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.
A Haunting in the Arctic by C.J. Cooke Published by Berkley on February 27 2024
Genres: Adult, historical, Horror
Pages: 352
Format: Finished paperback
Source: Publisher
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The nitty-gritty: Harrowing and addictive, A Haunting in the Arctic is a frozen, Gothic treat for horror lovers who appreciate a well told tale.
“In the mirror opposite, she could see it—her foot was no longer human, but the fin of a cetacean, dark and slick as ink, bringing fresh revulsion every time she looked at it.”
C.J. Cooke has just catapulted onto my favorite authors list, and I will be making every effort to read her backlist as soon as I can. A Haunting in the Arctic is a masterfully written and plotted story, full of emotion, heartache, terrible circumstances, revenge and terror, and if those descriptors don’t catch your attention, this might not be the right book for you. Word of warning, parts of the story take place in 1901 on a whaling ship, and Cooke captures the harsh life at sea perfectly, including scenes where whales are captured and gutted. In addition, be aware of triggers like rape, death of a child, cutting, and more, but also trust me when I say if you can get past those elements, you’re in for a top notch reading experience.
Cooke’s story revolves around a whaling ship called the Ormen and follows its history in three different time periods. In 1901 Scotland we meet Nicky Duthie, a young wife whose husband has gone off to war. Nicky’s father George Abney owns a whaling company, but times are tough and his business is about to go under, although his ship the Ormen is about to set sail on its last journey. Just before the ship leaves, Nicky is attacked near the docks and wakes up in a cramped cabin—on board the Ormen.
In the present day, 2023, the story shifts to an abandoned town in Iceland called Skúmaskot, where urban explorer Dominique has trekked in order to document the last days of the Ormen, which became a research vessel in the 1950s but was shipwrecked near Skúmaskot in 1973. What’s left of the ship tells a grim tale: Dominique finds bloodstains covering the floors of the cabins, and rumors say the ship is haunted. When she is unexpectedly joined by three other explorers, the four decide to team up to uncover the Ormen’s secrets and post their experiences live on Tik Tok.
Finally, through letters and other artifacts found on the shipwrecked Ormen, the author fills in some of the blanks about what happened to the research crew in 1973 and why there was only one body found aboard the ship when it ran aground at Skúmaskot. All three stories eventually converge as Nicky’s fate is revealed and how her experiences echo through the years and affect the present.
I don’t want to give away any more of the plot, because C.J. Cooke has plenty of shocking reveals that work better if the reader is surprised. This is a slow burn mystery that becomes more and more intense as you read. The story shifts back and forth from 1901 to 2023 with plenty of connecting threads to pull readers along. While both storylines are riveting, I loved following Nicky’s story the most, although her sections are often very hard to read. Imagine a lone woman aboard a ship of twenty rough whalers and let your imagination take you to some dark places, and you have an inkling of the trauma Nicky went through. This trauma is the catalyst for the rest of the story, as Nicky goes through a transformation of sorts, and here is where Cooke brings in her speculative elements. Tales of the selkie wife, a Nordic folktale, are woven throughout the story, and this mythical creature makes an appearance in each timeline. In 1973, there are accounts of men on the research ship being lured away by a mysterious, beautiful woman, and Dominique sees her as well in 2023. Cooke does an excellent job of describing a traumatic event that seems to be imprinted on the Ormen and continues to echo over the decades.
Dominique and her three “friends” are a puzzle from the very beginning. First of all, I thought it was strange that a woman would journey over frozen terrain by herself—on foot—just to explore a shipwreck. And when she’s joined by Jens, Samara and Leo, things get even weirder. The other three clearly know something that Dominique doesn’t know, and the reader is kept in the dark until nearly the end. Dominique keeps seeing a woman in strange clothing on the shore, but no one else can see her. The combination of the creepy, shipwrecked Ormen (where the four explorers have set up camp), the nearby abandoned town of Skúmaskot, and the freezing Icelandic setting make these scenes even more unsettling, and I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough.
I had no idea where the story was going, and I couldn’t imagine how Cooke was going to tie everything together, but she did so brilliantly. There are so many little details throughout that seem insignificant at the time, but often come into play later in the story. When the final shocking twist was revealed, I have to admit I didn’t see it coming—at all! The final scene was emotionally satisfying and the perfect ending to this story. A Haunting in the Arctic is one of my favorite books of the year so far, and it’s going to be hard to top.
Big thanks to the publisher for providing a review copy.
I’ve been tempted to add this to the TBR but then the business about the whaling ship goriness makes me hesitate a bit.
I’ve only read one book by C. J. Cooke which was The Lighthouse Witches and I enjoyed that. It’s completely different to this one by the sound of it so perhaps worth a look. 😀
This does sound completely different from The Lighthouse Witches, now I need to read that book to compare:-)
I already noticed this title as it appeared on the blogosphere, and was aware of the harshness of part of its narrative, but at the same time everyone listed it as a compelling read, and your review just confirmed that I need to add this book to my TBR soonest. The difficult themes don’t frigthen me, and knowing that I will find a compelling narrative only adds to my curiosity…
Thank you so much for sharing this! 🙂
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I think the difficult themes only make it better, it’s so emotional!
This sounds amazing! I haven’t read much horror this year, but I love the sound of the converging/interwoven storylines, and I”m dying to know more!
She did such a great job bring the timelines together, not all authors get it right:-)
You share so many well written horror books but it is just not for me. This one even sounds really intriguing.
This definitely isn’t for you, Anne, but wow she’s such a great writer.
Ooh, I’m going to get this for my sister based on your review. Thanks!
Oh cool, thank you!
This sounds so good! The whole selkie angle has me really intrigued.
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I loved the way she incorporated the selkie tale!
I really enjoy those books where we can’t really figure out where the story is going but love the ride and how it all winds up. This sounds like a great one
I was really in the dark, even though she gives you lots of clues!
Even though I don’t really read horror, this one sounds amazing and so tempting. I’m glad it was such a fantastic read for you!
It’s just such a well written story!
Yep. This is such a brilliant read if you can get past all the things that you might seriously not like. I read this and it stopped me in my tracks on more than one occasion. But it’s so full of atmosphere and it’s definitely one of the scariest ghost stories I’ve read.
Lynn 😀
It was scary!
This sounds mighty intriguing! I am glad you had such a great time with it!
I wasn’t interested in the premise when I first heard of this, but your review makes it sound just up my alley! Adding to my TBR
So glad you enjoyed this too! I loved it, but definitely hard to read. I had such a visceral reaction to some of it. Could not believe what I was reading at times.
I’ve never read this author but I maaaaay have to check this one out – I do love a story set in turn-of-the-century Arctic
This sounds like a fantastic but difficult read. Your enthusiasm for it really comes through with your review and I’m itching to pick this up now too. I’ll probably check out The Lighthouse Witches first as I’ve been meaning to pick that up for ages now but you’ve definitely convinced me to make this a must read as opposed to a maybe now. I hope you enjoy whatever you read next by the author.