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A review by peterplaysguitar
The Haar by David Sodergren
dark
emotional
funny
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? Yes
4.5
Recommended if you like: Creature features with lots of splatter; Touching love stories; Dark humor; David & Goliath-type narratives
Avoid if you dislike: Gratuitous descriptions of bodily trauma and self-harm; Depraved sexual situations; Sexism; Ageism; Unambiguous morality
Don't be fooled by a novel with an 84-year-old lady as its protagonist; The Haar splatters readers with blood and goo without restraint. David Sodergren holds nothing back in this raucous revenge fantasy.
Muriel McAuley is an aging widow at her wits end. She's tired of fighting the eviction efforts of a famous billionaire (insert your most hated 1%er here) and his land development project that is taking over her lifelong hometown of Witchaven, Scotland. The machines run day and night, and the few residents left in the once quiet town are scared, angry, and faltering in their resolve. Everything changes when Muriel stumbles upon an aberration of nature that might help her fight back.
What ensues is gory, bone-splitting chaos that is not for the faint of heart. The opening line of the novel is one for the ages, but still fails to fully prepare the reader for what's to come:
Avoid if you dislike: Gratuitous descriptions of bodily trauma and self-harm; Depraved sexual situations; Sexism; Ageism; Unambiguous morality
Don't be fooled by a novel with an 84-year-old lady as its protagonist; The Haar splatters readers with blood and goo without restraint. David Sodergren holds nothing back in this raucous revenge fantasy.
Muriel McAuley is an aging widow at her wits end. She's tired of fighting the eviction efforts of a famous billionaire (insert your most hated 1%er here) and his land development project that is taking over her lifelong hometown of Witchaven, Scotland. The machines run day and night, and the few residents left in the once quiet town are scared, angry, and faltering in their resolve. Everything changes when Muriel stumbles upon an aberration of nature that might help her fight back.
What ensues is gory, bone-splitting chaos that is not for the faint of heart. The opening line of the novel is one for the ages, but still fails to fully prepare the reader for what's to come:
"Muriel Margaret McAuley was eighty-four years old the first time she saw a man turned inside-out by a sea monster."
Yet, I don't think anything Sodergren could've written in the first act would have properly prepared me for the journey. And the ensuing violence couldn't prepare me for how darkly comedic and emotionally powerful the story was, either.
Sodergren does not operate in subtleties or the morally gray, but I had to marvel at how accurate the characters felt to the modern social climate. The bad guys are comically awful to the point of caricature, but it all feels within the realm of possibility. Rich people throwing their money around to subvert laws and decency is all too familiar. The good folks remaining to fight for their home are proud but all too aware of the hopelessness of the situation.
The Haar's setup follows a familiar conflict, but with that added help from the supernatural, it finally feels like a fair fight. If only we were all so lucky.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Bullying, Cursing, Death, Gore, Self harm, Torture, Violence, Blood, Grief, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Classism
Moderate: Child abuse, Child death, Sexual content, Fire/Fire injury