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3.86 AVERAGE
3.86 AVERAGE
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Now that is a folk horror!
A slow burn with exquisite writing. The sense of place was excellent - I found the author’s description of the environment, landscape, and woods exceptionally well done - I felt like I was there in the woods, particularly.
I’ve been so underwhelmed by recent folk horror but this book has reminded me how awesome it can be when it’s done well!
A slow burn with exquisite writing. The sense of place was excellent - I found the author’s description of the environment, landscape, and woods exceptionally well done - I felt like I was there in the woods, particularly.
I’ve been so underwhelmed by recent folk horror but this book has reminded me how awesome it can be when it’s done well!
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Miscarriage, Sexual assault, Pregnancy
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Grey Dog has been on my TBR for a while and I figured this spooky fall season was the perfect time to finally give it a read. I really enjoyed the novel, and I found that I continuously wanted to find out what would happen next and what was tormenting Ada.
I'm a bit conflicted about my rating here! I feel like I had a good time reading, and I enjoyed how atmospheric and well-written the book was. However, I do feel a bit dissatisfied with the plot itself. I was very interested in what exactly was happening, and I thought we would receive a little bit more of an explanation. Ultimately, I don't think we really got very many answers at all.
I don't know if this is a spoiler, so I'll say be cautious reading further. The titular "Grey Dog" is the entity causing the events of the story, though it's never really clear what the Grey Dog is or what it wants. It's described at wanting women like Ada, women who have anger and strangeness buried beneath a calm, agreeable exterior. It's not really explained why the Grey Dog wants these women and what happens to them. I don't know if I really need it to be explained?
Usually, I'm fairly open to ambiguous entities. I don't necessarily need to know the exact nature or motivations of whatever monster is haunting the narrative, but I feel like the Grey Dog doesn't really have a presence in the story. Ada doesn't really see him, and she doesn't really hear him barking or howling. She is afflicted by events she can't understand, but Ada's experience with the Grey Dog is more about it's voice calling her. I just feel like there was some missed opportunity to give the main entity of this story some presence, but instead we were focused on a different kind of horror.
The horror of being a woman in the 1900's... Ada is a spinster, an older unmarried woman, and as such she is the property of her father. She is expected to act perfectly, especially because she committed an indiscretion at her last teaching post that threatened to ruin her reputation. I don't think it's a huge twist to say that Ada is gay, however I was surprised with how the "incident" in her past played out. It was unexpected, and I appreciated that. We get to learn a good amount about the people of Lowry Bridge, but I don't think very much of it contributes to the story. They were mostly just notable people to turn against her as she descended further into the grip of the Grey Dog.
Ada's relationship with Agnes is interesting, and I think there's something there symbolically... Though, I do wonder if the author is perhaps unintentionally falling into stereotypes about the predatory lesbian. The relationship Agnes has with Ada ultimately destroys Agnes' life. I don't know if the meaning is meant to surround Agnes as the pastor's wife, or if it's meant to symbolize Ada breaking from the last meaningful ties in her life to be with the Grey Dog. There's a lot of analysis to be done with this book. Maybe I'll read it again.
I will say that the pacing is quite slow. If you're looking for a very frightening or fast-paced horror I would recommend you look elsewhere. Nothing supernatural really happens until nearly a hundred pages into the book, but I liked the building up of Ada's character. When we did get to the spooky parts I thought they were enjoyable and well-written.
I would recommend Grey Dog, though I would warn that it's almost less of a horror and more historical fiction for most of it's length. I enjoyed it, and I hope you enjoy it too.
I'm a bit conflicted about my rating here! I feel like I had a good time reading, and I enjoyed how atmospheric and well-written the book was. However, I do feel a bit dissatisfied with the plot itself. I was very interested in what exactly was happening, and I thought we would receive a little bit more of an explanation. Ultimately, I don't think we really got very many answers at all.
I don't know if this is a spoiler, so I'll say be cautious reading further. The titular "Grey Dog" is the entity causing the events of the story, though it's never really clear what the Grey Dog is or what it wants. It's described at wanting women like Ada, women who have anger and strangeness buried beneath a calm, agreeable exterior. It's not really explained why the Grey Dog wants these women and what happens to them. I don't know if I really need it to be explained?
Usually, I'm fairly open to ambiguous entities. I don't necessarily need to know the exact nature or motivations of whatever monster is haunting the narrative, but I feel like the Grey Dog doesn't really have a presence in the story. Ada doesn't really see him, and she doesn't really hear him barking or howling. She is afflicted by events she can't understand, but Ada's experience with the Grey Dog is more about it's voice calling her. I just feel like there was some missed opportunity to give the main entity of this story some presence, but instead we were focused on a different kind of horror.
The horror of being a woman in the 1900's... Ada is a spinster, an older unmarried woman, and as such she is the property of her father. She is expected to act perfectly, especially because she committed an indiscretion at her last teaching post that threatened to ruin her reputation. I don't think it's a huge twist to say that Ada is gay, however I was surprised with how the "incident" in her past played out. It was unexpected, and I appreciated that. We get to learn a good amount about the people of Lowry Bridge, but I don't think very much of it contributes to the story. They were mostly just notable people to turn against her as she descended further into the grip of the Grey Dog.
Ada's relationship with Agnes is interesting, and I think there's something there symbolically... Though, I do wonder if the author is perhaps unintentionally falling into stereotypes about the predatory lesbian. The relationship Agnes has with Ada ultimately destroys Agnes' life. I don't know if the meaning is meant to surround Agnes as the pastor's wife, or if it's meant to symbolize Ada breaking from the last meaningful ties in her life to be with the Grey Dog. There's a lot of analysis to be done with this book. Maybe I'll read it again.
I will say that the pacing is quite slow. If you're looking for a very frightening or fast-paced horror I would recommend you look elsewhere. Nothing supernatural really happens until nearly a hundred pages into the book, but I liked the building up of Ada's character. When we did get to the spooky parts I thought they were enjoyable and well-written.
I would recommend Grey Dog, though I would warn that it's almost less of a horror and more historical fiction for most of it's length. I enjoyed it, and I hope you enjoy it too.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Miscarriage, Misogyny
Moderate: Sexual assault, Sexual content
dark
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Sexual assault