would encourage you to skip down to the Why You’ll Love It section. If you don’t mind spoilers, or must know more right now, skip past the spoiler sign and continue.
Eamon and his friends share a deep love for the in-text novel Winterset Hollow. Excerpts in our real-life book by the same name are written as an epic poem, equal parts Redwall and Tolkien. When they receive an invitation to a celebration at their favorite author’s home, they jump at the opportunity. They join a half-dozen other superfans and sail a few hours from the coast to the island home of the reclusive author.
Rather than a human author, they meet the literal characters from the book: anthropomorphic animals of considerable but indeterminate age who may or may not be the embodiment of (or inspiration for) indigenous American spirit-animal myths. They wine and dine their human guests in celebration of the quaint in-book holiday, Barley Day.
But things are not what they seem, and take a dark, bloody turn. Eamon and friends must endure the fight of their lives to survive their trip down nostalgia lane. Along the way, they uncover the mystery of the strange living characters, the missing author, and Eamon’s enigmatic past.
Why You Will Love This Book
Depending on your perspective, Durham either breaks a major literary rule, or, goes hard against modern trends. The entire novel hops heads like an 80’s platformer videogame, or, if you prefer, is written in a very classic, omniscient narrator style. He really makes it work, and proves that every so-called rule is made to be broken. The way we view each scene from multiple perspectives highlights the shades-of-gray themes throughout.
Durham writes villains exceptionally well. You will sympathize deeply with them, even as you recoil from their terrible actions.
The prose is lyrical and lilting, which contrasts nicely with the intense thriller of a plot. It’s the sweet-and-salty of novels. Rarely have I encountered a book so well-balanced, so equally action-packed, beautifully written, and emotionally impactful. I enjoyed the heck out of it, and strongly recommend you at least read or listen to a preview.
Where Can You Find More?
I know you know, savvy reader, where to buy books. I recommend you keep an eye on the author’s website for upcoming releases.
Happy reading, folks.
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