WINTERSET HOLLOW

In this fantasy thriller, three friends visit the home of their favorite writer, unaware of the twisted legacy awaiting them.

John Eamon Buckley grew up with an agoraphobic father in rural Idaho. He survived his bitter childhood thanks to the writings of E.B. Addington, the beloved author of Winterset Hollow and the creator of characters like Runnymeade Rabbit and Flackwell Frog. Now, grown-up Eamon and his friends Mark and Caroline have embarked on a pilgrimage to Addington Isle, off the coast of West Rock, Washington. Along with several other fans, Eamon and company take a boat to the island and view the deceased author’s estate and beautiful grounds. Eamon hopes to at least see a rabbit, so the friends explore and find an elaborate hedge maze. They next see lantern light in the supposedly empty manor’s windows. But no oddities can prepare them for Runnymeade Rabbit himself, who steps from the manor and invites the group inside. The characters Flackwell Frog and Phineas Fox are also present, wearing clothes and able to speak, just like in the book. The hosts offer games and a feast to celebrate Addington’s fictional Barley Day. But as the evening proceeds, Eamon notices a sour tinge in the air. Runnymeade eventually announces: “It’s time for the hunt.” Durham takes a blackly humorous swipe at childhood nostalgia, namely readers still enamored with their copies of Beatrix Potter’s The Tale of Peter Rabbit. A peek through Addington’s history reveals a family obsessed with wealth and trophies, especially animal carcasses, which decorate the manor. The mystery of why Eamon received a strange summons to the island is deftly teased throughout. Durham’s gleeful, human-hunting villains steal most of the scenes, as when Flackwell tries to lure their prey by saying, “I’ve brought sandwiches!” The prose, while always striving to reveal character depth, runs a bit purple, as in the line “Nothing seemed to quell the firestorm of questions that was clouding his view and pummeling his eardrums and plugging his throat with thick, black ash.” Violence never overshadows the tale’s intriguing explorations of legacy and duty.

An engaging and energetically written literary horror story that speaks up for animals.