Starve Acre

"An impeccable work of folk horror" -- Irish Times

An atmospheric and unsettling story of the depths of grief found in an ancient farm in northern England—now a major motion picture starring Matt Smith and Morfydd Clark.


The worst thing possible has happened. Richard and Juliette Willoughby's son, Ewan, has died suddenly at the age of five. Starve Acre, their house by the moors, was to be full of life, but is now a haunted place. Convinced Ewan still lives there in some form, Juliette seeks the help of the Beacons, a seemingly benevolent group of occultists. Richard, to try and keep the boy out of his mind, has turned his attention to the field opposite the house, where he patiently digs the barren dirt in search of a legendary oak tree. But as they delve further into their grief, both uncover more than they set out to.

Starve Acre is a devastating novel by the author of the prize-winning bestseller The Loney. It is a novel about the way in which grief splits the world in two and how, in searching for hope, we can so easily unearth horror.

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Published Oct 29, 2020

304 pages

Average rating: 5.26

19 RATINGS

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Community Reviews

JakeSawGhosts
Feb 12, 2024
6/10 stars
The beginning of the book had me drawn in with the atmosphere and the mystery. But it was lackluster by the end. I thought it would be this ending of some hideous creature lurking out in the field, but (SPOILERS) it’s just a regenerated rabbit breastfeeding on the wife. I had to look up what any of it meant. I like symbolism, but having something scarier lurking was better in my mind.
tialouise
Nov 06, 2022
5/10 stars
I struggled to get through this, maybe I didn’t quite understand it at some points. Definitely quite creepy though

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