Barrowbeck
by Andrew Michael Hurley
Andrew Michael Hurley’s debut novel The Loney achieved a sort of “cult” success following its publication by Tartarus Press. Its subsequent “mainstream” edition crowned Hurley as the king of English folk horror, a position cemented by Devil’s Day and Starve Acre (a film version of which will soon be hitting the screens).
In this context, Barrowbeck is both a continuation of Hurley’s trajectory and, in some ways, a departure from the genre with which he is associated. The volume presents a baker’s dozen of stories, which expand on pieces Hurley wrote for the BBC 4 radio series “Voices in the Valley”. The featured stores are all linked by their geographical setting – the fictional valley of Barrowbeck somewhere between Yorkshire and Lancashire. The stories follow a chronological order, starting with a “prehistoric” opener, which more or less sets the mood for the volume, and ending with a sci-fi-tinged story set in 2041.
Throughout, Hurley plays with different genres, upending readers’ expectations. In some of the pieces, we get a clear glimpse of Hurley’s trademark folk-horror (“Autumn Pastoral”, “The Haven”), in others there’s a greater emphasis on character studies tinged with the macabre (“An Afternoon of Cake and Lemonade”, “Sisters”) while others are unexpectedly poignant (“Hymns for Easter”). It is also interesting to see Hurley, in a way, experimenting with historical fiction – indicating a new avenue which his writing could take (there was already an indication of this in the story he contributed to the anthology The Winter Spirits).
This is a very strong collection which, thanks to its eclectic approach may well win Hurley fans beyond the horror community.
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