Mothtown by Caroline Hardaker is a literary psychological horror novel with speculative elements (3.5/5 stars)

Mothtown by Caroline Hardaker is a literary psychological horror novel with speculative elements. There are stunning and creepy illustrations by Chris Riddell throughout the book. Shout out to my local library for having the audiobook, which is narrated hauntingly by Alan Cammish.

This non-linear narrative features a deep exploration of grief, loneliness, depression, and belonging. We follow our unreliable narrator, David, in the “Before” during his childhood, and “After” when he is an adult. The prose is quite lyrical throughout, and Hardaker skillfully uses imagery and symbolism in this allegorical tale.

I describe it as literary psychological horror, but there’s some science-fiction, fantasy, and mystery here, along with coming of age. I’ve seen this book compared to a horror puzzle video game, and I find that fairly apt. I feel like if this were ever to be turned into a movie, Darren Aronofsky would take the helm. In some ways the intensity and surreal qualities of this book made me think about his movie, Pi.

People keep comparing this one to Piranesi by Susanna Clarke, so I guess I need to get my hands on that. If you’re looking for something that blurs the line between what is real and what is delusion, you should pick this one up.

CW: death, grief, depression, mental illness, generational trauma

I received a copy of this book to review. Thank you to Angry Robot Books for sending me a free ARC copy. All opinions contained herein are my own.

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