Book Review: "Maggie's Grave" by David Sodergren

I adore David Sodergren's books and I've read quite a few of them. One of my favourites was The Haar which I just ate up entirely. You can read on what I thought about it here. David Sodergren mixes folk and urban legend horror with contemporary themes and thus, his books are right up my street. At times, they can be overwhelming, which is not something I am complaining about - it can be really great to have horror that isn't just about grossing out the reader. So, let's get on with this newest addition to my collection of David Sodergren's books - Maggie's Grave. It's about how the dead...sometimes don't always stay dead.

Maggie Wall was lynched in the 1650s because she was accused of being a witch. A violent mob captures her and rips away her unborn child. As she succumbs to her injuries, she chants a curse on the entire town. Honestly, I love this folkloric opening. It shows us something shocking and visceral, makes us realise there is someone really suffering at the centre of the story and, flips the narrative on who the real villains are. Even though Maggie is the one haunting and cursing the town, it is really only because they accused her of something absolutely bizarre.

Centuries later, the town's population is only 47 residents and the grave of Maggie Wall sits on top of a mountain. It is the only famed landmark in the entire town, projecting superstition and haunting stories across the dwindling residency. The teenagers in the town seek new opportunities but can't find any, they are aching for something beyond where they live and yet, are completely trapped by circumstance. Sodergren really pulls out all of the stops with making this town look as desolate as humanly possible. There is absolutely no life or fun, nothing growing or living here. It is just 47 people sitting on the floor of a grave which mounts upon a hill somewhere. That is all.

Four friends obviously have nothing to do in this small, dead town. They seek excitement and adventure by going to Maggie's grave at night. Of course they are going to disturb the spirit within and then Maggie is going to break out of all bonds and haunt the town once more. Honestly, even though it seems predictable as hell, it is so well written that I have to give David Sodergren credit where credit is due. He's a fantastic writer of atmosphere and tension. He gets it right every single time and, if you don't believe me then you have to read his book The Forgotten Island because it will scare the pants off of you.

Maggie goes on a rampage. She targets anyone even remotely associated with her death even though it has been centuries after the fact. One of David Sodergren's main talents is writing gore. He does is rather tastefully I think, focusing on how to build the atmosphere around it rather than just being graphic for no reason. There is something truly terrifying about the way he writes these violent scenes because they linger on, rather than lasting a paragraph or so and then the reader forgetting about them. In his books, no matter how subtle it is, it is still an important detail and the pacing makes it all the more satisfying to read.

Each of the characters are completely different and have their own life troubles, they are not just your run-of-the-mill nobodies. There's a relationship that becomes strained, there is a teen mum who is in deep trouble when the father of her baby abandons them and there's a whole lot of deep insecurity rattling through the narrative. As these teens fight for survival, all of these tensions come bubbling to the surface and the deeper and deeper they are entrenched by the alienation they feel from the rest of the world, the more trouble they discover they are in.

I'm not going to tell you much more of the story because honestly, there are a lot of twists that I don't want to ruin for you. All you need to know is this: if you want to be scared out of your wits then I would highly recommend reading a book by David Sodergren.