I'm going to start off today by giving you some context. I finished this book on Monday and immediately drafted a review, which to be fair wasn't the most delicate nor flattering thing I have ever written, but it was honest. The issue was it was also quite bias as it relied on my tastes, and this book has impacted me so much that I had to come back and redraft my review with all the things it has left me thinking. So this is no longer a bias review, it is an honest review as that is what it deserves. Especially as the author approached me directly to read his book.
My first thought as I was devouring this book was that it was hugely f*cked up. I came into this thinking I was reading a crime thriller and soon found it was a horror thriller. That was on me, I should have done some research. This is what blinded me originally. What I read disgusted me on such a level that I saw red, I thought it was over the top, borderline erotica. I felt so uncomfortable reading it that I seriously considered dropping it and making sure it never found the light of day again. But I felt compelled to continue, I had a duty to Sargeant to read his book, he'd asked so nicely, although I had started to wonder why someone would ask me to read something as intense as this.
If there is one thing I have found, it's that reading the horror genre is not for me. Supernatural sub genre? Yeah throw me the book. Slasher? If it is a suspense then sure thing! I think Hungry Hill falls into the suspense category but in a different way, this was a combination of pure horror, suspense thriller, and slasher. It worked well, but my god, if I didn't have a strong stomach I would have been outta there within mere pages of the book. This is where I differ from TV or film horror. I can watch a horror film and not even flinch, reading something and leaving it to my imagination hits different, it isn't laid out for me. This is what made me reconsider my review and decide I was being unfair. I love American Horror Story. The sexual themes and general torture displayed in the book would be right at home within the AHS universe. This is when I realised I was being bias, I'd watch AHS and be uncomfortable but think that it was just the nature of the show. The whole point of it is to unsettle you, make the unthinkable a reality. I don't have a problem, and yet for some reason with Hungry Hill I did, but it was the same thing, the aim was to unsettle you. To make you read something so grotesque that you can't quite comprehend it.
I'd like to praise Sargeant for this. It took me a total of 24 hours to calm down and realise there was more to it than my general shock. Unsettling to it's core, Sargeant has made a very clever and utterly horrific book and it is a story that is brilliantly told. I have to admit, the chopping and changing with characters who in the end didn't seem all that vital confused me. I was lost a few chapters in as well but it didn't take me long to get my bearings. I think that was deliberate, an attempt to disorientate us in order to throw the unthinkable in our direction and make our skin crawl. I've found a few people on Goodreads who thought the same, but I can't seem to find a negative review.
I've actually recommended this book to my best friend. We enjoy the macabre together and it's something we will inevitably talk about in great detail as soon as he has finished it. I have to say though, as a young woman I found this incredibly tough to read, purely for the fact I could sympathize really easily with Dominic's victims. Maybe not so much in the sexual freedom, that was a bit graphic and totally unneeded in my book, but I could certainly feel the fear.
My only criticism, apart from the sexual content but that's my bias issue, is that I thought it could have been longer. I wanted to delve more into the story of Buchanan and Maddox, they obviously liked each other, I wanted to see more of the process when catching the psychos. Instead we went from looking briefly into an attempted abduction to raiding the house as they were certain they knew the culprits all because of a specific car. I'm not knocking it, this was a very quick read, the ending seemed a little rushed and it was hard to place it as it didn't flow the same as the rest of the narrative. But if I push past the initial disgust I felt and look at it from another point of view it is a good book. Very clever, very thought out, just not my cup of tea. You've got to be into horror to appreciate this, and sadly I'm just not.
Before I round this up I want to tell you a story, it's linked to a book which Hungry Hill reminds me of. Back when I was about 13, I'd get off the bus early and wander around the charity shops on my way to the library. The lovely old lady got savvy to me and we would have a chat as she didn't have many customers and on one of these occasions she offered me a special price on the books she had there. All the ones with the orange stickers (they were code for the £2 books) I could have for 20p a book instead if I fancied any. I picked three random books that seemed interesting, one of which was The Cutting by James Hayman. That has scarred me for life, and is no way appropriate for a young teen to read. That was my rather abrupt welcome into the horror thriller books and I hadn't planned on going back until now apparently. It's a sobering experience. The books are both really good, but an acquired taste.
On that note, I'm giving Hungry Hill a sober 5/10. This isn't a reflection of Keith's talent. This is a reflection on how I personally rate his work. While I appreciate he is a talented writer and beyond clever, there are just some aspects of this book that don't sit well for me. While it flowed in some places it felt stinted in others and not everything stayed on track. Sargeant is very descriptive and that is both his strength and his downfall. Otherwise I enjoyed my stay in his world, other than being shocked out of my mind. It has given me a lot to think about and was a decent read. Thank you for getting in contact with me Keith, it has been a pleasure.
As always my loves, stay safe, keep warm, and if there is anything I have learnt from reading Hungry Hill DON'T GET INTO CARS WITH STRANGERS OR WANDER INTO ABANDONED PROPERTIES. THE LIKELYHOOD IS YOU WILL DIE. That is all.
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