And the Trees Crept In

Kurtagich, Dawn. And the Trees Crept In. 2016. 341p. ISBN 978-0-316-29870-4. Available as an audiobook on Overdrive.

Living in London, Fourteen-year-old Silla and her four-year old sister Nori have just run away from their abusive father, and seeking refuge, they turn to their aunt, Catherine. She lives at La Baume, a manor that has been in their family for generations. Located outside of a small village in England in the middle of Python Woods, the residence is decrepit and old, and Cath used to run an orphanage there.

Nori cannot talk or make a sound, and she was severely injured to the point where her collar bone and her arm are now deformed. Cath is happy to meet them, and welcomes them into her life. Over three years, Silla and Nori grow up but lack for nothing, except companionship. The manor does not have a telephone, nor a television. Electricity is provided by an old generator, which is broken more often than not. Still, it’s a better life than being stuck in a small apartment with a violent man.

Life in the manor becomes strange, however, and it becomes clear to Silla that something strange is taking place. Cath warns them not to go in Python Woods, ever. When Cath tells the story of the Creeper Man, who supposedly dwells in the forest, Silla becomes scared. Cath tells them the Creeper Man will never let them out of the woods. When Cath serves a birthday cake with living earthworms inside, Silla becomes even more scared. Then Cath barricades herself in the attic, and doesn’t come down. Suddenly there are weird sounds throughout the manor, almost as if it is haunted. A strange boy, Gowan, arrives from the woods and offers to help them. Food begins to run out. And all the while, the trees are physically getting closer to La Baume as the house itself appears to be slowly sinking in the earth. And Nora. Poor Nora, she should have a normal childhood. Instead, she is hungry all the time, and she is the only one who can see that the Creeper Man is in fact already in the manor. Silla must discover the source of the Creeper Man’s power before Nora and her succumb to the threat represented by the trees creeping ever closer …

The horrific atmosphere of La Baume builds slowly, but as details are revealed the terrifying nature of what the girls face is revealed. Fans of horror will definitively want to get their hands on this scary book!