British supernatural horror seems to be booming these days.
Names like Adam Nevill, Simon Bestwick, Reggie Oliver, and Gary McMahon spring
to mind. Nevill has been a favorite of mine and his fifth novel comes out this
year. Bestwick won me over with his
short fiction and then had a hit with his first novel The Faceless which was
published last year. Gary McMahon was another author who first snagged my
attention with some of his short fiction and has been keeping busy, with an
impressive output of novels in the last few years alone.
McMahon has done something that is not too often seen in the
field of horror fiction, and has delivered a horror trilogy. The Concrete Grove
was published in 2011, and was followed by Silent Voices and Beyond Here Lies
Nothing in 2012. They have all been well received, so I finally picked the
first one up off my shelf and gave it a read.
The Concrete Grove is a fine example of urban horror. At
times I think it’s better described as “dark urban fantasy”, but the horrific
moments are plentiful enough to classify it as horror. McMahon opens the novel
with a bang, the first chapter easily grabbing the reader’s attention and
setting the mood for what to expect throughout the book.
The novel follows a few different characters, all of whom
have issues. McMahon does a great job making believable characters that each
have their own flaws and weaknesses. Some aren’t even all that likeable. The
story follows Hailey and her mother Lana, who are forced to live in The Grove
(a council estate, known in America as “projects”) after their husband shames
the family before committing suicide. To provide for her daughter Lana has made
some shady decisions of her own, placing her in debt to Monty Bright, the local
crime-lord/loan shark. Into this dubious mix enters Tom, who becomes entangled
in their lives when he comes across Hailey one night and offers her some
assistance. Tom lives outside The Grove, but sometimes his nightly jogs take
him through the outskirts, which is how he becomes involved. Tom is a lonely
man trapped in a loveless marriage to an overweight, paraplegic wife. This has
meant years of acting as a caregiver and putting aside his own happiness, and
the strain on him is finally reaching the breaking point.
Tom soon becomes obsessed with the beautiful Lana and they
begin a relationship, as Hailey grows more distant and involved with some sort
of “entity” or “force” residing in The Needle, a decrepit, condemned tower
block in the center of the estate. Tom also has the distinction of being the
most convincing character, and McMahon expertly paints a portrait of a man
struggling with guilt and desire. His plight seems a bit more realistic and
every day than Lana’s, which seems to make him all the more believable. Hailey
is intriguing, but probably the least likeable character of the bunch.
McMahon’s biggest accomplishment with The Concrete Grove
lies in his ability to turn the setting into a character in its own right. The
filth, the gloom, the oppressive feel of the Grove itself is established from the
first page. It feeds on all the negativity, poverty, and crime. It feels real,
and even without the supernatural elements it is a horrific place. All the more
so because places like this actually exist, and as someone who was raised in a
place that’s more rural than anything the thought of having to live in such a
decayed, dirty urban area is enough to make me cringe.
As to the horrors of the novel, I’m glad to say they are
many and they are varied. The supernatural beings are creepy enough, but
perhaps the weakest of the novels many terrors. The breakdown of the characters
and their dark thoughts strike a deeper chord, and are what intrigued me the
most, but perhaps most horrific of all were the horrors perpetrated by
characters themselves. Monty and his thugs are vile, wicked, sadistic and
disgusting. Setting usually plays a major role in horror, and as I’ve said
previously McMahon does an excellent job with creating an oppressive, gloomy
setting. All of these horrors blend
together smoothly and seamlessly, working in concert to hit all the soft spots
of the reader.
Overall McMahon has written a novel that’s successful on
many levels, and that it’s the first of a trilogy (it appears each book follows
different characters) about The Grove itself is quite exciting. The plot wraps
up nicely, but McMahon has only scratched the surface of The Grove, and seeing
more of its mysteries unfold is something I am eagerly looking forward to.
