SMALL ANGELS

The woods are lovely, dark, and deep…and haunted?

Chloe’s plans for a picture-perfect destination wedding in the small English town where her husband-to-be, Sam, grew up start to go astray when, during their combination stag and hen party—Hag Night—at a village tavern, she learns some disquieting local lore about the quaint church she’s booked for the nuptials. The looming presence of the nearby Mockbeggar Woods makes itself more and more evident as the wedding draws near, and soon Chloe herself is drawn into a centuries-old struggle to appease a menacing force which occupies those woods. The battle to manage this supernatural situation has been shouldered by the reclusive Gonne family, including four spirited girls, who for generations have run Blanch Farm at the edge of the woods. The Gonnes have endured inexplicable losses despite the rites and rituals they have developed to protect themselves (and their neighbors) from an angry specter that seems to be growing more demanding as the wedding approaches. Owen weaves together stories told by many voices—past and present—in her updated gothic ghost story, creating a portrait of the damage done by ancient injuries and the toxic legacy created by family secrets. The strong bonds between the Gonne sisters are tested by misunderstandings, and a shy romance between one of the sisters and a village girl has unforeseen repercussions years later. While including elements of gothic literature (young women in trouble! haunted places! an unhappy ghost!), Owen updates the genre slyly with references to Chloe’s awareness that she’s like the girl in a ghost story she’s envisioning inside her head and the encouraging, therapeutic advice dispensed by a well-meaning member of the spirit world who aids in the fight against the disgruntled ghost in the woods.

Owen tells an old story in a satisfying new way.