I’m sharing another instalment of my Mini Review Mondays, the most recent of which was last week. In case you haven’t seen any of my previous posts, I do ‘mini’ reviews of books that I’ve previously read and am now ready to share my full thoughts about.
First up, I’d like to talk about Reliquary by Hannah Whitten. Thank you to Run For It for sending me a copy in exchange for an honest review.
When Claire’s fiancé Elias mysteriously dies of an unknown neurological illness, his estranged family invites her to a three-day wake at Harrow Point, their family home on a remote private island. Claire feels like she’s being given the chance to find family again, to belong.
But something isn’t right – their home stirs strange memories of the accident that killed Claire’s parents, and Elias’s brother seems insistent that she leave as soon as possible. As she dives deeper into the world of Harrow Point, she discover that there’s something swimming in the bowels of Harrow Point, and it is hungry. But as Claire’s window for escape rapidly closes, she starts to wonder, does she even want to?
Publication Date: 11th August
CW: death, body horror, grief, stalking, murder, injury, infidelity, mental illness
My Thoughts:
Reliquary is an exquisite horror story that delves into some of humanity’s worst fears and ponders what happens when something stares back at you from the unknown.
Whitten has crafted something special here. This story has lingered since I finished the final page. There is something about its prose, its characterisation and the sheer force of its atmosphere that endures. It tingles at the back of your mind and leaves an eerie impression of something standing just out of your peripheral vision. Whitten has a brilliant command over this story with razor-sharp pacing that pulls you into this increasingly bizarre world. It marries the beloved horror trope of rich people behaving very badly with something primaeval and sinister beyond comprehension. I loved the way Whitten utilises familiar tropes and then disarms you by subverting your expectation.
I really enjoyed the way this book plays with ideas of legacy, privilege, family and religion. The prose is saturated with these elaborate images and symbolic allusions that add texture and depth to the story. It has that familiar isolated setting with a gilded cage of luxury hiding something beneath the surface. Whitten is explicit in exploring the monstrosity of humanity and where our personal ethical lines might be drawn. However there is also an exploration of the vast unknown, specifically through the ocean. I have such a fascination and a fear for this, probably from Jaws searing itself into my brain. The ocean is an ancient place we ultimately know so little about and therefore it is ripe for horror and the unimaginable. Where Whitten takes this story is excellent and all the better for the way it explores these themes.
Reliquary drags you down into its murky depths for a fascinating and foreboding story that will leave you with a chill on your skin and salt in your heart.
Next up, I’d like to talk about A Bloody Scandal by Evelyn Scott. Thank you to 4th Estate for sending me an eARC in exchange for an honest review.
hroughout their lives, women are taught that it is normal to live in pain. In this urgent investigation into medical misogyny, Evelyn Scott fiercely refutes that myth.
Evelyn was just a teenager when she first began suffering with the symptoms of endometriosis – a reproductive condition that affects one in ten women. For fifteen years, she endured constant, agonising pain. Where she was desperate for clarity and support from medical practitioners, she was instead met with cold dismissals of hysteria and irresponsible misdiagnoses. Her pain left her completely isolated – until sharing her story revealed to her that countless other women were suffering the same fate.
A Bloody Scandal is a personal and shocking account of this gynaecological neglect. Weaving her own experiences with those of women from all across the globe, Evelyn examines the medical, political and educational failures that are causing preventable harm to women with reproductive conditions everywhere. Unflinchingly honest, this book is both a forceful reckoning with broken systems around the world and an urgent call for empathy-led care. Above all, it is a bold, compassionate show of solidarity with the women whose bodies are still being failed today.
Publication Date: 13th August
CW: medical gaslighting, pain, chronic illness, racism, sexism, misogny
My Thoughts:
A Bloody Scandal lives up to its title in this searing indictment of medical misogyny that will inform and enrage you in equal measure.
This is such an eye-opening and informative book that I would highly recommend. As Scott delves into the education around periods, period pain and numerous conditions associated with periods is so minimal in our education system. There is an impassioned argument for improving this and one that I sorely hope is listened to. Scott examines how the entire way we view periods is steeped in misogyny and historical oppression, taking each chapter to explore a different aspect of this. The arguments made are compelling and grounded in fact & lived experience.
This is also such a rage-inducing book. I left with anger burning even brighter than before at the injustices and inequalities associated with medical care and society as a whole in how it epitomises stark differences between people. It really struck a chord from my own experiences and I hope will help other people feel listened to & empowered. Scott draws an impressive thread through her own lived experience and the way this insidiously affects every aspect of society. The dimishment of pain and gaslighting is keenly felt and sickens you to your core. Ultimately, there is such bitter truth in these pages but also validation and hope for a path forward.
A Bloody Scandal kickstarts so many important conversations and I hope people will listen. I also deeply hope it finds the people who need to read it, who will see themselves and finally feel like someone cares & understands.
Finally, I’d like to delve into Death Writ Large by Susie Dent. Thank you to Zaffre Books for having proofs available at Harrogate Crime Festival!
When mysterious symbols appear as graffiti around Oxford, lexicographer Martha Thornhill recognises them from a runic alphabet created by a deceased fantasy writer whose papers she once worked on. But this is no publicity stunt, and tensions intensify when further graffiti is found near the body of a university lecturer.
Martha is not the only one to have doubts when the suspicious death is assumed by police to be a suicide. Called upon to lend their linguistic expertise to the case, Martha and her colleagues begin to unearth a tragedy that extends beyond the ancient walls of the university. As new messages portend more death, it’s clear that a spirit of vengeance is stalking the city’s streets, and may be reaching out towards them too.
Publication Date: 13th August
CW: death, murder, violence, injury, fire, stalking, suicide, grief, blackmail
My Thoughts:
Death Writ Large is a triumphant sequel with a brilliant puzzle at its core and a welcome return of enjoyable characters that I am looking forward to seeing grow further.
I thoroughly enjoyed Dent’s fiction debut Guilty by Definition, which I thought was astounding in the way it balanced a tightly plotted and thrilling mystery with a poignant investment in its characters. As you would expect from the queen of Dictionary Corner herself, there was a delight in the revelling of the intricate wordplay but also a deft exploration of grief and trauma. Both of those threads continue in this sequel. I loved deciphering clues alongside our characters and how they tied up with historical, linguistic and literary references. There is this keen sense of the echoes of the past reverberating into the present within this series that I enjoy. You have the consequences of characters’ actions but also that deep-rooted history of bloodshed and violence that shapes a place.
At the same time, the shining light of this series is the characters. They are the beating heart and are why you get quite so caught up in the story. The team of the Clarendon English Dictionary is still grappling with the fallout from the events of the previous book and I liked how tangible those ripple effects were. We also get some great new additions with both new primary and secondary characters that add something interesting to the mix. I loved the off-hand, witty remarks and the occasional appearances from a few of them, but I mostly loved the most prominent new addition. To avoid any spoilers, I’ll just say their narrative thread is the one that stayed with me the most alongside Martha’s here.
Death Writ Large is another brainteaser of a book with a brilliant mystery at its core and a cast of complex but delightful characters that makes your heart sing.
A Short Book Lover 
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