In the midst of the woods stands a house called Lichen Hall.

This place is shrouded in folklore—old stories of ghosts, of witches, of a child who was not quite a child.

Now the woods are creeping closer, and something has been unleashed.

Pearl Gorham arrives in 1965, one of a string of young women sent to Lichen Hall to give birth. And she soon suspects the proprietors are hiding something.

Then she meets the mysterious mother and young boy who live in the grounds—and together they begin to unpick the secrets of this place.

As the truth comes to the surface and the darkness moves in, Pearl must rethink everything she knew—and risk what she holds most dear.

My Review

My second book by this author. I was on the blog tour for The Lighthouse Witches a couple of years ago. This time I listened on Borrowbox.

I found The Ghost Woods very engaging and I really enjoyed it. It’s narrated by both Mabel in 1959 and Pearl in 1965. They are both sent to Lichen Hall where they will deliver their illegitimate babies, who will then be adopted. Numerous young women come and go – a few stay and work for the owners of the hall, the Whitlocks.

Pearl knows who the father of her baby is, but doesn’t reveal it to anyone. Mabel is very naive, saying she has never had an intimate relationship, but we, the reader, guess the truth. At least I did.

Pearl is educated, a nurse from a well-off family, but her parents don’t want the scandal of a child born out of wedlock, and the hospital where she works sacks her, saying she can’t come back after the baby is adopted. This is Scotland in 1965, no different from Ireland, the usual location for this type of story.

Lichen Hall is a peculiar place, with a history of superstition, witchcraft, and haunted ‘ghost woods’. In 1965, the ‘moody’ teenage grandson (today he probably be diagnosed with autism) of the Whitlocks keeps chickens in the woods and who are the mother and baby that everyone denies exist.

It all comes together eventually and the ending is quite sinister and horrifying in equal measures. Just up my street as I do love a Gothic tale.

About the Author

C.J. Cooke is an acclaimed, award-winning poet, novelist and academic with numerous other publications written under the name of Carolyn Jess-Cooke. Her work has been published in 23 languages to date. Born in Belfast, C.J. has a PhD in Literature from Queen’s University, Belfast, and is currently Senior Lecturer in Creative Writing at the University of Glasgow, where she researches creative writing interventions for mental health. C.J. Cooke lives in Glasgow with her husband and four children. She also founded the Stay-At-Home Festival.

Connect with CJ Cooke

@CJessCooke