Lute and its inhabitants are blessed, year after year, with good weather, good health, and good fortune. They live a happy, superior life, untouched by the war that rages all around them. So it’s only fair that every seven years, on the day of the tithe, the island’s gift is honored.
Nina Treadway is new to The Day. A Florida girl by birth, she became a Lady through her marriage to Lord Treadway, whose family has long protected the island. Nina’s heard about The Day, of course. Heard about the horrific tragedies, the lives lost, but she doesn’t believe in it. It’s all superstitious nonsense. Stories told to keep newcomers at bay and youngsters in line.
Then The Day begins. And it’s a day of nightmares, of grief, of reckoning. But it is also a day of community. Of survival and strength. Of love, at its most pure and untamed. When The Day ends, Nina―and Lute―will never be the same.
Spooky season confession time: I still haven’t seen the movie Midsommar. It’s one of those movies I’m always meaning to get to, and hey. Maybe I’ll watch it before I even post this review.
Who can say.
Anyway, Midsommar & Final Destination are two movies that are mentioned as comparisons on the promo sheet for LUTE, the adult horror debut of Jennifer Thorne.
LUTE is a folk horror novel, a subgenre I feel like I understand intuitively, but would maybe struggle to describe accurately. So this is from the Wikipedia entry for folk horror: “Typical elements include a rural setting and themes of isolation, religion, the power of nature, and the potential darkness of rural landscapes.”
The book is set in modern times, and there are occasional mentions of things like cell phones & email. But it’s set in an alternate version of our world, where there is a global war taking place in the background. A war in which America has allied itself with Russia, and made many enemies out of former friends.
On the British island of Lute, Nina Treadway lives with her family as Lady Treadway. She’s originally from Florida, and she kind of fell into a marriage with Lord Treadway. The Treadway family have long been the caretakers of this small island, where everyone knows everyone, and where all the residents are blessed with good health, good luck, and long lives.
Lute is a quirky place, and Thorne describes the island so vividly & cinematically…almost from the first page, you feel as though you are on this island, with the warm sun on your face, and a cool sea breeze at your back. By & large, the people of Lute are charming & eccentric, and don’t seem to hold any strange grudges against Nina, the sole American on the island. But there’s certainly an air of mystery here, right from the beginning. Hey, there’s even a kind of dreamy/mysterious lighthouse keeper!
As the story unfolds, we begin to learn that every seven years, seven people from Lute must die. It’s the price they all pay for living such charmed lives; a bargain, written in blood.
The book opens just days before the Day, and you feel this creeping sense of dread building & building. The story is told entirely from Nina’s first-person POV, and this will be her first true experience with the Day. And she’s not entirely sure she even believes in it, chalking things up to a whole lot of superstition.
But then, you know….the screaming starts.
This book fucking ruled. While it’s true of all genres, I’ve always felt like horror in particular really sinks or swims depending on how much you care about the characters. And Jennifer Thorne has filled this book with a really compelling & likable cast of characters.
Of course, not everyone in this story is likable, and not all of the threats to the residents of Lute are supernatural.
LUTE is just…such a vibe. You get taken in by the gorgeous writing & descriptions of this beautiful island. At times, you feel almost…cozy. While simultaneously feeling this oppressive fear bearing down on you. It’s really intense!
I loved this book so damn much! Massive thanks to Nightfire Books so much for sending a copy my way!
Grimdark Dad 