Lindsey Barraclough chillingly reimagines Long Lankin, the nightmarish man of English lore, in this highly impressive debut set in a small village in post–World War II England.
The story begins as Cora and Mimi are sent to live with their great-aunt Ida in Guerdon Hall. Cora attributes Ida's strange and specific rules to that of an old woman who doesn't want children living with her. Why else would she forbid them to open windows, even in summer? It soon becomes clear that Ida's rules stem from her fears of something sinister. With the help of a local boy, Roger, Cora begins to uncover the tragedies of the village's past. Long Lankin has terrorized Bryers Guerdon and the Guerdon family for centuries. Now he's returned and has set his sights on Mimi.
Long Lankin is an intense journey that is carefully paced and wonderfully dark. Throughout the book, readers remain terrified of a character constantly just off-screen, who could be lurking in every shadow, yet makes relatively few appearances--which is reinforced by the townspeople's reluctance to discuss him. Barraclough shifts the narrative among the characters' viewpoints and balances aspects of legend and mystery perfectly, raising more questions for readers with every answer, more concerns with every rescue. Shrouded in darkness, the character of Long Lankin will haunt readers long after the book's final pages. --Kyla Paterno, trade book buyer and blogger, Garfield Book Company at PLU