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A review by eyeowna
Hagstone by Sinéad Gleeson
fast-paced
2.0
This book had all the pieces for a fantastic book but didn’t come together for me.
Okay so first the positives: the writing style is lovely. There are some weird moments that I think needed more time in the editing process (lack of clarity in dialog, random references to the Somme and war even though people have cellphones??? What’s up with the time period here). But Gleeson’s writing is beautiful still. The nature writing is so so good, I really enjoyed the descriptions of living on the island. There are many moments in the novel that were a treat to read. I don’t regret reading this book because of the vivid setting. I liked the main character and her art process up to a point, but started to dislike her when I got frustrated at the pointlessness of the rest of the novel.
My frustrations: Nothing really mattered in the end. Creepy things were just (mildly) creepy, unexplained, and had no impact on the plot. There’s a strange sound that echoes through the island setting that only some people can hear, that once notably causes mass bleeding for all afab people there. But that’s not important and…. nothing comes about from that.
The antagonist (if they can be called that) seems cartoonish and one dimensional. Their motivations and mental spiral are not explained or understandable. A lot of the novel is focused on the main character’s romantic relationships and … these relationships just fizzle out/go nowhere.
Honestly, this novel reads more like a slice of life of an artist who lives on a remote island more than anything else. The title, cover, and synopsis all suggest a kind of folk horror experience, or at least something that has some kind of meaning or commentary on culture/womanhood with a supernatural bent to it. For me, it’s fine if a book like this isn’t actually horror/has supernatural elements, but nothing ever fully “arrived” at some sort of meaning or significance. Lots of moving parts, all somewhat disconnected or undeveloped (except for the setting). I wanted to love this book but unfortunately was disappointed. I’m still interested in checking out Gleeson’s other work—I might like her nonfiction more than her storytelling as I do think her writing is beautiful.
Okay so first the positives: the writing style is lovely. There are some weird moments that I think needed more time in the editing process (lack of clarity in dialog, random references to the Somme and war even though people have cellphones??? What’s up with the time period here). But Gleeson’s writing is beautiful still. The nature writing is so so good, I really enjoyed the descriptions of living on the island. There are many moments in the novel that were a treat to read. I don’t regret reading this book because of the vivid setting. I liked the main character and her art process up to a point, but started to dislike her when I got frustrated at the pointlessness of the rest of the novel.
My frustrations: Nothing really mattered in the end. Creepy things were just (mildly) creepy, unexplained, and had no impact on the plot. There’s a strange sound that echoes through the island setting that only some people can hear, that once notably causes mass bleeding for all afab people there. But that’s not important and…. nothing comes about from that.
The antagonist (if they can be called that) seems cartoonish and one dimensional. Their motivations and mental spiral are not explained or understandable. A lot of the novel is focused on the main character’s romantic relationships and … these relationships just fizzle out/go nowhere.
Honestly, this novel reads more like a slice of life of an artist who lives on a remote island more than anything else. The title, cover, and synopsis all suggest a kind of folk horror experience, or at least something that has some kind of meaning or commentary on culture/womanhood with a supernatural bent to it. For me, it’s fine if a book like this isn’t actually horror/has supernatural elements, but nothing ever fully “arrived” at some sort of meaning or significance. Lots of moving parts, all somewhat disconnected or undeveloped (except for the setting). I wanted to love this book but unfortunately was disappointed. I’m still interested in checking out Gleeson’s other work—I might like her nonfiction more than her storytelling as I do think her writing is beautiful.