The book opens in the 1960s, with the investigation of a tabloid journalist into the paintings of Edmund Stearne, an Edwardian gentleman who apparently went mad and murdered a young man, then spent his days in the asylum painting. An art historian persuades Stearne's daughter Maud to tell her story, and it is this which takes up the bulk of the book, using Stearne's notebooks.

Stearne is a respected local historian, fascinated with the story of a local woman which relates to the medieval Doom recently discovered in the nearby church. But he hates the Doom, and loathes the Fens, despite the house being set in the midst of them. His teenage daughter Maud loathes him, holding him responsible for her beloved mother's death, and some of the story relates to Maud's growing up and coming to hate him. He doesn't value her as much as her brothers, even though she is much cleverer, and assumes that she doesn't understand the work he has her type up for him. It is Maud who becomes convinced that her father is going mad and may be dangerous - a fear that is dismissed by the local doctor and clergyman. But tragically, it is Maud who is right. The Doom's paintings relate to the paintings Stearne does later in life, and are part of what haunts him - much of the book is a Gothic thriller, with an added hint of a supernatural mystery which is never resolved.

It's a good read, and deeply frustrating to be reminded of how educated men viewed their daughters in the Edwardian period. The sense of impending disaster is palpable and draws the reader in. The author's note at the end refers to real life parallels with certain aspects of the book, which was interesting - I also had no idea that Fen was a specific term!

I really enjoyed this book part from finding myself slightly stuck in the middle. It seems to move quickly at the beginning and then gets bogged down around halfway before picking up speed and reaching a satisfying conclusion. There is not a real twist at the end but there are a few loose ends which are tied up.
The story examines the role of women as total dependents less than a century ago but the heroine of this story is very young - only 14 - when she is expected to take on the role of running the house and respond to her father's demands.
The spooky promise of the description is fulfilled to some extent but this is not a ghost story. It plays on the character's responses to an old book which is the subject of research and becomes an obsession. This is supported by the nearby ancient church and the rather scary fenland backdrop.
Recommended.

Michelle Paver has written two successful YA fantasy series: Chronicles of Ancient Darkness and Gods and Warriors. She has also published two chilling ghost novels for adults: Thin Air (which I greatly enjoyed reading just over a year ago) and Dark Matter (which I’m yet to read but is, according reviewers I respect, just as brilliant). Both are built on a similar premise – individuals in eerie, extreme landscapes, whether Himalayan peaks or the expanse of the Arctic, start losing their grip on reality and are haunted by ghosts, real or imaginary.

Paver’s latest novel, Wakenhyrst, also features a protagonist in thrall of a supernatural obsession. Yet, there are enough departures from her previous ‘formula’ to make this a refreshing though still uncanny read. It’s also possibly the most ambitious of her adult novels, a tightly-plotted Gothic yarn with strong feminist undertones.

Wakenhyrst’s setting is the (fictional) village of the title, a small settlement in the Suffolk Fens, a few years before the Great War. At first glance, this would appear to be a more prosaic backdrop than the ones the author generally uses – but it’s one which provides ample opportunities for a Gothic tale, thanks to the insidious marshy landscape which surrounds the village, the rich Medieval history of the area and the ancient folklore and folk beliefs of its inhabitants. All these elements are nicely combined by Paver to create an atmosphere of dread which is often tinged with ‘folk horror’. As the author herself explains in her concluding, the inspiration for this novel is a real life event, the discovery of the Wenhaston Doom, a medieval painting of the Last Judgment whitewashed by the Puritans and rediscovered during renovation works in 1892. This is transposed to “Wakenhyrst”, where a similar find triggers a strong emotional reaction from the conservative and misognynistic Edmund Stearne. Stearne is an eminent medieval scholar and owner of Wake’s End, a rambling manor house situated at the outskirts of the village right next to the Fens. He considers himself a rational academic, but feels surprisingly revolted by one of the demons portrayed in the Doom, a malevolent figure which is a cross between traditional iconography and the ‘fen monsters’ which inhabit the area’s legends.

It is no spoiler to state that it is this demon which will stalk the pages of this novel and haunt the increasingly fevered dreams and imaginings of Stearne. Even in this regard, there is a marked difference from Paver’s previous supernatural tales. The Wakenhyrst demon is not the typically ‘spirit’ of many ghost stories, including Paver’s own, but (assuming it’s real), it’s a particularly ‘physical’ and hideous entity, ugly, fetid and violent. A monster, in other words, which could have come from the pen of M.R. James. Although, one should say, not all monsters are demons, and there are some humans who are worthy of that name...

Indeed, whilst Thin Air and Dark Matter are subtitled “a ghost story”, Wakenhyrst is more of a Gothic tale, with some elements of ‘sensation fiction’ added for good measure. The Gothic element is evident not just in the nature of the plot, but also in the way it is presented, particularly through the use of multiple viewpoints and found manuscripts. The novel is held together by a “frame story” set in the 1960s in which Maude Stearne, Edmund’s daughter, is drawn from a lonely, reclusive life at Wake’s End, and compelled to recount the tragic events which form the core of the novel. These occurences (as we learn very early on), had consigned her father to a mental institution where he spent years painting several canvases featuring demons and devils (this finds a real-life parallel in the curious story and posthumous fame of artist Richard Dadd). The account of Stearne’s descent into madness is told in the third-person but, very clearly, from the perspective of an older Maud. In this respect, Wakenhyrst can also double as a coming-of-age story, and a particularly harrowing one at that. Interspersed throughout the text are pages from the diary of Stearne, extracts from the medieval Book of Alice Pyett (a thinly-veiled reference to the Book of Margery Kempe), on which Stearne was working with Maud’s help at the time of the Doom’s disovery, and The Life of St Guthlaf, a fictional hagiographic account closely based on the life of St Guthlac of Crowland. These disparate threads are deftly woven by Paver into a gripping canvas, whose momentum increases in the final chapters.

For me, Wakenhyrst works best as a “Gothic thriller”, rather than as a supernatural tale. I had found Thin Air chilling and unsettling because it left the reader in doubt as to whether the ghosts haunting its protagonists really existed. In Wakenhyrst, however, I found it difficult to entertain the possibility of the demons ever having been real. It does not make the tale any less exciting – but it does drain it of some of its supernatural aura. This is partly due to the inherent scepticism of the narrator – which possibly reflects the author’s own views. The novel is saturated with the beliefs of the Middle Ages, but in her concluding Author’s Note, Paver comes across as disparaging of the writings, legends and mindsetof the era. Just by way of example, the writings of Margery Kempe are lauded as the very first autobiography in English and often included in feminist and women’s studies – considering the laudable feminist viewpoint of the novel, it is therefore ironic and rather disappointing to find Paver dismissing Kempe as “bizarre, narcissistic and oddly pitiable”. One may well agree with Paver that Guthlac of Crowland was “merely a delusional young man afflicted by malaria, home-made opium and loneliness” – but, even leaving spiritual considerations aside, the fact that his life inspired so many poetic accounts and medieval artistic works, testifies to a fascination with this figure which is not easily brushed aside. We might not share the beliefs of our medieval forefathers, or at least, not all of them, but as a first step to respecting and understanding their mindset, we should be ready to momentarily put our preconceptions aside. Much as we do when we immerse ourselves in a page-turning tale such as Wakenhyrst...

A gothic treat set in a country house with an atmospheric fenland setting. Maud Stearne, the redoubtable heroine, is a memorable character. Clever, sly and overlooked by her father, we follow her from the age of around 11, when her beloved Maman dies in childbirth, until 1913, when her father Edmund, a medieval scholar, commits a dreadful act. We know he has done something terrible from the opening, set in 1966, when a journalist arrives at Waken House, to find out more about Edmund and also about Maud's involvement.
The book has an abundance of gothic tropes with the marshy setting, the local superstitions and a medieval wall painting of the Day of Judgement (the Doom) complete with grotesque demons. It employs all these with a fresh outlook to deliver a chilling tale which also touches on the relationships between servants and masters, as well of the question of what a bright young woman can do in a society where women are considered inferior to men.

Set in the moody Suffolk Fens during the Edwardian period, Wakenhyrst is a chilling gothic-style novel. Maud Stearne is a teenaged girl living with her aloof historian father and younger brothers. As her father continues his research into a local figure he starts to become increasingly affected by supposed supernatural happenings. His paranoia increases and Maud becomes afraid for her father’s sanity. The question persists – is her father mad or is their truly something supernatural happening? Is he haunted by the sins of his past? And can these events lead to anything but tragedy?

This is an excellent read and very spooky. It wasn’t as scary as Paver’s other works – Dark Matter and Thin Air (both of which I highly recommend) – but it is still very good. Paver skilfully creates a creeping terror. It slowly builds and there is an uncertainty over what to believe. The book has multiple narratives – the father’s diary entries which show his growing terror, a third-person narrative following Maud (though we are led to believe this is written by Maud so how reliable this is we cannot know), and a look at Maud decades later in the 1960s as she is pursued for access to her father’s diary. The different narratives increase the sense of uncertainty over what is really happening but this is a highly effective device, making the book that much more chilling.

I had previously read and enjoyed two of Michelle Paver's books both dealing with a supernatural theme so I was particularly looking forward to her latest modern gothic novel which was rooted in the folklore and superstition of a remote Edwardian Suffolk fens area. The book starts in the 1960's with a sensationalist magazine account of a gruesome murder that took place in 1913 by Edmund Stearne, a cruel and despicable man who would remain in an asylum for the remainder of his life. But did he really commit the murder and if so what why the circumstances surrounding it. This would now be revealed by the contents of a diary he kept and by a third person narration that would focus on the events leading up to a seemingly inexplicable act. Up to now his daughter Maud who was integral to the events and has remained in the house called Wake's End outside the village of Wakenhyrst in Suffolk has refused to speak of the murder and has lived a life of a virtual recluse.

Like a character from a M.R James story Edmund Stearne is an antiquarian who dabbles with things that perhaps should be left alone. The book wonderfully portrays the isolation and strangeness of the fen wilderness where beliefs in old legends prevail. When Edmund Stearne discovers hidden away at the local church, St Guthlaf’s, a hidden painting depicting the Last Day of Judgement which had been previously whitewashed over in the sixteenth century he embarks on a path of madness and obsessional behaviour that will lead to a terrifying conclusion.

I really liked the ambiguity that is at the heart of this book poising the question as to whether it is the supernatural that is at work here or mental instability that becomes even more deranged. A wonderful read for a winters day which will I think appeal to all lovers of the gothic genre.

Wakenhyrst was an interesting tale that held my attention from start to finish. The pacing was good as the mystery slowly unfolded, and it was great to see Maud develop as a character along the way. There was an excellent Gothic atmosphere to the work, and I enjoyed the symbolism and the use of English folklore blended with religion. This was a solid four-star read for me, and I recommend it to fans of Gothic tales and historical mysteries.

Review will go live on 1 April 2019.

A compelling gothic tale of superstition, witchcraft and a dutiful daughter in a world determined to keep her confined. Maud is a bright innocent child, protected by her Mother and dominated by her Father. When her Mother dies in the inevitable childbirth of the Edwardian years, Maud is left bewildered by the world, whilst understanding much more than her Father gives her credit. It's a time when boys are educated, but intelligent girls are discounted. This is why her Father misses the fact that Maud has raced ahead of him whilst transcribing his writings. This work plunges Maud's Father into a psychotic depression having discovered a hidden painting of Hell, torn down from their local church.
Maud loves nature and, in turn, loves and hates her Father. She also falls in love herself but finds throughout her life, everything and everyone she does love is taken from her in the most brutal way.
Paver depicts the setting of the Fens as mesmerising, yet cruel, and completely tied up with the decent into madness of Maud's Father. I found this book compelling and powerfully written and it will stay with me for a long while.

Something has been let loose..."
In Edwardian Suffolk, a manor house stands alone in a lost corner of the Fens: a glinting wilderness of water whose whispering reeds guard ancient secrets. Maud is a lonely child growing up without a mother, ruled by her repressive father.

When he finds a painted medieval devil in a graveyard, unhallowed forces are awakened.

Maud's battle has begun. She must survive a world haunted by witchcraft, the age-old legends of her beloved fen – and the even more nightmarish demons of her father's past.

Spanning five centuries, Wakenhyrst is a darkly gothic thriller about murderous obsession and one girl's longing to fly free.

A superb gothic horror set in the wild fens of Suffolk.

I first came across Michelle Paver with her excellent ghost story Dark Matter, set amidst an arctic expedition in 1939. She followed that with Thin Air, another great ghost story, but this time set in the Himalayas in the 1930s, following the route of a previous expedition earlier in the century.

Now we have Wakenhyrst, a village amidst the fens at the turn of the century, where some unpleasant events have left long and deep scars. The book begins in mid-sixties, with a PhD student attempting to make contact with Maud Sterne. Would she be able to help her with her study of a painting known as the Wakenhyrst Doom?
This painting is to become the crux of the story we about to learn about. We go back in time to 1906 and the Stearne household who live in Wake’s End adjacent to one of the fens. The father of the house, Edmund Stearne, is a monster. He forces his wife to bear child after child, with so many being still-born or barely surviving birth. He lays down strict rules all about the house, including the requirement that he basically never interact with his own children (those who make it alive). “Father” is always about his studies, while young Maud is treated with general disdain as a female.

What changes things is his discovery at the local church, St Guthlaf’s, of a hidden painting representing the Last Day of Judgement. Painted on planks and then whitewashed over in the sixteenth century to protect worshippers’ eyes from the licentious behaviour depicted as sending you to hell, it is this painting’s discovery that sends things spiralling out of control. And there are things from the past that in due course will be uncovered.

To say more would be unfair, but the attention to detail is wonderful. You feel that you’re living and breathing in the old house, sitting on the edge of the fens with the sounds and smells that would bring.

The rural life is captured beautifully, with the poor labourers who make ends meet and need the employment of rich landowners like Stearne. Paver gives us some beautiful descriptions of things like eel-babbing and starling murmations.

But it also captures a madness that comes from an obsessional attempt to understand both the painting and studies into the lives of other obsessives.

Everything beautifully comes together in this well-told tale.

I couldn't put this down and can’t recommend this book highly enough!

Spooky and interesting, with twists and turns and never fully answered questions... kept me intrigued

I am a fan of the author and have read her previous works so I was thrilled to get an ARC of Wakenhyrst.
I have to say the formatting of the book was a problematic on kindle so I downloaded it on digital editions and it read much better.
The story is set deep in the fens, and that landscape is brilliantly and evocatively described. Because of the notebook/past writing style I struggled to get into the first few chapters and ended up re reading them for clarity but it was enjoyably different style once I’d got into it.
The story is essentially exploring the events leading up to a mysterious murder, I found the story interesting and engaging, though I struggled to have sympathy with any character except Maman. The main characters all seemed to act from very selfish motives and so I found it difficult to like them though I enjoyed the storyline. The ending also felt to me rushed and a little predicatable I kept waiting for something ‘more’ to happen.
For this reason I give it 4 stars though I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it to fans of mysteries, historic fiction or lovers of the fens.
I was given a ARC by NetGalley all opinions are my own.