Erik and Lara are in mourning for their daughter, who was born “incompatible with life”. To get away from their suffocating grief and the ever-present shadow their daughter has cast in their lives since passing, and desperately trying to recover their increasingly rocky relationship, they take a trip to the seaside town of Polperro, in Cornwall. But no sooner have they arrived, than they realise that their grief cannot be so easily eluded . I didn’t know too much about this story before I went into it as I find at times a synopsis can give too much away, and I am so glad I went it fairly blind. Mainly told from the perspective of Erik, the reader follows him and his partner on a trip to try and leave their grief behind and find themselves and their relationship again. The build up if fairly slow but when it becomes obvious what they have discovered, the unsettling darkness picks up speed. The villagers felt little more like faded background characters rather than the worshippers they are portrayed to be, and the climax seemed to be over very quickly compared to the rest of the book for myself, but that didn’t stop me from enjoying the story. The escalating violence really added to the sense of dread and pain woven into the story, and at times it was even uncomfortable (in a good way) to read. The main pull for me was how well done the theme of grief and loss was done. I’m not a parent but I have experienced loss and grief in a way that allowed me to feel connected to Erik and Lara, but I don’t think that experience is necessary to feel connected to the story. It is an unsettling and emotionally raw story with an isolated, stunningly concentrated setting and the mix of grief and horror really pulled me in Thank you to Clash Books and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this in exchange for an honest review