THE HOLLOW KIND by Andy Davidson

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.

The Hollow Kind by Andy Davidson
Published by MCD on October 11 2022
Genres: Adult, Horror
Pages: 448
Format: ARC
Source: Publisher
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The nitty-gritty: A family legacy of blood sacrifice infuses Andy Davidson’s folk horror tale with atmosphere and dread.

Max stops in his tracks, as if the old house rearing up before them has teeth, claws, is a thing alive. A dragon in the midst of a long slumber. It sees us. A fresh sweat springs out beneath his clothes. Above the roof, bats loose themselves like stones from slings.

Andy Davidson’s latest is an epically dark, blood-soaked family saga that revolves around an old turpentine mill in Georgia. This is the perfect review to post on Halloween, because the story is so creepy, full of ghosts and monsters and a very hungry demon. But the author also explores the darker side of human nature: abuse, family feuds, and the lengths people will go to keep what they love. The Hollow Kind isn’t a quick read, but if you’re in the mood for tons of atmosphere, careful plotting and deep character explorations, you’ll love this book.

The story takes place in 1989, as Nellie Gardner and her eleven-year-old son Max have just left Nellie’s abusive husband Wade. They flee to Redfern Hill, her grandfather’s vast property in Georgia—which Nellie recently inherited—complete with a crumbling old house and a forest of near-dead trees, part of August Redfern’s once booming turpentine mill. But the house and property offer little comfort, as Nellie and Max begin to hear strange scratching noises in the walls. Max hears someone calling his name, but no one is there, and later he sees the face of a little girl in an upstairs window. And then there’s Lonnie Baxter, a bitter man who wants nothing more than to take back the land August Redfern “stole” from his family many years ago. Lonnie is putting pressure on Nellie to sell, and his tactics become threats as Nellie keeps refusing his offers.

In alternating chapters, we go back to 1917 and meet Nellie’s ancestors. Her grandfather August Redfern marries into the Baxter family and takes over his new wife Euphemia’s family turpentine business. But August soon learns there is a curse on the land, and the entity who resides there demands sacrifices. August reluctantly agrees to do his part, but the accidental death of his son proves that August no longer has control over his own life.

Nellie and Max will soon learn the bloody truth about Redfern Hill, as the danger creeps ever closer—Lonnie, Wade and the entity that lies beneath the forest.

Davidson’s intricate plot brings the story of the Redferns and Baxters to bloody life. Each character is given a meticulously crafted backstory, both in the past and in the present, and I found both timelines to be equally gripping. I loved Nellie’s and Max’s story as they slowly begin to understand the horrors they’re facing at Redfern Hill, and the tension of hiding from Wade and hoping he won’t be able to find them kept me on pins and needles. And in the past, I loved seeing the tangled family trees of both families and the effects of the Redfern curse. The book reads almost like a Shakespearean tragedy at times, as both families are bound to the land by blood and sacrifice.

The story drips with atmosphere, and Davidson’s lush prose is perfect for this dark tale. I loved the sense of place and the way the author describes the land and the awful things that dwell there. His descriptions of the turpentine mill added a gloomy cast to the story: the harsh working conditions, the trees with cat face-like slashes in them (in order to collect sap for the turpentine), a deadly mill fire, and even a flu epidemic that took the lives of many workers. Davidson slowly reveals details of the otherworldly terror, giving readers glimpses but never the entire truth until much later in the story. I don’t want to give too many details away, but I will say that if you’ve read Scott Smith’s The Ruins, you’ll have an inkling of what kind of monster Nellie and Max are dealing with. Also, that bear on the cover? He’s in the story.

The author is brilliant at including little details that seem insignificant at the time but later take on greater meaning. For example, Max finds an old book in the house called A Boy’s Guide to Rope and decides to make a Postman’s bridge (and yes I rushed off to Google to see what that was!), and the bridge plays an important part in the story at the end. And much like Chekov’s gun, Nellie finds a “moon-shaped” ax on the property (a special ax used to tap the trees for sap) and ends up carrying it around with her. That ax appears over and over at various points of the story, used by both Nellie and Max. And these are just two examples.

My favorite stories are those that combine real life horrors with a supernatural threat, and I thought that was so well done here. There are so many desperate characters in this story who are willing to commit terrible crimes in order to help themselves, and when you add in the creeping horror that lives in the woods, you have the perfect mix of elements. The finale becomes almost a monster story, and I absolutely loved the ending. There’s something about the “mother and child in danger” scenario that just works for me (think stories like The Shining or Panic Room), and I’m adding Nellie and Max to my list of similar fictional characters.

My only criticism of this book is that it felt too long at times, and cutting out some of the descriptive passages would have made for tighter pacing. But overall, that’s a small complaint compared to all the things I loved about The Hollow Kind. Highly recommended for fans of multigenerational folk horror who can handle some graphic violence.

Big thanks to the publisher for providing a review copy.