Fray: The haunting and mysterious new literary suspense novel of 2023, for fans of bestsellers THE LONEY and PINE

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It's the exact opposite: it's letting go of language, sort of stepping into a wordless space where you're free. Chris has run for 30 years, sometimes quickly, sometimes competitively, but always to constructively manage his own mental health.

The narrator’s mother died some time ago, and shortly afterwards their father disappeared, apparently unable to accept what had happened. When I sat down and read the final 100 pages in one sitting, I found I connected more with the rhythm and the cadences of the story. It reads a bit like a radio play with three different voices, though for one of the voices I still have no idea who was speaking. DNF - this started with a lot of potential and I genuinely didn't mind the experimental format, but the level of repetition in each of the segments made this a huge challenge to read- particularly with the main perspective. Throughout the first 40 pages or so, I was actually loving the atmosphere and the way the characters inner monologue unfolded.This tale is beautifully rendered with a distinct style that brings the full range of emotions to the surface. Yes, my parents were both runners, they got into it because of the Great North Run, and I sort of followed on. But if you keep going - exactly like with running - if you keep doing bit and a bit, regularly and you don’t get put off when it gets tough, you don't give up and you've just kind of persist, then actually over time, you can really put something quite phenomenal together, whether that's training for a marathon and ultra or writing a novel. Had the author stopped at that 25% mark, it would’ve been a 4-star story, and nothing much would’ve been lost. It’s an unusual novel which creates a real sense of place and uses the encroaching natural surroundings to accentuate the narrator’s imploding mental health.

Breathing in enough to be given life, softening the pain a little, finding some colour in all the grinding grey. An abandoned cottage in the remote wilderness, filled with thousands of confusing, terrifying handwritten notes. It's a shame because I really did love the pacing and writing style and the level of structured confusion and tension the author was able to create. In short: a bleak, disjointed “wandering” of text, that has a single message and “feeling” to convey.There is a striving throughout the book to deal with personal demons and come out of them with a peace of mind. But I think if, if at any point in our lives, we introduce some running to it, that's going to make things better. There are interesting reflections on man’s interaction and alienation from the natural world, alienation from self and others.