The moment I heard about this book I knew I had to read it. It sounded fascinating, and not only like it would be a book about something odd in a small town, but also the perception of women in the world. I was not disappointed at all. Xenobe Purvis creates in this book an almost uncomfortable feeling surrounding the main characters- five sisters who have recently lost their grandmother and live with their grandfather in a home outside of town. The girls' grandfather wasn't well liked due to his profiting on flour sales when others were starving, and people insisted the girls had something severely wrong with them. Whispers say each of the five young girls turn into dogs; long snouts, sharp teeth and all.

This book is at its core a story about the way the world perceives anyone who is "different", especially women. Having a hobby is strange. Walking along the river in the dark is strange, perhaps even witchcraft. God forbid a woman not wish to fall in love or marry; she must be possessed by something! Turning into a hound is, for these girls, more than just a literal picture of what they have become - it's figurative too.

Sometimes for people who dare to be different, it's just easier to be a dog.

My thanks to NetGalley and Henry Holy for this ARC.

I loved this debut. It was so original and the prose so authentic to the time period her writing was reminiscent to that of Hilary Mantle. I enjoyed Tom’s transformation and I liked the twist at the end. I enjoy an ending that’s debatable. I felt her writing was that of a seasoned writer. I definitely recommend this novel and look forward to more from Xenobe Purvis. Thank you to NetGalley and Henry Holt and Co. for giving me the opportunity to read this wonderful novel.

This book was definitely different from anything I’ve read before and I liked it. Bizarre and strange are the first words that comes to mind, haha. The book builds slowly and it gets to a point where you can’t put it down. I definitely recommend it.

i loved the concept, vibe, and writing of this book, but as it progressed i felt disappointed by the inconsistent imagery and characterization. the ending felt tonally confusing as well, and i wondered why it happened the way it did. i would read more from this author!

I loved this book, it was transporting and vividly written, I would love to see a sequel following these sisters on the run.

this eerie historical feminist tale of five sisters in Little Nettlebed, a small village in 18th century England, who *maybe* turn into dogs is so perfect a teaser for fall vibes that a PSL ain’t got nothing on this one. Billed as The Crucible meets The Virgin Suicides, there are so many excellent thematic overtones to be discussed—men being afraid of their own vulnerability and transforming it into violence against “lesser creatures” or hatred towards women stemming from their own moral failings is a perfect starting place for any book club round table on this one. Olivia Vinall expertly narrates this one with a perfectly spooky, lilting accent. Thank you @henryholt & @macmillan.audio for the gifted copies.

This beautiful, haunting cover alone should be enough to make you pick this one up, but in case it's not -- let me assure you, the inside doesn't disappoint!

The Hounding tells the story of the five Mansfield sisters, who are viewed as a bit unusual by their fellow villagers in 18th century England. When one villager claims he sees the sisters turning into dogs, gossip and speculation about them spirals quickly out of control. Purvis makes the smart decision to tell the story from alternating perspectives of several different villagers -- but not the sisters themselves -- which leaves you guessing at what is real and what is imagined. Comparisons to The Crucible or even Cursed Bread by Sophie Mackintosh feel spot-on! It's atmospheric, it's dark and haunting, and it's beautifully written in it's simplicity (under 300 pages!). I wish it didn't resonate quite so well with mob mentality and what it's like to be a woman in todays world -- but unfortunately, it feels incredibly timely.

Pick this up ASAP!

The Hounding is an engrossing book set in an 18th century village where lies spread easily amongst a community that breeds hate. Pete is a pitiful man who loathes five sisters and makes up strange lies about them. Instead of questioning these lies, the townspeople either because they’re gullible or because they envy the Mansfield family, perpetuate the strange rumors. I think that this willingness for the majority of the townspeople to believe these lies and also grow to want to hurt the sisters is what makes this book scary.
I enjoyed the writing and thought the plot was a unique take on horror. I will definitely recommend it to others who like historical fiction and or horror!

Loved the atmosphere and vibes, and maybe I just took too long reading it to really feel the suspense, but atmosphere and vibes is all it was giving. I got the theme of it all and personally I like my books with a little more ambiguity. But! Love the women-possibly-turning-into-dogs situation we’re seeing a lot lately. And this was a great book to transition into fall. Wish I could have had a rainy day to read this by the window with a mug of tea.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the eArc.

Thanks very much to the publisher and NetGalley for the eARC of The Hounding. This was such a unique spin on a coming-of-age tale, beautiful, evocative prose that was old-fashioned in the best way--almost as if the book was from another era itself.

Whoever said this was reminiscent of the Crucible was SPOT ON! I loved the nod to the play and thought it was great at mirroring it while giving it a nice twist! However, I don’t see it really being similar to the Virgin Suicides. Sure, there’s a one-sided unrequited love for one of the girls and they’re kind of trapped in their house but I don’t know, I don’t think there’s enough to be similar to TVS. Anyway, I loved it. I would easily read this again and put it in my faves for this year. Usually I don’t like time period novels but this one pulled me in and made me want more. I highly recommend for those who love the Crucible and powerful women!

The Hounding by Xenobe Purvis was an ethereal debut novel that was a hit for me. It's also only 240 pages and features a beautiful cover.

from the blurb "The Crucible meets The Virgin Suicides in this haunting debut about five sisters in a small village in eighteenth century England whose neighbors are convinced they’re turning into dogs."

SAY LESS. I'm INNNNN.

Purvis' writing is sparse and detached that adds to the menacing atmosphere that her narrative crafted. I really felt the ominous village undertones and was completely engrained in the setting. It also felt oppressively hot while reading.
Expertly crafted. I admit that I wanted her to go a bit deeper or further - not that she played it safe necessarily - but that I think the book might've been even better if she leaned even further into the subversive element(s).

This is a short taut novel (only 240 pages!) that does take some chances and is unique in its story-telling. For example, we get several POVs but never from the Mansfield girl's POV keeping the reader uncomfortable and off-balance while driving the narrative forward. I really enjoyed the way the book brought to mind the witch trials but also speak to problems present today - esp mob mentality, confirmation bias, misogyny, gender conformity, and weaponized self-loathing.

I will absolutely be reading more from Purvis.

Thank you to Netgalley and Henry Holt and Co. for an eARC to review.

This book is very atmospheric, and vibey. It fits in with the weird girl fiction it's comped to. However, the characters felt a little one note, and the story itself wasn't quite for me.

A dark and heavy atmosphere that was fascinating and amazing to unearth as the story went. Such an amazing read. Thank you for the early access to it.

2 stars

I was intrigued by the promise of this novel, but ultimately disappointed by its lack of depth. <i> The Hounding </i> is an allegory, not a story, and it spells its meaning in big block letters that don’t make for a terribly enjoyable reading experience. The fundamental message is simple: It would be better to be a dog than a girl in a world run by men. I just wish that message were allowed to grow into an engaging narrative rather than left as a bald metaphor.

The early modern England of this novel is a brutal and violent world, and most of the novel’s length is spent establishing that violence. Characters are sketched out but always at a distance, never feeling quite like real people. Oddly, although the novel is ostensibly about the five Mansfield sisters, we never get chapters from any of their points of view; rather, we are told about the sisters from the POVs of Temperance Shirly, Pete the ferryman, Robin Wildgoose, Thomas the hired hand, and the girls’ grandfather Joseph Mansfield. This results in the girls never getting fleshed out for the reader; they each have a broad-strokes character trait but we never actually get to know them in any meaningful sense. Robin is the closest the book gets to a main character, but really there are no main characters, and the novel seems uninterested in characters as individuals at all.

There’s a mysterious air to the book but with no real answers. Peter says at once point that the truth is like a river monster, in that a man can grab at parts of it but not the whole. I would have enjoyed grasping at that slippery truth better had we been given more interesting and thorough glimpses of each person’s grip on it in their POV chapters, rather than the atmospheric but meandering chapters presented here.

I’d recommend this book to fans of introspective literary fiction, but would warn that it isn’t for those who enjoy character- or plot-driven narratives.

'The Hounding' by Xenobe Purvis is a study in gender and group think. It strikes me as a book best read in a college course, It's very literary, and subtle, focusing on themes of religion and gender. I found the recurring theme of "he'd rather they were dogs than damaged girls. Dogs lived ignorantly and happily; they didn't know the extent of human pain." to be exemplary of the quality of life expected for a female of the time.

Thank you to Xenobe Purvis and Henry Holt & Company for the ARC of 'The Hounding' in exchange for a honest review.

Thanks to Netgalley and Henry Holt and Co. for the ebook. The people of the village of Little Nettlebed have never felt comfortable around the five Mansfield daughters. From the richest family in the area they were seen as standoff-ish and far too free in their movements and manners. Now their beloved grandmother has passed away and they are only being raised by their half blind grandfather. When it seems that a pack of dogs has been tearing apart the local livestock, the villagers slowly become convinced that it’s the Mansfield girls who change into the wild pack. A fascinating tale told from five different rotating narrators.

The girlies just want to have fun and men simply cannot let that happen!

This was eerie and atmospheric, and I devoured it in a day.

Months after (sorry NetGalley!) reading this book, I still find myself thinking about it, so, I guess that says a lot. I love that it was set as a period piece without having a bunch of world building or superfluous details. Really just drops you into the story, which, could take place in any time period, but there's a fantastic moodiness to this bleak English village experiencing a heatwave that makes the whole place mad.

This is the kind of book that feels more like slipping into a mood than following a plot. Imagine wandering slowly through the foggy English countryside, where every creak of the trees and bark in the distance feels heavy with meaning. That’s exactly the atmosphere the author creates in this debut.

The story centers on the Mansfield sisters, five girls who live on the edges of their small eighteenth-century village. To their neighbors, they’re odd, unsettling, maybe even dangerous. Soon whispers spread that the sisters are turning into dogs, and the rumors snowball into something much darker. Their grandfather, worried for their safety, tries to protect them—but in a world that fears women who don’t fit the mold, safety is never guaranteed.

To be honest, not much happens in this book. The tension doesn’t come from big twists or action, but from the way suspicion grows like smoke through the town. The writing lingers on atmosphere and daily details, so you have to be the kind of reader who enjoys soaking in mood rather than rushing toward answers. At times, I found myself wishing for more momentum, but I also respected what Purvis was doing—capturing how dangerous it is, in any era, to stand out as a woman.

And while the story is short, it leaves behind a long echo, asking questions about conformity, freedom, and what it costs to be different. If you love slow, atmospheric reads that lean on tone and theme over plot, The Hounding will be a haunting little gem. If you crave fast pacing or big reveals, you may come away unsatisfied.