This book was rather unsettling, overall it was fine, but not great. That said, the writing was probably my favourite about this book, and the plot idea was great. I love books about cults so this was an easy one for me to power through. It just didn’t take me where I thought it would. Some of my questions were left unanswered, which could have been intentional.

I ended up finding this book so grim that it made me depressed and I was not able to finish it. I apologise and will keep my review private rather than sharing publicly.

Such an atmospheric book that I couldn't wait to recommend it to my friends.

Green either grew up in an idyllic commune or an abusive cult; it depends who you speak to. The residents of Foxlowe were either evil masterminds of abuse or brainwashed underlings; again it depends who you speak to.

Recounting her time at Foxlowe; Green takes us back to when she was a young child, maybe 4 or 5 years-old. To when Blue arrived and everything began to change.

Foxlowe is a deeply unsettling, creepy and thoroughly enjoyable read. I finished it in one sitting but I’ll be thinking about it, particularly that ending, for a long time to come.

A really bizarre and disturbing story. I'm not quite sure what I think of it so would have to say that you should read it and make your own mind up. Or not, if you are like me.

What a creepy set of characters. Foxlowe commune is so dysfunctional that it sets the tone of twistedness over the whole novel. Then as an exploration of the cycle and traces of childhood trauma, the novel becomes creepier and creepier.

This is the story of Green, raised amongst a commune in the dilapidated walls of a mansion named Foxlowe. Often at the mercy of leader, Freya, Green tries to survive amongst the toxic dynamic of the group having known no other life and wilfully unaware of what life is like on the outside. This isn't an easy read, Freya is a cruel character both physically and emotionally. The other adults in the commune are woefully inept, leaving Green and the two other children, Toby and Blue to fend for themselves. The outside world makes occasional forays into the house, there's a visit from social services and in Green's eyes this is seen as a threat and she wishes them to leave as quickly as possible despite the miserable conditions they're all living in. The book goes back and forth is time and slowly the full horror of what was happening at Foxlowe becomes clear. Green is sometimes an unreliable narrator but she hears enough barbed comments and sees enough to know that there's a vicious power struggle going on in the commune. The style of writing may not be to everyone's taste but its a slow build thats very skilfully written and the ending stayed with me for a few days.

Atmospheric as well unsettling, this is an excellent book.

I received a free ARC from Netgalley in exchange for a fair review

Using a naive young protagonist as our narrator, Eleanor Wasserberg peels back the layers of what life may be like living within a small commune or cult, realistically portraying the effects of brainwashing from a young age and what can happen when one follower stands out from the crowd.

There’s something distinctly chilling about Foxlowe right from the opening lines of the first chapter; “Tiny red beads came from the lines on my arm. These soft scars gave way like wet paper.” It’s told from the point of view of Green, a young girl growing up in Foxlowe, a mansion housing a commune within the English countryside. Isolated and sheltered from society, the ‘Family’ (as they call themselves) have developed their own set of rules and way of living; they believe the Bad is everywhere Outside, where people have become corrupted by money and power. They live self-sufficient lives, growing their own crops for food and creating artwork which they sell at local markets to raise money. There’s echoes of paganism in their rituals, living right by the ‘standing stones’ they mark the Solstice twice a year, and celebrate the harvest of that autumn brings.

It all sounds like it could be innocent enough – there’s not necessarily anything wrong in principle with a group of people sustaining themselves and looking after each other, majoritively without help from the outside world. But in such a sheltered society, it’s easy for one person to manipulate others to their way of thinking, and that’s exactly what happens here.

Because of the childish first person narration, it took me a little while to realise how truly corrupted the small community was. There’s horrific child abuse, bizarre rituals and dictatorship, but our protagonist accepts this as the norm and believes there is a valid reason for all of it. It’s up to the reader to read between the lines and pick apart the unusual terminology the society has created (the Bad, the Crisis, the salt scattering – there’s a lot of it) to realise there’s something wholly altogether more sinister going on. And that, surely, at some point, the fragile community the leaders have created is bound to fall apart.

Which it does, of course. After following Green growing up in the cult, the narrative moves to a number of years later, when Green is living in London and the Foxlowe she knew no longer exists. Her adaptation to normal life makes for difficult reading, but the author keeps us in suspense as to the events which caused the end of Foxlowe until the very last few chapters.

A little slow in places, but in general this novel is well-paced, gradually building an underlying feeling of menace, leading to the final revelation of how the society fell apart. It’s a disturbing read about a disturbed, manipulative individual fighting for control of a corrupted society, and the innocent children who get caught up in it. An impressive debut.

I was thoroughly intrigued by the premise of Foxlowe, but the novel didn't quite live up to what I expected. I found parts of the storyline jumped around too much to follow properly. That aside, Foxlowe was written superbly and I liked developments of the different characters.

If you are questing after a book that will leave you feeling unsettled and make your skin crawl, you've come to the right place. Foxlowe, a majestic home turned commune, is the centerpiece of this novel and the entire universe of the children who grow up there.

Initially I thought this book mildly peculiar, though less bizarre that I would have expected to view communal life, but my perspective smoothly changes to something else entirely. The further I delve into the pages, the more addicted I became to the story of Green, a child brought to Foxlowe as a baby and narrator of the story. What will happen and, more importantly, what will mean for Green? She hints at something bad occurring and I was monstrously keen to find out what it was.

Foxlowe seems so gentle and permissive but life there is anything but. There are strict rules and severe punishment is dealt out to those who break the rules. I read this story with almost a sick fascination. It's like driving passed a car crash. You don't want to look but you feel compelled to see what's happened. There is a twisted beauty to this novel that indicates the skill of a talented author. Well done! I was gripped by this book and, days later, it still clings to me. What a shocker!