I read a lot of mixed reviews and I always feel in the middle I was not a fan of this book and just read very slow and wasn’t enticing. I would rate this book 2/5 thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me a copy of this book to read.

It is important to note that most of the themes explored in this book deal with sensitive subject matters. My review, therefore, touches on these topics as well. Many people might find the book's subject matters & those detailed in my review overwhelming. I suggest you steer clear of both if this is the case. Please note that from this point forward I will be writing about matters that contain reflections on the death of an animal, domestic abuse, the death of a loved one, death as a consequence of physical abuse, the abuse of a child, sexual assault, pregnancy, adultery, miscarriage, & others.

The forlorn madness of the shadow of equity has long loomed over women. Societies have cultivated a sentiment of superiority for the vanquishers; the broad shoulders; the tenor; the dweller; the man made a King. Barbarism has seeped into our communal area, slithering like an eel over the bare toes of the river wanderer; Where is a woman’s place?

Throughout the years, many pieces of literature have broken the planches that offer themselves as steady roads into endless bodies of water. From within yellow wallpaper; the moors; the attic; the underbelly of the serpent is cool to the touch; she is us. After so many centuries of stories highlighting the plight of the female experience, readers may grow weary of the story that presents a villain in the shape of the lamb; a victim in the wolf’s body.

This particular story was familiar to me as I have read it before. Veteran readers will find much to remind them of tales long since read deep into the night. Lovers of dreadful stories, ones that bring forth the gothic dread of the otherworldly sorcerer’s secret will also be met with an old friend; or an acquaintance that reminds them of the dreary night whence the soundtrack to madness chimed.

It is not a negative thing to write a story that has been told before. The benefit of the exploration of the familiar is that the core messages in these tales are formatted for a reader who will see them better in a new light or, perhaps, who will meet them for the first time via this story. In the case of Ada Byrd & her melodramatic ravings, I am hopeful of the latter.

As a main character, Ada is nothing special there is rather little to her person. Ada’s main characteristics are that she is frumpy; dumpy; ugly; loves plants; is a teacher; & is a lover of women. Alongside this list, one notes that Ada is an abuser of women & children; she has a violent temper; she is cruel-spirited; & is overall rather stupid.

Perhaps that last one was not inserted in good faith but, I have a rather difficult time forgiving a malicious individual for their self-proclaimed intellect when their actions accuse them of the opposite. A cruel person cannot be well-read, well-informed or highly intelligent. Smart people do not go around setting fire to the world. Instead of encouraging trees to grow & animals to experience their cycle of life, Ada endeavours to be callous & unkind to the utmost innocent life forms on the planet; Why is that? It is the marker of a small, stupid, & egotistically inept individual to be malevolent to those for whom life is a petal to the rose.

In my introduction, I presented the account of female representation in literature. In this book, the author similarly presents Ada, as though she would be able to stand toe-to-toe with the titans of her time. Perhaps, I am wrong. It is possible that the author sought to write about a morally corrupt person for the sake of having her live on the page & it is the reader’s fault for believing her to be an advocate of women at writ large. As with all my reviews, I remain an advocate for the truth, & the facts, & I highlight that which is my opinion. Though this story is presented to the reader as though it will follow the format one is familiar with, it is entirely its own.

Readers will find themselves in Ada’s journal entries in something of a new play on “The Tenant of Wildfell Hall” (1848) by Anne Brontë, “Wuthering Heights” (1847) by Emily Brontë, & “Jane Eyre” (1847) by Charlotte Brontë. I am not a great fan of stories that present themselves to the reader via journal entries. For one, this requires the forgiveness of the reader.

The entries include quotations & detailed retellings of events that took place off-page; the character would need an insane amount of time on their hands to essentially write an entire novel as well as formidable memory recall to quote those with whom they have had interactions. If one can forgive this approach, as it rings the tune of a story within a story; one will be able to appreciate the details as though they were taking place inside the mind of the character as they entered their explorations of the day to the page.

Ada’s character is not written to be likeable. There are few cases in literature where an author presents a reader with a person they will surely despise. To read this story requires the apathetic reader or, perhaps, the reader who awaits vindication. Ada is introduced to the reader via her interpretation of events. At once a teacher who pursues the profession because there is nothing else available to her, Ada is entirely wrong for the job. At times, her behaviour might lead one to believe that the story at hand was taking place far further in the past than it was. The events of this tale are rooted in the years 1900, 1901, & 1902.

One does not need to have a detailed understanding of the culture of the early years of the century. The author does not write her story as though Ada was a well-raised lady of class. The language is dry & simple, almost as though to reinforce the fact that Ada is dry & simple. I would have wanted more from this story in terms of the vocabulary the author chose to employ.

Ada’s character did not need prose to accompany her but the flow of the story did nothing to draw readers to her person. She is never someone the reader can trust nor is she particularly good at telling a story. She withholds information & recounts events as though they were Shakespeare-inspired scenes; whereas in reality, Ada is a lonesome woman with nothing going for her but the troubles she causes.

I will make myself clear; there is a scene that depicts Ada’s rape at the hands of the man whose house she was residing in during her previous teaching contract. My previous comment in no way speaks to this situation. Ada is not at fault for the actions this man took; she is not to blame for the assaults she suffered. What I am saying in the previous paragraph is that Ada goes through life engaged in angry & vile behaviour as though she deserves a free pass because her father was abusive.

Certainly, what might encourage the reader to reflect on the moral turmoil that Ada experiences is her long history of abuse. Ada loses her temper with the children in school, she beats a child, she treats children like they are the scum of the earth; she does not listen to the concerns of these children’s parents because she believes she knows what is best.

One may wish to believe that the religious lifestyle chosen by the townspeople is ridiculous however, it is not our place to judge. Ultimately, the people in this town have had the opportunity to live whatever form of lifestyle they choose. They live in a small town in the country, they go to church, they pray to a God, & they send their children to school to learn the basics (i.e. reading, writing, & arithmetic).

It is odd for Ada to wish to cause harm to children whom she deems poorly educated. Why would she not take it upon herself to encourage them to be better? Arguably, Ada does think that she is helping by bringing the children around the woods to look for dead animals; the river; berries; etc. However, these are country children. Therefore, it would stand to reason that they would learn about these facts of life regardless of Ada’s hundred-acre wood wanderings; these ultimately feel like a waste of time & do not accurately tie into the reality of the story’s setting.

Though Ada’s appreciation for the natural sciences might seem odd for a woman at the time, she does act peculiarly. During her youth, Ada & her sister brought home animal bones, they drew pictures of dead animals; they collected fallen leaves, accords, & other such random things. Yes, it is good to be aware of your surroundings & no, it was not acceptable for Ada’s parents to physically beat her & her sister in response to their interests. However, Ada was a weird person from the jump. What makes her character all the more peculiar is that she appears to enjoy being odd. Her hobbies do not ring true to an earnest appreciation. Rather, throughout the book, Ada seems to do things for the sake of wreaking havoc.

I am not ashamed to say that I do not remember any of the character’s names days after reading this book; such is the nature of a shallow story. I do not say this to be mean. However, there is no depth to this story. By the end, Ada is roaming around the country as though eager to meet someone who will tell her she is unwell so that she can openly assault them. Why is that?

The story itself does not set up the pretense that Ada is a woman scorned. Ada is a person who has experienced abuse, yes. However, Ada is also a person who abuses others; she is sexually abusive towards her alleged “friends”; she beats children; she disregards the sentiments of people who care about her safety, etc. It is hard to care what happens to Ada one way or another.

With that being said, the final portion of this book is reminiscent of “The Witch” (2015). Ada is courted by an unknown entity who is neither scary nor monstrous as it is given no form; no one can describe it except to say that it has appeared as a big dog—a Clifford, of sorts, if you will.

Ada’s journals go round & round the premise as though coveting prey though Ada’s inability to speak with clarity was consistent throughout the entire book, therefore rendering the conclusion rather tired. Why would the reader care that a paranormal entity is pursuing Ada? What good could Ada bring to anything? Is the reader meant to feel fear? Is the reader meant to care that Ada will vanish into the woods? What makes Ada an attractive person to claim—she has no attributes to speak of.

There is little detail given to the reader about the logistics of women being coveted by a demonic force. Those who have watched satires of horror films or who have delved into the realm of paranormal romances will have had their fill of the invisible looming darkness of Peter Pan’s shadow.

There is nothing in these last parts of the story to make a person feel any level of intrigue. Ada murders her friend because she cares about her—how very predictable. What I am saying is that the pacing of the novel was unsettled; & chaotic in that it was not well-paced. Had the beginning of the story seen Ada act as any normal well-adjusted person with a secret, the tension build-up would have been superb.

Scenes depicting the carved & hollowed-out eyes of children can be overlooked. A demon took a child into the woods & the child carved his eyes out because he couldn’t live with the sight he beheld; What does that mean?

There are ample examples in this book that are well-placed for literature at the time of this story but which have no impact in the modern world. What is a thing that is too horrible to see? One need only turn on the television to be flooded with news stories of children dying in war. In comparison, a demon who adopts the shape of a dog is not so horrible as to curse your eyes out of your head. Therefore, I ask again: What is the terrible thing in the woods?

Ultimately, I wanted more from this story than it had to give. The writing style was juvenile, simplistic, & dry. The characters were one-dimensional & offered no room for the reader’s emotional investment. With that being said, readers of Horror who find themselves with similar books on their shelves & movies in their repertoire, as me, are not the target audience for this book.

As a debut, it attempts great things for those who have not drowned in the river of scares. Straub, Bradbury, Malfi, Jackson, Hogarth, & Reid are among a league of Goliath writers whose stories creep into the blood like leukocytes to the site of the unknown. It is difficult to write scary stories, I shall never deny that. What is terrifying lies deep within & it is the successful touch of the writer who sees through the dark to find the reader within.

Thank you to NetGalley, ECW Press, & Elliott Gish for the free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

Good books can do more than one thing at once. They can scare you. They can transport you to a specific place and time. They can teach you. They can evoke all of the feelings: from anger to sadness to empathy to nostalgia. They can do all of these things and much more. Grey Dog is a good book.

The first half of the book strongly evoked L.M. Montgomery; the setting, the characters, the way the town of Lowry Bridge becomes a character in and of itself with its people drifting in and out of focus but always in the background silently judging anything new or different happening within the borders of the town. Gish so perfectly captured the feeling of reading Montgomery, while also transforming that feeling with a modern voice that turned things on their head, and I was there for it.

This read is a slow burn. It slowly builds tension and suspense throughout so that you, as the reader, are not slogging through any one genre but instead find yourself immersed in many genres all at once. I found that this kind of reading experience kept me on my toes throughout, and never let me completely define or settle on what I was reading. Is this a horror novel? Yes. Is this literary fiction? Also, yes. Is this also a powerful feminist work with queer themes? Hell yeah. As I said, a good book can do more than one thing at once.

The less you know going into this novel the better; however, do go into this reading experience open-minded and with the expectation that your expectations will be subverted, with the understanding that this is a genre-defying work that transforms from page to page and refuses to be defined or limited by the categories we want to stick things in. And understand also that you will feel all of the feels towards the main character, Ada. She is a complex creature, at times a prisoner of her time period, of her womanhood, of her own mind, and at times a glorious representation of rage, of freedom, and of all the things we could be if we only set aside the societal expectations that so often define us as women.

The writing in Grey Dog is beautiful, accessible and modern, while also transportive to a time and place that feels familiar and cozy…. A feeling that will be definitely be changed for you as you travel along on Ada’s journey. The writing is also powerfully evocative; I could picture everything so well, and I personally love that type of writing… in fact, it’s why I read.

This is Gish’s debut novel and that excites me, because I know this is just a glimpse into what we will get from this author, and I personally will be on the lookout for more.

Grey Dog was a perfect read for me - a haunting blend of historical fiction, horror, and folklore. 

It's 1901 and Ada Byrd is running from her past. Ada finds herself in Lowry Bridge as a schoolteacher, a gig she's landed despite some goings-on in her last teaching role. As Ada reflects on her traumatic past, things in Lowry Bridge take a turn - headless owls sit on trees, eyes are watching from the shadows, and Ada feels that a mysterious entity is stalking her.

I often find historical fiction to be unnecessarily dense, but the prose here felt accurate and approachable. After a slow start, I couldn't stop myself from wanting to learn more. I need a film adaptation ASAP. 

Thank you to NetGalley and ECW Press for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review!

Grey Dog by Elliott Gish is set in 1901,and follows schoolteacher Ada Byrd in her new teaching assignment in Lowry Bridge. After a controversy that ruins her reputation, Ada is sent to isolated Lowry Bridge when the previous teacher leaves without a word. Ada starts to have strange visions, and feels like she is being watched by something in the woods.
I struggled through the first half of this book; written in a first person POV in the form of journal entries, we get a lot of the mundane daily activities Ada partakes in. I did consider dnf'ing this one at times in the beginning half - I only didn't because of the exceptional writing. This was one of the most well written books I've read in a really long time. I am glad I finished, though, as the second half of the book was so good. This probably would have been a 5 star read for me if the start was as great as the end was.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of Grey Dog in exchange for my honest review.

This is a fantastic addition to an already well-established lineage of Gothic reclamation fiction, in which characters (and indeed, authors) often maligned and victimized by tropes of the genre are able to reconfigure these stories and recuperate a sense of selfhood from within these such of the grotesque.

3.5 stars. A strong debut. The prose flowed well and felt time-appropriate but still accessible. Interesting start but I did feel the pace slowed somewhat around 100 pages in and didn't pick up again until Ada's past was explored. It kept momentum thereafter however and Ada's weakening grasp of reality was well-written, especially effective as told through her journal.
I appreciated that the emotions and events were expressed so rawly, the final scenes were truly unflinching. Although I felt some things (without giving anything away) were too much or not enough, overall it was a solid dark historical horror. I am a fan of the ideas and would read more from this author.

The beginning was slow, the ending not as satisfying as I had hoped it would be. It took about 40% of the book to get me properly invested, after which I was all for it, but the ending did not feel quite complete. A good first book though, no doubt and many others have liked and will like this much more than I did!

Three and a half stars, rounding down because the horror did not scare me as much as I wanted it to

Daaaaang. This book was fucked up haha. But in an enjoyable way!!!
I really enjoyed the diary entry format in this book and it was a good example of an unreliable narrator. whether this was the author's intent or not. It was giving Ari Aster vibes.

Set against the backdrop of the year 1901, this tale follows Ada, a woman approaching her thirties and navigating an unexpected twist of fate. Removed from her teaching position, she finds herself in a secluded farming town divided by a bridge between the "virtuous" and the "sinful" sides. A kind-hearted, childless couple takes her in, offering room and board, and she continues her role as a schoolteacher. A surprising friendship blooms with the minister's wife and her engaging lessons in natural history captivate the town's children, seemingly slotting everything neatly into place while guarding her hidden secrets.

But Ada's world takes a disconcerting turn when she starts experiencing inexplicable visions and eerie sounds that only she can perceive, endangering her well-kept past. Her actions lead her to strike up an unconventional friendship with a widow residing on the "sinful" side of the bridge, causing the town's inhabitants to question her sanity and dub her a heathen. The pivotal question arises: Is Ada descending into madness, or is something more sinister at work, potentially exposing and liberating her in the process?

Readers with an inclination for films like "Midsommar" and an interest in the Edwardian/Puritan era will be captivated by this narrative. The writing is an intricate tapestry of manners and propriety, in keeping with the expectations of a woman in the 1900s. The story steadily weaves a sense of disquiet and tension, akin to a tranquil stroll through a shadowy forest on an overcast day, an initially enjoyable experience that ultimately gives way to mounting apprehension.

This book is a slow burn, very, very gothic.

Read if you're a fan of; troubled pasts, grief

I just reviewed Grey Dog by Elliott Gish. #GreyDog #NetGalley

A historical fiction horror novel. The cover is beautiful. it took me a few chapters to get into it, but eventually i was sucked in. It’s a slow burn that leaves the reader feeling uneasy. The story was unsettling and haunting, but the writing style was lovely. It was an atmospheric read, that was perfect for the spooky season. I definitely recommend this book!

"There are two Gods, a god of the inside and a god of the outside."

Florrie, the protagonist's sister, one of the great absent of this book, speaks thusly once to Ada, the book's main character. And the book is very much about the two gods: the god of inside, of churches and respectability and property, and the god of outside, of the wild space and animals and nature.

In between, literally, we have Ada. In between places have power in folk horror, and so do people. And Ada is in-between: a woman, but not a respectable maid or wife. She is a spinsters and a schoolteacher, knowing too much for her own good and, apparently, the good of everyone around her (it shall be part of her damnatio personae how she had been teaching "farm kids" more than "it is good for them to know").

The tale is Ada's tale, written as in a journal. We get to know the "inside" of the people of Lowry Bridge, and the "Outside" of the wood, and of the least desirable people of the "bad" part of town. She makes friends at first, until the God of the Outside come a'calling...

An incredibly interesting read, folk horror is a rare threat, and historical horror from the POV of women even more so. I read in a single sitting, perfect for halloween and when you are in the mood for some good shivers!

Coming off the finishing a book high, but holy heck was this book amazing!
A woman’s realisation of her pintucked lifestyle no longer fitting her; she turns to shed that prim life like her poplin dress, crusted with mud and blood and grime. A gruesome ungodly glorious tale about Ada and the Grey Dog. If you’ve ever been in the woods and feel like you’re not alone. If you feel like something has said your name out of nowhere. If you can hear or see things others can’t. You may have been visited by the Grey Dog. The Grey Dog may call for you. Will you go?

Thank you Netgalley and THANK YOU Elliott Gish for providing me with this fantastic arc and amazing book!

“You are deranged. My daughter has turned into a person I hope to never encounter in the dark of night.”

“For the first time in my life, he understood me.”



A historical fiction horror novel set in the 1900s following our main character, Ada Byrd. When Ada accepts a teaching position in a small town Lowry Bridge, strange occurrences start to happen. Written in journal entries Ada starts to chronicle these happenings as well as her descent into madness.

What initially drew me to this book was the cover, I thought immediately it was something that looked intriguing. I’ve recently been into historical horror and this delivered. In the first half of the book, I was a little bit nervous about the plot and pacing. It seemed to meander just a bit, but now in context to the ending, I think it was well-paced. It started slowly to build up to the crescendo of the end. The first half was needed to develop our setting and Ada’s relationship with herself and with the community. I enjoyed the female rage of this story. Even though the atrocities that society has dealt Ada she is still trying to uphold the status quo. By the end, she was completely unhinged and outcasted from society and it seemed like she finally found her place. this was such an enjoyable read, I particularly liked the author's writing style and would love to read more.

4⭐️

Thanks to ECW Press and NetGalley for an advanced copy.

Buckle up Buttercups, you’re in for something uncomfortable.
Set in 1901, an almost 30-year-old and unwed Ada is removed from her teaching post and given a second chance in a small, isolated farm town. There is a bridge that divides the town in two: the good side and the bad side. A modest, God-fearing couple with no children of their own provides Ada with room and board while she keeps employment at the small, humble school. She even finds unexcepted friendship with the minister’s wife. The children enjoy learning from her favorite teachings about natural history. Everything seems to fall into place, as it should, keeping her secrets hidden.
That is until she starts to experience strange sights and sounds that threaten to expose her past. No one else can see or hear the things that send Ada off in a tizzy. Ada takes up an unapproved friendship with an outcast widow on the bad side of the bridge. The townspeople begin to question her sanity, calling her a heathen. Is Ada unwell? Is this a case of a woman gone mad and in need of a strait jacket and a padded room? Or is there really something more sinister out to get her? Or is it meant to liberate her instead?
Fans of the movie Midsommar and the Edwardian/Puritan era will enjoy this. The writing is so rich, layered eloquently with prim and poise, everything that would be expected of a well-mannered woman in the 1900s. In drips and drabs comes the uncomfortable poking; an indentation of a finger seeking to touch that spot you fear the most. The tension slowly builds until rage, female rage, is no longer containable.
The story is a bit slow at times, but in my opinion, in a good way. It’s a nice, long walk on a heavy, overcast day, through the woods. You’re enjoying yourself, until you’re not.

If Pride & Prejudice and Midsommar had a baby, it’d be Grey Dog. Absolutely brilliant!

Thank you to @NetGalley and @ECWPress for this free e-ARC in exchange for an honest review

A young spinster seeks to discard her past for a fresh beginning at a teaching post in the small town of Lowry Bridge. Grisly phenomena and a haunting presence residing in the woods begin to break down her carefully presented image as she becomes all the more tormented by and tempted towards the mysterious 'grey dog'.

I finished this practically in one sitting and scared myself in the dark after reading this. Like the best horrors, this was a slow-burn that succeeded to plant an uneasy tremor of fear and discomfort that only grew throughout the novel. While I must admit the premise was not entirely original and the plot rather easy to predict from the first instance, this did not take away my enjoyment of the reading process as it was carried off with style and skill.

I thought the form of first-person diary entries worked very well as it often does with the horror genre. The voice of Ada was sympathetic and engaging and the slow revealing of information was executed well, allowing the reader to understand the likely pattern of events before disclosing the missing details. I also enjoyed the development of the various other characters in Lowry Bridge who were very believable and colourful in their own way. The deterioration of Ada's mental state and her increased ostracisation by the townspeople was dealt with very well and I particularly enjoyed how this process revealed the darkness of female rage and repression which grows out of necessity from the harsh realities of the early twentieth-century society. I liked that Ada's hidden queer identity and her submission to her position dictated by the expectations of the highly religious and domineering patriarchy she lives in create a 'monster' to rival any other horror the novel could present.

While I did not think this novel was treading new ground in many aspects (although it still managed to pull these off skilfully and without seeming repetitive or mundane), it was still a vastly entertaining and compelling read. The final third of the novel was the masterpiece for me as it handled Ada's growing attraction to the forces of the grey dog and the bloody, audacious behaviour that signified her final break with her past. (Mild spoilers) I enjoyed the rather gruesome connection between illicit attraction and consumption, the embracing of nudity and the primal stink of the 'outside god' in rejection of the clean, buttoned-up puritanism of the respectable woman. This was a great read to coincide with Halloween and I would definitely recommend it.

I devoured this book. Eerie and mysterious, the perfect read for a cozy autumn weekend! The ending was shocking, but didn’t feel out of place… oddly satisfying. I'm looking forward to reading more from Elliot Gish.

My thanks to NetGalley and ECW Publishing for this ARC of Elliott Gish’s Grey Dog, which I received in exchange for my free and unbiased review.

If you love Jane Eyre, Villette, and films like The VVitch and Midsommer, if Sarah Waters novels are also your jam, you will love this book, which is like a glorious mash up of all of those. Quick synopsis: spinster teacher with a problematic past and queer desires moves to small community for her second chance as a teacher. I fear to say more beyond that because the plot is at once so simple and so atmospheric that I think I would absolutely spoil much that makes this novel work. It is a slow burn, and those usually lose me, but Gish’s writing is excellent and kept me pulled through from eerie moment to eerie moment as her protagonist unravels…. Or taps into her well-earned rage. I’m hoping gofer more from Gish, who impressed with this first novel.

WOW WOW WOW. EIn unfassbar gutes Buch. Direkt nach dem Ersten Satz war ich quasi abhänig von dem Buch und musste immer weiter lesen. Für alle Fans von female rage und "i support women rights and women wrongs!!