I’m not normally one for planning a monthly TBR, preferring instead to let my current mood dictate the next book I plan on reading. Autumn and winter, however, are some what of an exception. When the weather gets colder and my inside reading gets cosier, I always want something to reflect the darker nights, an atmospheric read which I know will sustain my interest. With Halloween fast approaching, I’ve found myself already planning in advance the books I want to get to this month. The Lost Village was one such book. As soon as it arrived in the post, its dark and intriguing premise promising something unsettling, I knew it was this book I wanted to kick of my October reading.
The Lost Village is the second novel by Neil Spring to feature ‘notorious ghost hunter’ Harry Price and his former assistant, Sarah Grey. This time we see the pair reunited as they become involved in the tragic history of a remote English Village called Imber. During the war, soldiers entered the village and forced every inhabitant out, asking for their help in the war efforts by surrendering their homes. Yet many years later, the village remains abandoned, taken over by the army in order to train their soldiers. Each winter, for one night only, the former residents of Imber are allowed to return once more to visit their loved ones buried in the lonely churchyard. This year, however, is different. Strange things are afoot, the army shaken by events which have begun to unfold. The villagers are angry, determined more than ever to reclaim the stolen land that they deem rightfully their. It is this situation which Sarah and Harry must delve into, tasked with discovering the secrets of Imber’s past before tragedy can strike once more.
From the very beginning of the novel we are made aware of something momentous which has occurred, something terrible uncovered and brought to life. We don’t know what this is, or what has happened, but it is made explicit that these events are intimately bound up with the lost village of Imber. Coupled with this, there is an increasing sense of the supernatural, this link with death, and indeed, the dead themselves. The frightening and disturbing connotations are rife, all used to create an intriguing premise which you know is probably going to take you by surprise.
Despite these suspenseful suggestions, I didn’t immediately warm to this novel. I found myself struggling initially to connect to the main characters of Sarah and Harry, feeling quite disconnected to them as actual people. I’m not sure if part of this was to do with the fact that this is the second book, and perhaps I missed some of the more essential character building from the first book. Whilst the author does do a proficient job at briefly explaining the key events which have taken place before, I still felt as though the character were quite lacking in substance and heart. I felt as though they were quite two-dimensional and very controlled by plot, really yearning for a greater connection to established. Because of this, I found the novel took its time to pick up speed and for the main crux to really kick in.
On the other hand, we have the remaining two thirds of the novel. This book was definitely a case of the further we read on, the more engaging and dramatic the story became. Through Harry and Sarah we learn more about the inhabitants of the village and their sorrowful past, becoming more invested in what might happen to them. The idea itself is a really poignant one, made all the more cruel because of its groundings in reality; Imber really is a village which the inhabitants had to sacrifice for the war effort, and which the army still holds today. To think of what these people had to give up during an already tumultuous time, the memories which they were forced to leave behind in the village, is heartbreaking to consider. This really comes through as the novel progressed, as does the eeriness which is shrouded over Imber. Some of the parts were really quite creepy, and the closer I got to discovering the truth about the village the quicker I read, determined to solve the mystery. By the novels conclusion I really was quite hooked!
One of the things I thought the novel did really well was in looking at the idea of death, and the many different forms this could take. We have the obvious literal dead, and the possibilities of them haunting afterwards, but the novel also looks at the death of a place, a geographical location which has also lost its life. This village is a ‘ghost town’ in more ways than one, and it definitely brings into being the question of whether a town can be killed in its own way. It’s past can be tarnished and forgotten, the memories dying a death of their own. I also enjoyed the fact that although titled a ‘ghost hunter’, Harry’s work sets out to uncover the frauds who attempt to create supernatural events. Whilst Harry tries to find the truth behind these ghostly occurrences, there are most definitely speculative layers within the novel which can be quite ambiguous in tone. From this point of view, I couldn’t quite work out where the novel wanted to stand, whether on the side of science or the preternatural. Despite clear evidence to prove both schools of thought, I think this is definitely something which will depend on your own readings.
I think I made the right choice in picking this book to start my ‘atmospheric’ reads in October. Whilst it was not necessarily scary, or particularly character driven, it had just the right amount of unsettling behaviour and suspense to really ease me in to what I hope will be a promising reading month!
Publisher: Quercus
Rating: 3*/5*
Disclaimer – I was very kindly sent this book to review by the publishers. I will only ever post my own honest opinions and will NOT write a favourable review in exchange for a complimentary book.
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