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Lucie McKnight Hardy

Autor/a de Water Shall Refuse Them

4+ obres 126 Membres 4 Ressenyes

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Obres de Lucie McKnight Hardy

Water Shall Refuse Them (2019) 94 exemplars
Jutland 2 exemplars

Obres associades

Best British Short Stories 2019 (2019) — Col·laborador — 18 exemplars
Uncertainties Volume IV (2020) — Col·laborador — 7 exemplars
Great British Horror 6: Ars Gratia Sanguis (2021) — Col·laborador — 4 exemplars

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Coneixement comú

Gènere
female

Membres

Ressenyes

‘’There’s a special time of day, when light is caught in limbo. Dusk: that time when the twilight dips to a level where light and dark start to merge, and everything takes on a silvery, ghost-like sheen, when it’s difficult to tell where one thing ends and another begins, and the lines of things are all blurred together.’’

Nif and her family travel to Wales for a summer break. Fate has struck a terrible blow within the heart of the family and a change will hopefully be the herald of a turning point in their lives. But not all changes are welcome. Nif is standing at a crossroads, neither a girl nor a woman. Her parents are drawing in a sea of tension and a peculiar boy seems to haunt her steps. As the 1976 heatwave unfolds, Nif has to place her trust in herself, her Creed, and…Is there actually anything or anyone else she can trust? Your own self seems to be the only safe refuge.

Or is it?

‘’When I was younger, I used to see if I could make myself cry by imagining myself dead.’’

Lucie McKnight Hardy creates a story whose layers reveal themselves page after page, and then they withdraw in a lyrical, eerie hide-and-seek. A girl is coming of age in the most conflicting circumstances while being a ‘’mother’’ to her little brother. Her mother is spending her days in an endless limbo, her father shuts the door to all his problems, willing them to - magically - go away. The village is populated by harsh people, stuck in a dark past. Her neighbours seem enticing but the cracks are visible. And where is this much-needed escape?

Written in elegant, atmospheric prose with inspiration from the vast wealth of British Folk Horror, with eerie scenes that will haunt your mind (the ‘’exorcism’’ of the house is a masterpiece in itself!), Water Shall Refuse Them is an outstanding novel of loss, despair, guilt, bewilderment, isolation.

A haunting folk tale of mysticism, sensuality and sorrow…

‘’What do you think about when you wake up in the middle of the night, when the light has gone and the darkness is everywhere?’’

My reviews can also be found on https://theopinionatedreaderblog.wordpress.com/
… (més)
2 vota
Marcat
AmaliaGavea | Hi ha 2 ressenyes més | May 17, 2022 |
‘’The garden lies quiet, as if it's sleeping. Nothing grows this late in November, and everything is sad and grey. The only thing of beauty is the lake that lies at the bottom of the slope, glittering and winking in the last of the sunlight. I trudge back to the house. I must prepare for their arrival of the Ladies.’’

In Lucie McKnight Hardy’s eerie, unsettling, exquisite stories, the danger is lurking inside our home, within the soul of what should have been our protective family. Motherhood is not the be-all and end-all of a woman’s existence. Of course, it isn’t. There is popular belief and preconceptions and then, there is real life. Real life plagued by mortal and immortal spectres, curses and crimes. By a society that oppresses its citizens. By estrangement and terror. And yet, hope does exist. Weak and fragile and frail but it IS there to sustain and support us.

This collection is a treasure. An enchanting journey into darkness and despair. And love. The only power that can prevent our demise…

Dead Relatives: In a story that confuses and enchants you in the most twisted way, we meet Iris, a young girl who lives in a house that provides shelter to Ladies. That is, to women with unfortunate pregnancies. But this isn't a House of Life. It is a House of death in which dead relatives need their peace and dead trees need to be fed. What a way to start a brilliant collection! The imagery will leave you breathless, and there is a distinctive Southern Gothic feeling permeating the narrative.

‘’It is the light that has brought them here. That cold, lucid light that trips in over the North Sea, bringing with it the threat of ice and nightmares. ‘’

Jutland: A couple with two children moves to Jutlan to satisfy the husband's ‘’artistic’’ needs. It is a rugged land. The house is old, and there seems to be something wrong with a boy that stands all alone next to the shore... My God, this story is… Perfect? Terrifying? All of the above?

Badgerface: The arrival of a soldier from Afghanistan brings back memories of loss and pain in a moving story with a young protagonist that will break your heart.

The Pickling Jar: In a small community, the death of each husband becomes an opportunity for a macabre cooking contest on the day of the funeral, with strict rules and suspicious ingredients…

Cavities: A visit to the dentist triggers childhood memories whose roots produced rotting fruit. A story full of sadness and cruelty. One of my favourites in an incredible collection.

Resting Bitch Face: A woman is caught between a rock and a hard place, between a good for nothing husband and an abusive father, between indifference and hostility. I won't forget this story anytime soon, the metaphors within the narrative provide ample food for thought and discussion.

The Puckering: A lyrical story steeped in sea folklore. Poetic and haunting, and so sad…

Parroting: A parrot unites a young boy and a mysterious old lady.

Cortona: A woman travels to Italy for her annual visit to Cortona, in the most tragic of pilgrimages. The way in which the story slowly unfolds is phenomenal!

Chooks Don’t Have Teeth: A teenage girl finds her anchor in the presence of a schoolmate’s mother since her own mum doesn’t seem able to provide the necessary support and understanding.

The Devil of Timanfaya: A family travels to the Canary Islands for their holidays, in a neighbourhood that hides a dark secret. This story gives me chills even now. One of the most striking Horror stories I’ve ever read, reminiscent of Robert Aickman and Daphne du Maurier.

Wretched: A story of love, resistance and the weak, flickering flame of Hope within the heart of a dystopian Britain ruled by a totalitarian regime.

The Birds of Nagasaki: A story of unbearable beauty and sadness. Of the sweet atmosphere of home and family. Of the terrors that may lurk underneath. Of the bond between siblings and the past that always haunts our steps…

‘’The flutter is still there in the darkness. I lie for a moment, absorbing the familiar rustle. It is neither comforting nor distressing, but has become an indelible part of my existence. My eyes have now become more accustomed to the darkness, and a pale halo glows around the window, the faintest indication of an outdoor, moonlit world.’’

My reviews can also be found on https://theopinionatedreaderblog.wordpress.com/
… (més)
 
Marcat
AmaliaGavea | May 3, 2022 |
Water shall refuse them is a short, tense novel that conveys the heat of summer on every page. 16 year old Nif and her family are living in a rented cottage in Wales for a month, in an attempt to get over the recent death of her younger sister. Nif has developed some rituals which she believes will give her power and control over her life and the world around her. She meets a boy in the village who seems to have similar tendencies; he and his mother are outsiders so it is natural for Nif and Mally to hang out. It soon becomes clear that Nif has some disturbing tendencies - the objects which are important to her Creed, as she calls it, were obtained through acts of cruelty to animals. And someone who is cruel to animals may treat humans the same ... There aren't actually any supernatural elements in the novel (well ... probably not) but the atmosphere is such that you feel things could be lurking below the surface of everyday life. The action takes place in the hot, dry summer of 1976 and the heat and dust pervade every scene, bringing the setting to life. This is a disturbing, well written, very effective book that will stay with me for a while.… (més)
2 vota
Marcat
Sakerfalcon | Hi ha 2 ressenyes més | Nov 12, 2019 |

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Estadístiques

Obres
4
També de
3
Membres
126
Popularitat
#159,216
Valoració
3.8
Ressenyes
4
ISBN
5

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