tillandsia 's review for:

Wakenhyrst by Michelle Paver

4.0

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I bought this because it was recommended at the till at Waterstones without knowing anything about the book or the author, and I expected light entertainment at best. It was, however, a really good book that was hard to put down, not just because of the suspenseful plot, but also due to the quality of the writing. Michelle Paver has an incredible skill for creating an atmosphere: the oppressive, ominous milieu of Wake's End engulfs the reader after the first few pages and doesn't release them until the end. The characters are well formed and interesting, and Paver manages to make the main character likeable while not hiding her flaws either. Besides the plot itself, the main focus of the book is the oppression of women in a patriarchal society, but it avoids being overburdened by social commentary by not overexplaining things. Combining the motifs of medieval legend, horrific murder, maddening guilt and oppressive religion, it is an excellent take on the genre of the gothic novel, and its sometimes brutal honesty about the ways in which women's bodies are exploited gives it additional depth. All in all, a great read.