This was another read from Goodreads’ Horror Aficionados. I really enjoy being a member of that community because it introduces me to books and authors that I might not have heard of otherwise. And that is especially true for this book.
Named after the cold Scottish sea fog, Sodergren’s novel is set in the fictional fishing village of Witchaven. A village which has been bought by an evil billionaire, Patrick Grant, who plans to level the entire area and turn it into golf courses. Our protagonist, Muriel McAuley, is just one of the residents who have lived there their entire lives and refuse to move out. Grant has taken to offering the residents multi-millions for their land. We’re led to believe he’s offering well above what the properties are worth. And still, the residents are turning down the offers.
This Patrick Grant must be really desperate to play golf. I’ve never seen the appeal, myself. Spoils a good walk.
When the book opens, Muriel turns down an eye-watering amount of money to vacate her premises. Of course, Grant’s not there to offer the deal in person. He sends a suit for hire as his proxy. Muriel declines the offer and gives the suit a Scottish tongue-bashing for good measure. We learn early on that Muriel is not a delicate flower. She doesn’t mince her words and isn’t intimidated easily.
It quickly becomes apparent that Grant isn’t the kind of guy who’s used to taking no for an answer. He’s determined to flatten this village, and he will do whatever it takes to evacuate all the remaining residents.
This is a novel that immediately appealed to me for a couple of reasons. First of all, the setup. I felt that I could relate to it because I live in a village where the residents are currently fighting against plans for 350 new homes to be built on greenbelt land. Residents have genuine concerns about the senseless destruction of nature and the fact that there isn’t the infrastructure to support even fifty new homes, let alone 350. The roads are already clogged, and our schools and GPs are already oversubscribed. But it often feels like we’re fighting a losing battle. It feels like the government is against us, and the laws will just be ripped up and changed to suit those purposes. It’s a little bit different to golf courses and billionaires, but I felt like I could relate to Muriel in that respect.
Secondly, in his afterword, Sodergren states that Muriel was loosely based on his own grandmother, and he paints a picture of just a glimpse of the many happy memories he made with her. By the time I was twenty-four, I’d already lost all my grandparents. I think of them quite often and am grateful for many of the happy memories I have with them. None of my grandmothers were as foul-mouthed as Muriel McAuley, but I wouldn’t have complained if they were.
Sodergren’s book dedication even got a chuckle out of me: For my gran. You would not have liked this book at all. I’d never thought about it before, but I don’t think my nan would have liked many of the books I’ve read or written either.
My Goodreads rating: ★★★☆☆ (3 stars)
Buy the Book:
- Buy on Amazon
This is an affiliate link, which means I may earn a small commission if you buy through them, at no extra cost to you.
