Book review: A Forest, Darkly by A.G. Slatter -

Female rage is on the rise. We’re tired out and touched out and ready to tap out. I know I’m not alone amongst my friends in the occasional fantasy of retreating to an isolated cabin somewhere away from it all. In A.G. Slatter’s latest gothic folk horror novel, A Forest, Darkly, protagonist Mehab has done exactly this – she’s very satisfied living a solitary life in her veiled forest home. Except… it can maybe be a little lonely sometimes. And she does need a little bit of help getting things done, and some quiet company over the winter months doesn’t go astray (the scenes describing her creation of a companion were some of my favourites!). And, despite her wishes to be left alone, she can’t quite say ‘no‘ when the villagers need her help. As Mehab’s story unfolds, we start to wonder whether it is actually possible to retreat from society completely, and even if we could – would we REALLY want to?

A Forest, Darkly is told in Slatter’s signature style of traditional folklore with that delicious serving of gothic unease that I adore in her books. I couldn’t help but be firmly on Mehab’s side from the beginning and I appreciated her grumpy but caring disposition so much (relatable maybe? haha). This novel also pulses with the same undercurrent of feminism I’ve come to love in Slatter’s sourdough stories, with strong female characters stepping forward against the patriarchal powers of a society trying to mold and control them.

As always with a new adventure into Slatter’s Sourdough world, this one is a must-read for me – I’m only sad that now I have to wait for the next one!

(Lucky we have two more A.G. Slatter releases to look forward to this year! A bind up of three previous collections of Sourdough world short stories in The Sourdough Compendium, out mid-June, and horror novella Fitcher’s Bird, out later in the year).

I already can’t wait!

xo Bron

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A Forest, Darkly by A.G. Slatter
Out now from Titan Books (distributed in Australia by Simon & Schuster)
Source: I received an early copy for review from the team at Simon & Schuster (thank you!)
Category: Gothic folk horror fantasy

Synopsis:
Deep in the forest lives Mehrab the witch, coping with loneliness in her own strange ways and quietly battling her demons. One evening, a young woman appears on her doorstep seeking shelter, pursued by godhounds who wish to destroy all those practising magic, and Mehrab’s solitary existence is disrupted as she teaches the girl how to control her powers. Together they forge a cure for their isolation with heartbreaking consequences…

Meanwhile, in the local village, children begin to disappear, sometimes returning forever changed – or not returning at all. Sinister offerings appear on Mehrab’s doorstep, and a dark power pursues her through the trees. As the villagers turn hostile and the godhounds close in, Mehrab finds herself at the centre of a struggle to save the soul of the forest, the life of an old love – and her own new-formed family.