The Loney

The Loney Synopsis

WINNER OF THE 2015 COSTA FIRST NOVEL AWARD 'The Loney is not just good, it's great. It's an amazing piece of fiction' Stephen King Two brothers. One mute, the other his lifelong protector. Year after year, their family visits the same sacred shrine on a desolate strip of coastline known as the Loney, in desperate hope of a cure. In the long hours of waiting, the boys are left alone. And they cannot resist the causeway revealed with every turn of the treacherous tide, the old house they glimpse at its end ...Many years on, Hanny is a grown man no longer in need of his brother's care. But then the child's body is found. And the Loney always gives up its secrets, in the end. 'This is a novel of the unsaid, the implied, the barely grasped or understood, crammed with dark holes and blurry spaces that your imagination feels compelled to fill' Observer 'A masterful excursion into terror' The Sunday Times

The Loney Reader Reviews

In addition to our Lovereading expert opinion some of our Reader Review Panel were also lucky enough to read and review this title. You can click here to read the full reviews.

• Catherine Bryce - 'A unique book that covers several genres and is a delight to read.'
• Angela Rhodes - 'I enjoyed the calming story, the way you can see and hear in your head, the characters come alive... Can't wait for the next book!'
• Victoria Emerson - 'A haunting book about family and faith.'
• Katie Hoare - 'This book draws you in and engages the reader to find out how the area affects each of the characters, and it is about faith and what people believe in.'
• Josie Barton - 'With more than a hint of the supernatural, this brilliant story conjures perfectly a dark and gloomy place and questions what it truly means to believe in a greater spiritual power.'
• Linda Davison - 'It’s strange and mysterious, funny, sad and frightening but overall it is a very well written, easy to read story that will appeal to all sorts of different readers and should be top of everyone’s reading pile.'
• Edel Waugh - 'The horror here is subtle which is what makes it so unnerving, surprising, and impossible to put down. I recommend this to fans of ‘The Woman In Black’ or similar stories. It is guaranteed to cause you unease.'
• Fiona Rothery - 'The Loney is a wonderful novel about faith and the love and bond between two brothers, Hanny is mute and is fiercely protected by his brother, nicknamed Tonto, who narrates the story.'
• Richard Coe - 'The prose is very eloquent. Do keep reading as the story twists and turns especially in the last 100 pages or so. Recommended and 4 out of 5.'
• Sue Broom - 'A haunting story - a sense of foreboding builds up gradually, fuelled by wonderfully atmospheric description of the landscape and buildings - highly recommended.'

The Loney Press Reviews

'An amazing piece of fiction' Stephen King

'Here is the masterpiece by which Hurley must enter the Guild of the Gothic: it pleases me to think of his name written on some parchment scroll, alongside those of Walpole, Du Maurier, Maturin and Jackson' Guardian

'A masterful excursion into terror' Sunday Times

'An extraordinarily haunted and haunting novel' Daily Telegraph

'This is a novel of the unsaid, the implied, the barely grasped or understood, crammed with dark holes and blurry spaces that your imagination feels compelled to fill' Observer

'Written with the skill of a poet' The Times, Books of the Year

'An eerie, disturbing read that doesn't let up until its surprise ending' Daily Mail

'An unforgettable addition to the ranks of the best British horror' Metro

'A haunting and ambiguous novel that will keep you up at night' Daily Express

'A tale of suspense that sucks you in and pulls you under. As yarns go, it rips' New Statesman

'A masterclass in spinning out tension' Financial Times

If you loved this, you might like these...

All versions of this book

ISBN: 9781473619852
Publication date: 07/04/2016
Publisher: John Murray Publishers Ltd an imprint of John Murray General Publishing Division
Format: Paperback

ISBN: 9781473619821
Publication date: 27/08/2015
Publisher: John Murray Publishers Ltd an imprint of John Murray General Publishing Division
Format: Hardback

Book Information

About Andrew Michael Hurley

Andrew Michael Hurley has lived in Manchester and London, and is now based in Lancashire, where he teaches English Literature and Creative Writing. He has had two collections of short stories published by Lime Tree Press. The Loney is his first novel - it was first published in October 2014 by Tartarus Press, a tiny independent publisher based in Yorkshire, as a 300-copy limited-edition.   Author photo © Johnny Bean

More Books By Andrew Michael Hurley