Author: Andrew Michael Hurley
Published: 2014
Genre: Folk Horror / Literary Fiction / Nature & the Supernatural
Setting: The bleak Lancashire coast, 1970s and present day
⭐ Why It Matters
The Loney is a slow-burning, atmospheric novel that won the Costa First Novel Award and revived interest in British folk horror. It’s about faith, ritual, nature’s indifference, and the thin boundary between the sacred and the profane. Part ghost story, part psychological drama, it’s deeply unsettling — precisely because it stays so grounded in reality.
👥 Main Characters
- The Narrator (Smith) – Quiet, observant, and unnamed until late in the story. He reflects on the eerie events of a childhood pilgrimage.
- Hanny (Andrew) – Smith’s mute, learning-disabled older brother. Deeply religious.
- Mother (Mrs. Smith) – Fiercely devout Catholic who believes in miracles and ritual.
- Father Bernard – A modern, empathetic priest who replaces the more traditional Father Wilfred.
- The locals – Reclusive and pagan-leaning villagers who practice strange customs.
- Mummer & the “magical” child – Ominous figures associated with fertility rites and possible dark miracles.
📚 Plot Summary
🔹 A Pilgrimage with Secrets
The story is told in flashbacks: the narrator recalls a family trip to a crumbling house called The Moorings, near a desolate stretch of coastline called The Loney, where his family hopes for a miracle cure for Hanny.
Their visit is filled with religious tension — old traditions clash with modern beliefs, and something feels off about the locals and the landscape.
🔹 The Loney – A Living Presence
The landscape itself becomes a character:
- Tides that shift unpredictably
- Eroded paths and ruined churches
- Strange totems and offerings in the woods
- Locals who won’t explain their rituals or acknowledge the visitors
There’s a sense that nature is watching, or that something older than Christianity resides here.
🔹 Signs, Sacrifices, and Miracles
The family performs rituals, prays for Hanny’s healing, and tries to replicate past pilgrimages.
Meanwhile, the narrator discovers:
- A taxidermy room filled with dead animals
- A pregnant teenage girl hidden away, possibly connected to local fertility rites
- Hanny’s odd behaviour around certain symbols and objects
Then, something happens — Hanny begins to speak again, inexplicably cured.
But the circumstances are unclear, disturbing, and possibly unnatural.
🔹 The Cost of a Miracle
Years later, the narrator still wonders what truly happened. He suspects Hanny’s recovery wasn’t divine but linked to something darker — something pagan, elemental, or demonic.
The final revelations suggest sacrifice, violence, and a dangerous gift — all covered up under the guise of faith.
🧠 Themes & Takeaways
- Faith vs Folklore – Christianity clashes with older, darker traditions tied to the land.
- Nature as Power – The Loney is wild, unknowable, and may operate under ancient rules.
- The Cost of Healing – Miracles may have price tags no one is willing to name.
- Silence & Suppression – Both literal (Hanny’s muteness) and metaphorical — secrets kept out of fear.
- Family & Obsession – The narrator’s mother’s devotion borders on fanaticism, blinding her to moral consequence.
