It’s almost three years since I reviewed Edward Carey’s A Year in Plague and Pencils in a post you’ll find here. Consequently, I’m delighted that my latest My Weekly magazine online review is of Edward Carey’s latest book Edith Holler. My enormous gratitude goes to Sophie Goodfellow at FMcM Associates for sending me a copy.
Published by Gallic on 3rd October 2024 Edith Holler is available for purchase here.
Edith Holler
Edward Carey’s witty and entrancing story of a young woman trapped in a ramshackle English playhouse – and the mysterious figure who threatens its very survival.
Norwich, 1901. Edith Holler spends her days among the eccentric denizens of the Holler Theatre, warned by her domineering father that the playhouse will literally tumble down if she should ever leave.
Fascinated by tales of the city she knows only from afar, young Edith decides to write a play of her own about Mawther Meg, a monstrous figure said to have used the blood of countless children to make the local delicacy, Beetle Spread. But when her father suddenly announces his engagement to a peculiar woman named Margaret Unthank, Edith scrambles to protect her father, the theatre, and her play – the one thing that’s truly hers – from the newcomer’s sinister designs.
Teeming with unforgettable characters and illuminated by Carey’s trademark illustrations, Edith Holler is a surprisingly modern fable of one young woman’s struggle to escape her family’s control and craft her own creative destiny.
My Review of Edith Holler
My full review of Edith Holler can be found on the My Weekly website here.
However, here I can say that Edith Holler is a stunning book. Part horror, part fantasy, part love letter to theatre and to the city of Norwich, and gothic in tone, I found it utterly mesmerising and totally absorbing. It’s completely out of my usual genre, but is also one of my favourite reads this year!
Do visit My Weekly to read my full review here.
About Edward Carey
Edward Carey was born in Norfolk, England. He is a novelist, visual artist, playwright and director. He is the author of four novels, including Little, which was a Times and Sunday Times book of the year, and the YA series The Iremonger Trilogy. His collection of lockdown drawings, B: A Year in Plagues and Pencils, was published in November 2021.
Edward lives in the United States and teaches at the University of Texas at Austin.
For more information visit Edward’s website or follow him on Facebook, Twitter/X @EdwardCarey70 and Instagram.
English (US) · 