Release Date: April 13th 2021
Publisher: Titan Books
Pages: 304
Find it on: Goodreads. BookDepository. Waterstones.
Source: The publisher kindly sent me a copy of this book to review
Rating: 3.25/5 stars

Synopsis

A terrifying story of ghosts and grief, perfect for fans of Shirley Jackon’s The Haunting of Hill House and Henry James’s The Turn of the Screw, in award-winning author Lisa Heathfield’s first adult novel.

Clara and her younger brother Stephen are taken by their father to stay with their aunt and uncle in a remote house in the hills as their mother recovers from an accident. At first, they see it as a summer to explore. There’s the train set in the basement, the walled garden with its secret graves and beyond it all the silent loch, steady and waiting.

Auntie has wanted them for so long—real children with hair to brush and arms to slip into the clothes made just for them. All those hours washing, polishing, preparing beds and pickling fruit and now Clara and Stephen are here, like a miracle, on her doorstep.

But the reality of two children—their noise, their mess, their casual cruelties–begins to overwhelm Auntie. The children begin to uncover things Auntie had thought left buried, and Clara can feel her brother slipping away from her. This hastily created new family finds itself falling apart, with terrifying consequences for them all.

Such Pretty Things is a deeply chilling and haunting story about the slow shattering nature of grief, displacement, jealousy and an overwhelming desire to love and be loved.

Review

Such Pretty Things is the dark and chilling story of Clara and Stephen, two young children taken to stay with their aunt and uncle following their mother’s accident. Their aunt and uncle stay in a remote house and the children believe this will be a summer of exploration and play. Their Auntie has been hoping for children as long as she can remember, but when the children arrive with all their mess and bad behaviour, Auntie struggles to cope. As the children uncover secrets Auntie had long kept hidden it will rip apart their family forever.

Such Pretty Things caught my eye because of that brilliant, eerie cover and it fits so well with this creepy tale. It’s the sort of story that sends a shiver up your spine, full to the brim with tension and unease. Such Pretty Things will absolutely appeal to fans of Shirley Jackson and the story felt very reminiscent of The Turn of the Screw. I ended up reading the book pretty quickly as the strong sense of atmosphere kept me wanting to know more.

Such Pretty Things is quite a slow-paced tale and in some parts I found the story dragged a little. I kept expecting something more horrifying to occur, but it never really happened. There are plenty of sinister moments and Heathfield has a really vivid writing style, but I found myself waiting for something more to happen. Despite this I still really enjoyed the story, it was well executed and a really inventive read. If you’re in the mood for a sinister, creeping horror tale, Such Pretty Things is one for your wishlist.