The Green Man Of Eshwood Hall is one of those books that enchant you to the point of distraction; so engrossing, you crave more precious reading time. Based on a folk tale but set in 1962, 13-year-old Izzy lives in Eshwood Hall, a huge English mansion. Abandoned by her parents and forced to live in the servants’ quarters, Izzy spends her fleeting spare time exploring the extensive forest surrounding the hall.
The teenager’s curiosity leaves her wanting to know more about the forest – and the more curious she becomes, the more curious the forest seems to get about her. Is it playing tricks on her mind, is she really seeing eyes watching her in the shadows and just who is the fabled Green Man, who seems to know all about her?
The Green Man… has all the hallmarks of a classic Enid Blyton adventure combined with an Edgar Allen Poe-esque subtle menace. It offers the reader a classic adventure story, delivers ample scares and supernatural peril, and show that for all her real-world woes, the protagonist’s life can still get infinitely worse. An absolute treasure of a novel, one that reminds you what a joy reading can be.
The Green Man Of Eshwood Hall, Jacob Kerr (Serpent’s Tail)
Price: £12.99. Info: here
words CHRIS ANDREWS