An addictive gothic horror that will keep the readers attention long after it’s finished. Dark imagery coupled with a disturbing tale makes this a must read.

Wake's End sits on the outskirts of the village of Wakenhyrst, ruled with a rod of iron by the formidable Edmund Stearn. Inside the walls of the manor Stearn terrorises his daughter Maud. We learn early on that Stearn has been committed to an asylum for murdering a villager and the rest of the story unpicks the mystery and events of the murder. Years later the suggestion is that Stearn is innocent and that his young daughter, now 69, may have been the culprit. Patrick Rippon, reporter for the Sunday Explorer Magazine is determined to get to the bottom of it. Maud allows him access to her father's journals and we return to 1906 and the darkness inside of Wake's End where Maud's mother wastes away from abuse and repeated miscarriages until she dies, leaving Maud alone with her father. Edmund becomes increasingly obsessed with a doom, a disturbing picture of hell, found in the graveyard and Maud is suffocated and isolated by his strictures and his violent moods.

Paver creates lingering claustrophobic atmosphere and gothic suspense but this is less powerful that the creeping horror of her earlier ghostly tales. This is more of a historical story and the horrors of the misogyny of the period is all too common and earthbound. There is rather too much of Edmund's raving journals which becomes a little tedious. It would be more engaging, more mysterious to understand more of this narrative through Maud or through Patrick to alleviate the narcissistic raving. The mystery of the murder fades to the background, not interesting enough to hold the narrative.

Wakenhyrst is described by the publishers as ‘a darkly Gothic thriller’ and there are definitely Gothic elements although I had to keep reminding myself the book is supposed to be set in 1911. The style in which Edmund’s journals are written, his misogynistic views and even the domestic routine of Wake’s End seemed to me to evoke the 19th century rather than the years running up to the First World War. Similarly, the odious Dr Grayson’s outdated medical notions didn’t seem to belong in the 20th century.

The main part of the book consists of chapters from Maud’s point of view, interspersed with entries from her father’s journal and, later, excerpts from the writings of a medieval mystic, Alice Pyett (who is based on the English Christian mystic, Margery Kempe).

Edmund comes across as a monster, a man unable to control his sexual appetites and who is exacting to the point of obsession about how the household at Wake’s End should be run. His treatment of Maud’s mother amounts to what we would today recognise as coercive control, seeking to manage every aspect of her life: what she wears, what she eats, even how she identifies herself. He is also disdainful of his daughter Maud, a fact she only discovers much later. Given her father’s belief there is no benefit in educating a woman, Maud is forced to make surreptitious visits to his library to satisfy her quest for knowledge. Despite everything, she matures into an intelligent and independent-minded young woman, readily embracing the theories of Charles Darwin and becoming increasingly disenchanted with religion.

The author creates an eerie and unsettling atmosphere using the vast, lonely fen that surrounds Wake’s End particularly well. It becomes one of the manifestations of Edmund’s increasing madness. ‘I kept catching whiffs of the fen itself: a swampy rottenness that seemed to come and go, making it doublt distracting.’ We witness Edmund’s increasingly paranoid imaginings, namely that a devil, like that depicted in the so-called Doom painting uncovered in the local church (think Hieronymus Bosch’s ‘The Last Judgment’), has been set loose. ‘I could feel the demon’s presence in the grounds: watching, waiting. It wants to stop me. It shall fail.’ He becomes convinced the fen is home to this demon leading him to research arcane rituals associated with exorcism, some of which are extremely gruesome.

Those familiar with the ghost stories of M.R. James will feel at home with scenes describing some of the events that so disturb Edmund, such as the grotesque carvings in the church (‘The Stalls of Barchester Cathedral’) or his conviction that something is hidden in the ivy that cloaks the walls of Wake’s End (‘The Ash Tree’). ‘This morning when I sat down in my study with a book, I was disturbed by a furtive scrabbling at the windowpane. It wasn’t the tapping of a bird; this sounded more like claws. On raising the sash, I thought I glimpsed something scuttling off into the ivy.’

The reader witnesses Edmund’s deteriorating mental state which manifests itself in a kind of religious mania. He increasingly sees parallels between his experiences and those of Alice Pyett and, later the life of St Guthlaf, to whom the local church is dedicated. He also has strange dreams and hallucinations. But are the displaced objects, the strange sounds or the obnoxious miasma evidence of the presence of supernatural beings or the work of human hands?

Having become her father’s secretary after her mother’s death – a death she holds her father reponsible for – Maud gains access to his journal, secretly reading his daily musings and, as a result, learning some shocking truths about his sister’s death and his increasingly deranged thoughts. She becomes fearful of what her father might be capable of and afraid for those around her, especially a young man employed in the household to whom she has become close.

Of course, the reader already knows what Edmund is capable of from the book’s prologue which describes the climactic event of the book, even if it does cast doubt on Maud’s role in it. Only a few previously undisclosed details are saved for the end of the book, as Maud finally agrees to publication of the full story in order to counter the ‘lies’ contained in the newspaper article published in 1966 that opens the book, but also for the more practical reason that she needs to fund repairs to Wake’s End. For me, the framing device reduced the feeling of suspense that I hoped the book would deliver. I already knew what was going to happen and that it was the product of madness; the next 300 pages were just about telling me why. However, I know I’m in a minority here and many other readers have loved it.

There are many things about this creepy and atmospheric Gothic-esque tale that are quite delightful. The plot has many aspects of classic Gothic works - the setting being my favourite followed by the father descending into murderous madness - and the character of Maud is a joy as well. The writing is impressive and the work is obviously well researched. I LOVE the way the fen features as liminal space for Maud, caught as she is between her desire for freedom, literal and intellectual, and the restrictions of the patriarchal world she struggles to make herself heard in. However, what stops me loving the book as a whole is the frustratingly uneven flow of the narrative i.e the father's diary sections. This sort of exposition being common in the Gothic, I can understand why the author used this structure but it didn't work for me. That said, I would still recommend this book on the basis of the fabulously awful father, a character so horrid that his *spoiler* sojourn in the well with the eels was the very least horror he deserved! Creepy, dark, atmospheric and intriguing, but with a clunky structure, I think fans of Gothic literature will appreciate this novel.

I chose this book because my children have enjoyed books by Michelle Paver, but this was too dark for me so I'm really sorry I DNF.

Gothic grim done well. A man is going insane but refusing to deal with it. A daughter helplessly caught between her gender, her circumstances, and what she knows ought to be done. Gorgeously written. Very slow plot but it works for me.

I'm afraid I didn't get the chance to read this book, even though I'd been looking forward to it. However I've seen it praised by many people.

Set in Edwardian Sussex, Maud lives in a manor house in the Fens with her tyrranical father. When he discovers a painting, later named The Doom, in the graveyard of their local church, it seems to unleash all sorts of terrible things. Are they real or just part of a lurid imagination? Can Maud find out the truth?

I very much enjoyed this atmospheric story. There is a good sense of time and place and the feeling of pervading menace is very strong. It’s definitely a gothic thriller type of tale rather than a traditional ghost story. It wasn’t what I was expecting when I first picked the book up, but nevertheless it kept me gripped throughout. It’s creepy and sinister as well as being quite sad in parts. It’s beautifully written and I liked the epistolary sections. They made it feel all more real somehow. The characters really came alive for me and the descriptions of the Fens are very vivid. If I didn’t know better, I would think Wake’s End and it’s Fens really existed! An engaging, eerie and engrossing read.

A fine Gothic chiller, beset around with eels, demons and fens

Michelle Paver writes most excellently, inhabiting the territory of chills. Though there are indeed supernatural elements to this, much is also driven by the power of the subconscious, our deepest fears, deepest shames, deepest guilts

Maud is a somewhat ungainly, awkward, fiercely intelligent, lonely young woman. Her father, Edmund Stearne, a cold, secretive historian, very much a repressed Victorian, not so secretly libidinous, had been convicted of a terrible murder, He ended his life in an asylum, and was known as an extraordinary artist. Maud, as a 16 year old, was witness to the brutal murder.

None of this is any kind of spoiler, as it is revealed at the beginning of the book. There is a kind of foreword and afterword ‘Bookend’ set in the 1960s, which outlines these events. The bulk of the book is set back in the very early 1900’s, 60 years earlier. The form of the book includes Stearne’s journals

This is a real psychological thriller, unpicking also taboos round sexuality, class, and the stultifying effects of patriarchy, denying any outlet for an intelligent, creative young woman to have agency

My only reason for withholding the final star is that I did not quite find ‘the bookends’ worked, and would have preferred the story to stay within its claustrophobic 1900’s setting

Brilliant well written suspenseful novel. Likely to be a classic. A story with plenty of detail to keep the reader engaged.

Not so much of a Ghost story, but unnerving when considered. A good one day read, but easily broken down too, with its perspective switching from Maud's timeline, to her father's journal entries.

Well researched, descriptive, and thought provoking.

Maud Stearne lives at Wake's End with her father, mother, and younger brother, Richard. Her mother is frequently ill with what Maud refers to as 'the groanings', but it is not until some time later that she realises that her mother is suffering frequent pregnancies and miscarriages and/or still births. Counselled by his doctor to give his wife time to recover, Edward Stearne refuses to listen or take precautions and the worst happens and Maud, Richard and their new brother, Felix are left motherless. Maud grows to hate her father for this and for his relationship with Ivy the housemaid, which Maud discovers when she starts reading her father's diary. Things take a very strange turn though when her father starts to write about a sin he committed when young and that he fears he is being haunted by a demon as punishment. He starts to act erratically and Maud fears it is only a matter of time before someone is killed.

This is a strange read. It consists of chapters from Maud's point of view, alongside chapters which details the entries from her father's diary. Maud is a difficult character to like at first, she's very spiky but when you consider her childhood experiences it's not surprising. Maud sees herself as extremely plain and unattractive, and when she falls in love with the under-gardener, a young man called Clem Walker, she can hardly believe he feels the same, unfortunately it ends in tragedy. Edward Stearne is one of the most loathsome characters I've ever read about - a complete narcissist who thinks all women are brainless, money grasping whores (even his daughter). The supernatural side of the story is less believable than the idea that someone is slowly driving Stearne mad, but I think the author did a good job of showing how women were completely at the mercy of their male kin at that point in history. Overall I liked parts of it, but other aspects were frustrating, therefore I rate this one 3.5 stars (rounded up to 4).

Thanks to NetGalley and publishers, Head of Zeus, for the opportunity to read an ARC.

An atmospheric gothic mystery, set amongst the fens of England, this was a gripping story, combining obsessions, madness and superstition. Chilling and spooky, this is historical fiction with a crime shooter that has a very satisfying pay off at the end. Terrific.

I enjoyed this book - it did take me a good while to actually get into the story but once I did I was hooked.

Wakenhyrst had me gripped from the first page - well, technically I listened to it, so lets say in the first five minutes.
There’s an underlying feeling of menace and claustrophobia running through this. Partly because of the restraints on Maud because of the fact that she’s female, young and upper class in the Edwardian period; partly because of the ever-present Fen and the mysterious atmosphere surrounding it; partly because we know from the first chapter what is going to happen - and we are heading to that end.
Themes of obsession, superstition and madness run throughout, and it’s not just the uneducated working class fenland men and women who are preoccupied with witchcraft and demonic possession.
Maud’s father Edmund, is translating and researching the book of Alice Pyett, a woman who lived four hundred years before the book is set. She was supposed to have heard the voice of God, but if you ask me, she longed for chastity because she had had a ridiculous amount of children and needed a break.
The deeper Edmund gets in to the translation, the stranger his diary entries become. ANd when he stumbles across a painting in the graveyard of his church, his behaviour becomes even more unhinged. To be honest, the descriptions were such that I thought I was seeing the demons along with him!
This book has been sat on my kindle for quite a while now, and I decided to use my Audible credit and listen to it - which was a cracking idea. The narrator, Juanita McMahon, really brings this story to life - and makes it all the more haunting.
This isn’t a ghost story, at least it didn’t seem like one all the way through, but it certainly gave me the chills! I loved it. If you like a chilling, gothic tale, this will suit you down to the ground.

Ideal for: Historical Fiction and Gothic Horror lovers, Modern Witchcraft enthusiasts.
Horror score: Spooky enough to not be a night reading of choice.
Warning: Extremely misogynistic men. Steel yourself from the start.

This is not a book that changes you. But in no way am I not recommending it- merely keeping it from the highest praise. I started this book as I was delving into Modern Witchcraft. While in the throes of depression and being cooped up inside during quarantine 2020, this book was dangerous read in one go- the omnipresent veil of impending doom, the gloom and isolation made it so. But boy, was difficult to stop reading! The imagery, tone and theme will appeal to the readers of Diane Setterfield and viewers of shows like Broadchurch and Shetland. For people who care about the environment, this book will provide the ultimate triumph and for people who want a sneaky dose of masterful horror build-up, this book will provide too.
The plot narrated in conversations and dairy entries, makes for an engaging read. The protagonists of the book- Maud and her father, are polar opposites; one is intensely feeling and the other a psychopath. But both are vividly imaginative and intelligent.
This story unsettles your mind more than a little bit. It's not a hit and miss horror; it scores with the reader.

There’s a Gothic flavor to this story of a mentally unstable artist and his teenage daughter. Edmund Stearne is obsessed with the writings of Medieval mystic Alice Pyett (based on Margery Kempe) and with a Bosch-like Doom painting recently uncovered at the local church. Serving as his secretary after her mother’s death, Maud reads his journals to follow his thinking – but also uncovers unpleasant truths about his sister’s death and his relationship with the servant girl. As Maud tries to prevent her father from acting on his hallucinations of demons and witches rising from the Suffolk Fens, she falls in love with someone beneath her class. Only in the 1960s framing story, which has a journalist and scholar digging into what really happened at Wake’s End in 1913, does it become clear how much Maud gave up.

There are a lot of appealing elements in this novel, including Maud’s pet magpie, the travails of her constantly pregnant mother (based on the author’s Belgian great-grandmother), the information on early lobotomies, and the mixture of real (eels!) and imagined threats encountered at the fen. The focus on a female character is refreshing after her two male-dominated ghost stories. But as atmospheric and readable as Paver’s writing always is, here the plot sags, taking too much time over each section and filtering too much through Stearne’s journal. After three average ratings in a row, I doubt I’ll pick up another of her books in the future.

Wake’s End is a rambling manor house located in the depths of the Suffolk Fens. The year is 1906, and young Maud Stearn is trying to find her way in a household ruled by her puritanical and disciplinarian father, Edmund, following the sudden death of her mother during childbirth. The countryside surrounding the house is her refuge, that and her love of reading, and Maud becomes concerned by the increasingly bizarre behaviour of her father. It appears he is being haunted by weird apparitions at night, and claims to have seen fleeting glimpses of things around the lake. The house is infused with a stench of rotting marsh weed, which permeates the very fabric of the building, and at night the sound of scratching – like claws on the wooden floor – can be heard…

I’d read two of Paver’s previous novels, Dark Matter and Thin Air, and thought them wonderful examples of genuinely creepy historical fiction. When I heard about her latest novel, Wakenhyrst, being published, the synopsis was enough to whet the appetite, especially given the bleak Suffolk location and the hints of murder and madness.

Firstly, the prose is absolutely beautiful, evoking a rich atmospheric sense of time and place. We know from the start that something horribly tragic has occurred at Wake’s End, and the opening section (set in the 1960s) propels the rest of the narrative with a real sense of mystery. The timeline then jumps backwards to the start of the 20th century to begin to show us the events leading up to the catastrophic moment. Maud herself is a superb character, headstrong and independent, yet fearful of her tyrannical father, Edmund. Following his wife’s death (to which he shows little sorrow) he begins a steady descent into madness, following his uncovering of a religious painting at the local church.

I really enjoyed this novel. It works on several different levels, both as a historical depiction of life in rural Suffolk – complete with a pervading aura of myths and legends of the area, including water spirits, spectral hounds and tales of witchcraft – and also as an unsettling ghost story, replete with a long-hidden family secret and echoes from past misdemeanours. The book pulls no punches in its plot – for a writer who also publishes YA fiction, this one features suggestions of sexual impropriety, murder, madness and possible retribution from beyond the grave. The final section takes us back up to the 1960s and adds a nice counterbalance to the opening section.

If you enjoy a historical tale or just a ghost story I think you’d enjoy this novel. Paver’s writing is lyrical and yet fluid; it’s not bogged down by being written in a particular style to evoke the early 20th century timeframe. It’s genuinely creepy at times – albeit not as unnerving as either Dark Matter or Thin Air – but for the most part it makes for a very interesting read. I have no hesitation in recommending this.

i love a good witchy tale and i thought thats what i was getting with this but that wasnt the case. However i still enjoyed it but not as scary as i was led to believe and lacked in the witchcraft i was expecting but over all still a canny read.but not one i would get excited about.

An enchanting tale full of mystery and madness. The atmosphere of the fen with its wild and untameable nature perfectly mirrored Maud's struggle to be free from the constraints of being a woman and the rulings of her father. If you want to embark on a journey into madness then look no further. Paver's writing is entrancing, perfect for an escape