I received this book for free from the Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Lute by Jennifer Thorne Published by Tor Nightfire on October 4 2022
Genres: Adult, Horror
Pages: 288
Format: ARC
Source: Publisher
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The nitty-gritty: Slow burn suspense, mystery and an atmospheric setting make Lute a thoroughly compelling read, despite uneven and puzzling world building elements.
This is one of those books that completely sucked me in, but after I had some time to think about it later, I started to have a lot of questions. Like many of the reviewers on Goodreads, I’m finding this difficult to rate. On one hand, I loved the set up: a remote island community cut off from the rest of the world, where people live idyllic lives, safe from the outside world. But every seven years, a tithe must be given to the land in the form of seven lives. I also loved Jennifer Thorne’s writing style and the sense of urgency and danger she conveys through her main character Nina. But there were some world building elements that felt off, for lack of a better word, elements that puzzled me and pulled me out of the story. Ultimately this was a mixed bag for me, but I’m still recommending it for the mystery/suspense/horror elements that were so well done.
Nina Treadway lives on the British island of Lute with her husband and two young children. Nina is an American, but she met her husband Hugh on a cruise and fell madly in love, leaving her life behind to start fresh. For seven years, Nina has enjoyed peace and happiness on Lute, raising Emma and Charlie on the Treadway estate, Hugh’s family legacy. A world war rages beyond the shores of Lute but never seems to touch them. Lute is blessed by good fortune, and Nina is about to learn the reason why. As “the Day” approaches—-the summer solstice and the longest day of the year—the people of Lute become more cautious. Nina has heard rumors about the Day, but she doesn’t really believe them. The townsfolk’s stories about seven random people dying every seven years seems more like a myth or a fairy tale, not something to take seriously.
When Hugh’s attempts to get his family off the island fail in every possible way, the family hunkers down to prepare for what’s to come. Nina isn’t sure what to expect, but as her friends keep reminding her, she will soon understand, once the Day is over.
We know going in what will happen—seven people are going to die—but it’s the way Thorne’s story unfolds that makes Lute such a compelling read. I loved the subtle tension that builds as Nina begins to witness the horrors of the Day for herself, and because the reader sees the entire story through her eyes, we are witnesses right alongside her. Lute is a fairly short book to begin with, but the suspense and pacing made it an even quicker read, as I found myself glued to the pages.
There are also several mysteries that are drawn out over the course of the story, and these added to the suspense. Why would Nina drop everything to move to a foreign country with a man she barely knows? What is the meaning of Hugh’s secret journal with its list of Lute’s families? And why is Nina having strange dreams about rituals and sacrifices in the woods? I wanted to find out the answers, and that’s one reason I had a hard time putting the book aside. Thorne also touches on some weighty themes, like the fears of motherhood, the feeling of being an outsider, and the responsibilities of being part of a close-knit community with plenty of secrets. I loved that these themes added depth to the story and made the characters more relatable.
The eerie atmosphere also added a great deal to the mysteries of Lute. Usually the island is bright and warm and beautiful, but on the Day it turns ominous. People hide in their homes, hoping to avoid unnecessary risk. Nina’s dog Max gets out of the house and Nina decides to go after him, even though Hugh tells her not to. The feeling of dread is palpable, since you never know exactly where the danger is coming from. Thorne also delves into the history of Lute and describes how the rituals and beliefs came to be, an ancient pact involving Druid priests that adds to the sense of mystery.
But as I mentioned earlier, there are some very odd elements that tripped me up. My biggest issue was trying to slot Lute into a particular genre and not being able to do it. The idea that there is a world war going on made this feel like a dystopian (“The press dubbed the past four years of global conflict the Water Wars, not World War III, like they’re holding out that name for another worse conflict to come.”) Because Lute is “safe” from the war, the story has a fantasy vibe as well, as if magic was responsible for Lute’s good fortune. Then you have the more contemporary story about Nina, who was born and raised in Florida, but met a British man and decided to leave her country to be with him. It turns out Hugh is Lord Treadway, from a titled family, and now Nina has become a “Lady” because they are married. This “Lord and Lady of the manner” storyline gave it a historical fiction vibe. And finally, you have the horror aspects on top of all this, with sudden, random and violent deaths that felt almost like a slasher film. That’s a bunch of different genres, and I’ll admit the combination sometimes gave me whiplash.
And I’m still puzzling over the whole war backdrop, which just felt odd to me. In Thorne’s future, America and Russia have become allies, and the UK is now an enemy. That idea just didn’t make sense to me, and the way the islanders talk about their loved ones “away at war,” having to ration food and supplies and talking about the draft made me think I was reading a story about WWII. And one more thing. We’re told there aren’t any horses on Lute (more than once, so it felt important). I don’t think that was ever explained, and it’s still bugging me. If you’ve read the book and understand why, please let me know!
For me, the best parts of Lute were those focused on the characters and how they deal with everything that’s happening, their tangled relationships and the imminent sense of danger that threatens to ruin them. The bloody finale did not disappoint, and the build-up was worth the wait.
Big thanks to the publisher for providing a review copy.
The need to learn how the story develops might be more than enough to help me overcome any trouble in the storytelling: this sounds indeed like a very engrossing read 🙂
Thanks for sharing!
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I couldn’t put it down, despite my issues:-)
This just doesn’t sound like one for me. I would have far too many questions and sometimes I feel unable to get over that need to query everything and just let the story flow without answers.
Lynn 😀
You would definitely have a lot of questions, Lynn!
I thought this was a pure horror story. How interesting that it’s a mystery, too. (I think that’s cool.)
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It has a lot going on, but the horror parts were very well done:-)
I really like most of the premise of this story but Russia and America becoming allies would ruin it for me because I don’t think that’s something that would ever happen in real life LOL
Ha ha me too, I think that’s why it was so jarring. I just didn’t buy it.
Interesting timing regarding the Day because I just recently reread Shirley Jackson’s The Lottery. 🙂 I can enjoy when stories depart from what’s current and real but if they choose something extreme, such as the US and Russia being allies against the UK then they’d better provide a good explanation of how that happened. I can only suspend my disbelief so far. This sounds like it had a wild mix of genre elements.
There are definite Lottery similarities. I just wish there had been more focus instead of adding elements that for me just didn’t fit.
Been looking forward to your review of this because the premise sounds interesting. Not sure it’s my kinda book, but I enjoyed reading your review of it any way.
Thanks Zezee!
Interesting that it’s so challenging to figure out what genre it best fits into. I don’t think I could ever embrace the idea of Russia and the U.S. being allies against the UK but the rest of the story’s premise sounds really interesting.
I’m usually a fan of mixed genre books, but this was a little too much mixing for me, lol.
I liked this slightly more than you, but then I also tuned out the backdrop early on. The whole background with the war really was kind of unnecessary, but maybe there’s the general notion that dystopians sell better than just straight up horror so the author wanted to include that element?
I just couldn’t get past the war element, for some reason. It was so odd to me.
This sounds like a bit of a mixed bag. I like the sound of the setting, and the mystery, but being left wondering about various things in the end would possibly be a bit frustrating.
Pages and Tea recently posted…The Finally Fall Book Tag: 2022 Edition
It was a mixed bag for me, although I’ve seen other glowing reviews, so I guess it depends on the reader.
This sounds really interesting! I know exactly what you mean about books that suck you in, but then leave you with questions and uncertainty after, it can be frustrating. I’m almost more curious about this one now, I’d probably just end up tuning out some of those confusing world-building elements, haha, which isn’t necessarily a good thing, but it works sometimes. I’m glad you seemed to have liked it in general, I’ll have to keep this one on my interest list!
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It’s definitely worth reading! Her writing is so good, I’m ready for her next book!
I loved this one more than you did, but your points are well taken. The war aspect was something I wish was better explained, but I ended up just accepting it as backdrop, especially since it amplified Nina’s outsider status (not only new to the island, but an American — the enemy, potentially). The war also ended up being a piece that helped Nina understand The Day, once she was reminded about the war memorial. Hmmmm, the horses bit? I think that was significant not specifically because of there not being any on Lute, but because the Treadways had the ability to see the Shining Ones (and their horse), and the fact that Nina (and her children) could hear the hoofbeats showed that she’d truly been accepted by the island. Or anyway, that’s how I interpreted it.
I need to go read your review! I actually like your explanation for the war and Nina being an outsider. And I may have just missed the horse bits. Oh well:-)
Hmm, UK is now a big enemy? Have they expanded their territory again? Because I don’t know if I can see that either. Good review, sounds like a strange type of read, even if it does have some parts that are good.
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