I'm not sure if it's possible to review this book and do it justice. All I will say is read all the content warnings, pay heed to them and then decide if you are ready for this.

"At night, my mother creaks. The house creaks along with her."

Teenage Aoileann has never left the island. Her silent, bed-bound mother is a wreckage, the survivor of a private disaster no one will speak about. Aoileann desperately wants a family, and when Sarah and her infant baby move to the island, Aoileann finds a focus for her relentless love. A horror story about being bound by the blood knot of family.

White makes clear in the afterword that the island is not based on her own experiences visiting Ireland's isles but the story begs the question of what horrors might occur in these small communities that have policed themselves for generations and what superstition and isolation could do to their minds.

To say I enjoyed this book would no doubt have you looking sideways at me and wondering what was wrong with me but from the opening page the story is captivating in how it presents the rawness of human nature. As it unfolds and the true horrors of Aoileann's life and actions come into full focus I was only drawn in further. There were moments when I was cringing as I was reading but still wanting to know more, to know what had happened in the past and where the story could possibly end up.

An amazing and disturbing read. Easily a five star review which you should approach with caution. ( )

You should not read this book if you are looking for a feel-good story with a happy ending. Some of what you will read about in the book is truly awful.

I really had no idea what I was getting myself into when I started the book. On the face of it, it is a horrible story, and it's very hard to read in parts. But it is very well written, and the story is compelling. I read the book quickly over just a few days. The characters are unforgettable. A lot of the time, I will quickly forget the plot of a book soon after I get into my next read. I will not have trouble remember what this book was about years from now.

It reminds me of a couple of other books I've read in past couple of years

The Last Thing To Burn, by Will Dean, also deal with a subject that is grim and disturbing. It also has a female protagonist who is our first-person narrator who is compelling, and who keeps you willing to engage with her difficult story.

The book also owes a major debt to We Have Always Lived in the Castle, by Shirley Jackson. It also had a damaged first-person narrator, whom we initially feel compassion for and whom we are rooting for, but as the book progresses, we start to wonder whether she is dangerous. Also, the townspeople torment her and keep their distance in both books. And the house is a major part of both books, in typical Gothic fashion. ( )