Winterset Hollow: A Novel

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This is the point where the book and I diverged. I should've known I should stop immediately, but I was curious. I should've let my curiosity die but I let it linger, dying slowly and painfully, dragging the rest of me along for the worst ride ever. Mark held his finger aloft in such a singular manner that it stopped him mid-sentence, and he wasted no time in turning his attention to the one who resembled Eamon as if to say, you . . . you may speak. “Yeah, man, we’re just waiting to get over to the isle,” said the redhead as the rest of the motley gathering confirmed as much by nodding and waving their own free passes in the salty September air. “It’s been almost an hour now.” See, he gets it,” jabbed Caroline, taking a freshly seasoned bite and miming her unbridled pleasure for Mark to see. “Perfect.” Winterset Hollow is a wonderfully unique tale with likeable characters (both protagonists and antagonist). I could seriously rave about this book all day, but my absolute favorite part is the masterfully crafted writing. Just beautiful.

The other handful of fellow tourists from the boat were already inside warming by the fire and drinking...

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Winterset Hollow is as thrilling as it is terrifying and as smart as it is surprising. A uniquely original story filled with properly unexpected twists and turns, Winterset Hollow delivers complex, indelible characters and pulse- pounding action as it storms toward an unforgettable climax that will leave you reeling. How do you celebrate Barley Day? You run, friend. You run. The readers are rooting for Eamon and his friends to survive the hunt. Still, the author also clearly portrays the animals’ motivation for the hunt, thereby garnering sympathy from the reader. Do you know why you’re having trouble speaking now? It’s because you’ve hung your whole life on words. Your words, Edward’s words, words of authors and words of those who taught you about them. But now … now that the end is so close you can see it and there’s nobody around who cares to hear you speak … you realize that all of those words don’t mean a thing, don’t you?”

Jonathan Edward Durham was born near Philadelphia where he read voraciously throughout his youth. He now lives in California where he writes to bring a voice to the space between the timeless wonder of his favorite childhood stories and the pop sensibilities of his adolescent literary indulgences. Even the manor itself is dripping with character, providing insight into the nature and history of its proprietor and his relationship with the animals on which his authorial fame flourished. As Runny Rabbit and Eamon traverse the expansive, trophy-filled halls shortly after the latter’s arrival, readers are treated to Durham’s rich and incisive prose in detailing the interior of the Addington family’s estate, and later when Finn the Fox faces off against several of his human guests in a game of poker, the former provides deliciously sly musings on the nature of sport and winning in dialogue rife with characteristically vulpine wit—something admirers of the classic Reynardian character archetype will doubtless appreciate. Growing up, I sought out and consumed a steady diet of ‘dark-fantastical.’ Movies that had those fantasy elements, but also the hero’s quest, of trying to overcome the longest of odds to survive and defeat evil. I also loved reading the fairy tale stories, but also the anthropomorphised tales. I grew up during the perfect time period where there was a lot of this to watch and read. Think ‘Watership Down,’‘Chronicles of Narnia,’‘Legend,’‘Labyrinth,’‘The Dark Crystal,’‘The Last Unicorn,’‘Winnie the Pooh,’‘The Wind In The Willows,’‘Willow,’ and so, so many more. The first two movies I ever saw in theatres was a double feature; ‘The Land Before Time’ and ‘The Great Land of Small.’ My people!? Did you hear that?” Eamon replied with a snoot. “My people have been through a lot and frankly, we don’t need your insensitive stereotyping right now, okay?” Edward was from a wealthy family and built the Victorian mansion on Addington Isle. It soon became the hub for the high society of the Pacific Northwest. Winterset Hollows made him famous, but after his death, the mansion was left empty and deserted. A visit to Addington IsleAll of this is to say, that when ‘Winterset Hollow’ was offered for review, I took in that gorgeous cover, read the synopsis and something was stirred. I knew I was in for a truly stunning debut novel. I wanted to experience it and find out just what Jonathan Edward Durham had created. In this fantasy thriller, three friends visit the home of their favorite writer, unaware of the twisted legacy awaiting them.