The novel paints a disturbing picture of a family’s descent into madness.

Initially the Horder family living on an isolated homestead had a charm to it. But once the head of the family passes away only one son decides to stay on, marrying a shy local girl to the disapproval of his mother. The turning point comes when the newly married couple lose their infant son, leaving his twin sister the only child in a house that slowly starts losing its grip with reality.

With a bed bound mother and a mentally ill father, Liv takes comfort in talking to her long dead brother and scavenging for supplies at night. Other than Liv’s nightly thievery she is completely isolated from the rest of the world. But her father’s irrational fear that Liv will be taken away, leads to him staging an accident so he can report her as dead to the authorities.

His fear of losing his daughter also manifests itself in irrational hoarding behaviour. With piles of junk multiplying in and around the house, the atmosphere is one of claustrophobia. Things deteriorate to the point that it felt as if time loses all meaning.

The atmosphere created was very well done but I think some of the magic was lost in the translation as I never felt the emotions I think I was supposed to. But I also realise that I have always had trouble with the horror genre, so it could be a case of its me not the book.