The Haar

By: David Sodergren

Narrated by: Mhairi Morrison

"I don't fear death . . . but they do."

Muriel McAuley has lived in the Scottish fishing village of Witchaven all her life. She was born there, and she intends to die there.

But when an overseas property developer threatens to evict the residents from their homes and raze Witchaven to the ground in the name of progress, all seems lost . . . until the day a mysterious fog bank creeps inland.

THE HAAR

To some it brings redemption . . . to others, it brings only madness and death. What macabre secrets lie within . . .

THE HAAR

Contains mature themes.

©2022 David Sodergren (P)2024 Tantor

More Gore-or than Horror

Moves quick and doesn't loiter. The villains are basically Saturday morning cartoon characters, but that doesn't necessarily take anything away from them being gruesomely murdered. There's a bizarre and gratuitous sex scene around halfway through that felt very out of place, but luckily it comes and goes quickly. No pun intended.

oh the horror?

depending on who you are, this book could either be a good horror story bogged down by a very forced and bland romance plot.
or, it is a very confusing and middling romance plot bogged down by too much gore.

for me it was both. this book can't decide what it wants to be, so it settles for what could only be described as "Horror" in the same way any 70's B-list movie is described as "Horror".

it is neither scary nor romantic, so it comes off as "Would you love me if I was a sentient shape-shifting blob?"

Funny, gruesome, sweet, and sensitive

I love so many things about this book, but its heart and soul shine above all. It’s a wild ride and I’m glad I went in blind as possible.

Wow!

As a fan of The Thing and unexpected twists and turns, this novel hit everything I look for in a good story. Haunting, beautiful setting, interesting characters, complexity, and horror that makes your skin crawl. This is going to be a story I remember forever and revisit.

my American guilt is powerful after this

First off: most Americans are poor and not like these. I was open mouthed at the vulgarity and cruelty, though I have no problem envisioning the ultra rich doing the things in the book. The ending is satisfying and I was cackling at the news anchor.

I think if you've ever had a true love, you'll deeply feel this story. I teared up several times. This is devastating but beautiful. And the gore isn't the devastating part, you'll be cheering. But the invasive cruelty of the Americans, the way they keep grabbing for things that aren't theirs, trampling over people's rights bc they can...it made me furious. But stick with it! The ending is worth it.