Foxash: 'A wonderfully atmospheric and deeply unsettling novel' Sarah Waters

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Two neighbouring smallholders, Jean and Adam Dell, who have successfully managed their smallholding for years take Lettie and Tommy under their wing and give them tips and help with the planting and harvesting. The smallholders work all hours on the land. The seasons come and go, crops are planted and harvested. Friendships develop and grow. It feels like a pastoral idyll. Wednesdays 12.30pm-2.30pm. This group is currently free but places MUST be pre-booked by calling Victoria on 07710 177050. Bring your own lunch. The Club is a chance to meet friends and socialise. Different activities each week. For more information call Victoria 07710 177050 I found it to be actually a very claustrophobic, isolated and dark story, which I guess is where the gothic bit comes in. Several of the twists and turns are a bit predictable, although perhaps the final one is unexpected.

Foxash by Kate Worsley | Hachette UK Foxash by Kate Worsley | Hachette UK

The first thing I noticed about Foxash by Kate Worsley is the stunning cover. The book definitely lives up to its promise but in a most unexpected way.

Kate Worsley sets up all the themes solidly - growth, the land, the seasons, the cycles (both of woman and the earth) - but she definitely lets the reader make all the connections for themselves. Georgie is first and foremost a horse lover. On top of that, she is one of the most highly qualified saddle fitters in the world. With a selection of saddles from a multitude of suppliers, she is not a sales rep nor a brand ambassador. In fact Elite has access to some of the most beautiful top quality saddles available on the market, offering a huge choice to ensure that riders get the saddle both their horse and themselves need.

Foxash Social Club - Hall Hire in Manningtree CO11 - Social Foxash Social Club - Hall Hire in Manningtree CO11 - Social

Foxash is a rather unusual novel, and all the better for it. The setting is interesting, and one I had never heard of - a 1930's British government scheme to get former industrial workers into agricultural work. Very interesting premise and vividly portrayed. Likewise to Sarah Waters, I would also compare 'Foxash' to Kiran Millwood Hargrave's writing for adults. There is that physiologic claustrophobia and shrinking-down of the female protagonist's world, as is experienced by Hargrave's Maren and Lisbet in 'The Mercies' and 'The Dance Tree' respectively. Here we have Lettie's body buffeted by her surroundings and her interactions with others. For instance, she struggles against ' sheets of crying; buffeting walls of it'. Every interaction with her immediate situation sees Lettie's five senses respond reflexively: ' [the] plants [...] sung to me.'The Propagation Unit (Props) was located at Home Farm (Home Farm Lane), managed by Peter Spiers during the 1960s/70s. It was dissolved at the closure and became Foxash Horticultural Services.