What We're Reading:
Sophie, ABC The Hague staff, August 2020.
There is a Wild Man who lives in the deep quiet of Greenhollow, and he listens to the wood. Tobias, tethered to the forest, does not dwell on his past life, but he lives a perfectly unremarkable existence with his cottage, his cat, and his dryads.
When Greenhollow Hall acquires a handsome, intensely curious new owner in Henry Silver, everything changes. Old secrets better left buried are dug up, and Tobias is forced to reckon with his troubled past -- both the green magic of the woods, and the dark things that rest in its heart.
Staff Choice: Iris
My attention was first drawn to this book when several people around me starting singing its praises, so I figured I'd give it a go and I was not disappointed! This is the first in a duology of novellas (the sequel, Drowned Country, is also Very Awesome and a beautiful follow-up to this story). The main character of this story is the rough-on-the-outside, precious-cinnamon-bun-on-the-inside kind of person you wish you were friends with in real life, and the story - which has that very typical British folklore flavour - is equal parts tender, touching, heart-wrenching and cruel. As short as it is, it really packs a punch!
