Book Review: Eynhallow by Tim McGregor

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In 1797 on the Orkney Isle of Eynhallow, married mother of four Agnes Tulloch struggles to make ends meet. A “giantess” since youth, Agnes towers over her small community, nearly all of whom view her as a freak and an outsider. The result is a sad, lonely, and difficult existence, a far cry from the ideal promised by her husband, a temperamental and distant man 14 years her senior.

Agnes endures to get along, subjugating herself in the face of matrimonial strife, a victim of circumstance and time period without choices or prospects, each day mundane and unrelenting until a stranger comes ashore and settles into a deserted croft — one of several area ruins historied with gruesomely violent legend and lore. Hired out to clean and cook for the newcomer, Agnes resentfully complies, befriending the wealthy scientist who feverishly works away at some mysterious pursuit. This charming, dark, and brooding aristocrat’s name? Victor Frankenstein, someone potentially dangerous, heartless, and careless beneath his captivating veneer.

Oozing tension and melancholy, this novel immerses the reader in an atmospheric and utterly enthralling account of personal struggle and bodily autonomy brought to life through smooth and enchanting prose. Agnes’s powerful narrative voice pulls no punches, seamlessly conveying horror and devastation coupled with truly terrifying and heartbreaking moments, weaving a riveting tale worthy of a spot on any Gothic horror lover’s favorites shelf. Pristine, elegant, and gruesome; eerie, bewitching, and gut-wrenching; Eynhallow is a harrowing and haunting story that not only does its much-lauded predecessor justice, but enhances it.

And what’s more, Eynhallow is a real place actually abandoned in 1841. Unreachable for 364 days per year, ruin-strewn and awash in historical riddles and mythical legends, it’s a destination rife with mystery and tailor-made for horror!

Thank you to NetGalley and RDS Publishing/Raw Dog Screaming Press for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

❤Amanda

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