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A review by darklordberto
The Haar by David Sodergren
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Full disclosure: I have a hardcore love affair with Scotland. I’ve traveled there multiple times, my wife and I were married there, and it has a special place in my heart. So this could have been the worst book ever published and it would’ve still scraped 2 stars from me just for being Scottish. Fortunately, that isn’t the case. The Haar is an excellent book.
The story follows Muriel McAuley, an elderly widow living alone in a tiny village on the coast of Scotland, while she struggles desperately along with a handful of neighbors to stop an American billionaire developer from plowing under the town to build a golf course. Constantly haunted by memories of her dead husband, she stumbles upon a mysterious entity on the beach after a particularly dense bout of fog. She brings it home to care for it and as her struggles against time, “progress,” and heartbreak continue she starts to see that her decision may be both a blessing and a curse.
This is my first time reading David Sodergren, and I chose this one after it was recommended to me for my love of folk horror. It’s a quick read (for me that means 5 days) and relatively fast paced but despite that it has a significant emotional impact. Sodergren’s description of Muriel’s life and environment is perfect because Scotland absolutely holds equal measures of romance and danger and he finds a perfect balance of both. Muriel’s relationship with her husband is deep, touching and heartbreaking and I found myself connecting with her character very quickly. The horror aspect of the story is flawless, the entity in question is unique and fresh, its motivations and actions are both primal and compassionate. There is A LOT of gore and body horror. A lot. But it’s excellent. I was so happy to have an elderly, female protagonist instead of a standard middle aged man or woman or teen final girl style main character. Muriel’s age adds so much to the quality of the story and empathy that builds for the reader. I enjoyed the villain, a very familiar yet slightly less orange American figure. It feels odd calling a book in which a man’s genitals are melted off his body “romantic” but it is, it’s romantic. A very Scottish type of romance. Just do yourself a favor and read it, it is an infinitely rewarding story - if you can stomach it.
The story follows Muriel McAuley, an elderly widow living alone in a tiny village on the coast of Scotland, while she struggles desperately along with a handful of neighbors to stop an American billionaire developer from plowing under the town to build a golf course. Constantly haunted by memories of her dead husband, she stumbles upon a mysterious entity on the beach after a particularly dense bout of fog. She brings it home to care for it and as her struggles against time, “progress,” and heartbreak continue she starts to see that her decision may be both a blessing and a curse.
This is my first time reading David Sodergren, and I chose this one after it was recommended to me for my love of folk horror. It’s a quick read (for me that means 5 days) and relatively fast paced but despite that it has a significant emotional impact. Sodergren’s description of Muriel’s life and environment is perfect because Scotland absolutely holds equal measures of romance and danger and he finds a perfect balance of both. Muriel’s relationship with her husband is deep, touching and heartbreaking and I found myself connecting with her character very quickly. The horror aspect of the story is flawless, the entity in question is unique and fresh, its motivations and actions are both primal and compassionate. There is A LOT of gore and body horror. A lot. But it’s excellent. I was so happy to have an elderly, female protagonist instead of a standard middle aged man or woman or teen final girl style main character. Muriel’s age adds so much to the quality of the story and empathy that builds for the reader. I enjoyed the villain, a very familiar yet slightly less orange American figure. It feels odd calling a book in which a man’s genitals are melted off his body “romantic” but it is, it’s romantic. A very Scottish type of romance. Just do yourself a favor and read it, it is an infinitely rewarding story - if you can stomach it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Sexual content, Violence, Blood, Grief, Murder, Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Classism