Water Shall Refuse Them

The heatwave of 1976. Following the accidental drowning of her sister, 16-year-old Nif and her family move to a small village on the Welsh borders to escape their grief.

But rural seclusion doesn't bring any relief. As her family unravels, Nif begins to put together her own form of witchcraft, collecting talismans from the sun-starved land.

That is, until she meets Mally, a teen boy who takes a keen interest in her and has his own secret rites to divulge.

Reminiscent of the suspense of Shirley Jackson and soaked in the folk-horror of English heritage, Water Shall Refuse Them is an atmospheric coming-of-age novel and a thrilling debut.

©2019 Lucie McKnight Hardy (P)2019 Audible, Ltd

True Horror

This book is beautifully written and really, really unsettling. This protagonist is a very damaged young woman. I found myself repulsed by her behavior but I also felt very sorry for her. There is animal cruelty in this book which is awful, but it an important element in the plot. I will not forget this book any time soon.

Animal cruelty - through the whole book

This book should probably have a warning in the synopsis. I’m not easily offended, but nothing prepared me for the several episodes of animal cruelty, particularly as a major theme of the book. This isn’t just like a one scene thing done by a supporting character. The narrator was lovely and did a good job. But I found the book disturbing in a way that was just…disturbing. I was already wondering where the heck the storyline was going or if it was ever going anywhere when the animal stuff started. Also, there is a TON of fat phobia in this book. The local people of the village in Wales are portrayed as uneducated, superstitious simpletons with poor hygiene. The characters described over and over as fat were also portrayed as mean, greasy, smelly, dirty, and dumb. His could have been a much better book, as the concept and setting should have been a lot more interesting than they were. I would have loved less insulting stereotypes and more actual details about the town and its people. I would have been interesting to also learn about Welsh culture.