Review: Sandlands by Rosy Thornton

Title: Sandlands
Author: Rosy Thornton
Format: Paperback
Publisher: Sandstone Press
Publish Date: October 28, 2016
Source: Author

What's the Story?:

From Goodreads.com: "This beautifully written short story collection is inspired by coastal England, by the landscape and its flora and fauna, as well as by its folklore and historical and cultural heritage. Several of the stories focus on a bird, animal, wildflower, or insect characteristic of the locality, from barn owl to butterfly. The book might be described as a collection of ghost stories; in fact, while one or two stories involve a more or less supernatural element, each of them deals in various ways with the tug of the past upon the present, and explores how past and present can intersect in unexpected ways."

My Two Cents:

"Sandlands" is a collection of short stories by Rosy Thornton, an author who I have enjoyed greatly in the past. Short stories are not always my favorite but I thought that perhaps I would be in good hands with her and I definitely was! The stories in this book are interconnected with each other but each one has a different feel. They definitely pulled me in!

All of the stories take place on the English Coast in Suffolk, a place that I have never visited before. The setting is so detailed that it really began to feel like another character throughout the story. I loved the way that the author was able to make the location so stand out. It really began to feel like a place I had been. It was really difficult for me to pick out my favorite story because of how much I enjoyed all of the details!

I also liked that the book had some supernatural and magical realism elements to it. Magical realism is one of my favorite book elements and I really like how the author was able to weave them in. It really added a lot of atmosphere to the story. When the weather begins to turn cold, I am always on the lookout for books with a lot of atmosphere and this book has it in spades.

Overall, I really enjoyed this collection a lot and recommend it for those who seek to be truly enveloped by a book!