#thetakingofanniethorne

Review: The Taking of Annie Thorne by CJ Tudor

I received a free ecopy of this book in return for an honest review. Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity.

Having read and loved The Chalk Man, CJ Tudor’s first book, I was expecting great things of The Taking of Annie Thorne (also released as The Hiding Place). This second book is an altogether darker thriller with a supernatural element, reminiscent of Stephen King. There is a sordid feel to CJ Tudor’s writing, as she lingers on nicotine stains, badly designed buildings and misery. She is, though, very good at capturing life growing up in eighties England, with Panda Cola, Smash Hits magazine and endemic bullying.

The Taking of Annie Thorne revolves around Joe Thorne, a gambling addict, as he heads back to the town of his childhood to take up a teaching place at his old high school, pursued by his past. The narrative swings between his present and his fifteen year old self. We quickly learn that Joe is a liar and a rather unsavoury person, but a surprisingly good teacher who cares about his pupils. Joe remembers his little sister Annie who was sweet and loving, but as the story progresses we feel cold with the inevitability of approaching horror.

For someone from the North of England I spend a lot of time watching and reading fiction set in small town America, so it’s a refreshing change to read a story set in small town England, in all its mundanity. Tudor paints it with deft strokes. The key word here is ‘local.’ Local people, local places, local legends, plus the local (pub) all feature heavily. The book could almost be set in any Northern pit town. This is one thing I love about Tudor’s writing, it is very down to earth. It could be written by someone down the street from me, labouring away in their back bedroom because all her images are familiar ones.

One of the more unusual aspects to this book is that, the picture isn’t always entirely complete. The final action scenes have a deliberate hole in the narrative. The dots are all there but we are left to join them up ourselves. I feel like I want someone else to read it so I can see if they drew the same picture as me. Drop me a line when you’ve read it and we can compare notes.

A heart-stopping, stomach churning, read. Can’t wait to see what Tudor’s third book will be like.