Near The Bone by Christina Henry


 Near the Bone by Christina Henry first paperwork edition published in 2022.

At first glance this horror story may not seem particularly Gothic, but it ticks many of the boxes. The isolated location is not a castle or monastery, but in the American Gothic tradition of using the wilderness, this novel is set on a snowy mountain. Imagine Frankenstein's creation escaping in the Arctic and you have something of the picture.
An unnatural, possibly supernatural beast is living on the mountain, one which hangs its victims by their entrails before eviscerating them and separating out organs and bones. Readers should be warned there are some truly gruesome scenes. For Mattie, who lives in a cabin on the mountain, there is another beast much nearer home - her husband William. William is a cruel man who keeps Mattie under his thumb by physical brutality and psychological manipulation. He is a religious fanatic, or gives the impression of being such, but his beliefs verge on madness. He believes the beast on the mountain was sent by God to test him. William has dark secrets which he will protect at all costs, but slowly Mattie remembers things about her life before the mountain which call into question everything William has convinced her of.
Rumours of the beast bring three students, who are cryptid hunters, to the mountain. They believe the beast to be Big Foot or the like and have no idea of the danger they are in. When they try to help Mattie, they not only risk being killed by the beast, but also by William.
If she is to escape from William, Mattie must face the beast on the mountain. She has to decide which beast she fears most - William or the creature.
Added to the isolation there is a growing atmosphere of terror. The creature is never fully sighted, only glimpsed. The one thing about it is its size. William is a brute with no redeeming characteristics, and as his secrets become apparent he appears as much of a monster as the creature. 

Gothic Rating:

Isolated setting:                                                         🕱

Brooding atmosphere:                                              🕱

Mental illness:                                                          🕱

Religious reference:                                                 🕱

Supernatural element:                                              🕱

Murder:                                                                    🕱

Family secret:                                                          🕱

Genius/madness:

Doomed love:                                                         🕱


Near the Bone by Christina Henry has a Gothic rating of:      🕱🕱🕱🕱🕱🕱🕱🕱

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