The Loney

Try this place instead of the United board on a football forum;

http://forums.onlinebookclub.org/

We used to have a book club thread.

Re-invent it or bring it back.

I'm trying

I've read the book whilst waiting for the first real comment on this thread.

And what do you think?

I thought it was a haunting exploration of religion, faith and family. I think Hurley's evocation of the landscape is bleak and beautiful, while his portrayal of a family slowly imploding is both perceptive and compelling

Anyway, absolutely, the ending was confusing - not just deliberately obscure to create an atmopshere. It seems pretty obvious that we were meant to think Collier et al were Satanists (the desecrated church, the mock Jesus figure in the woods; in fact, why does no one connect this before?) who were running some kind of 'sacrifice a child and get well' scheme but, as you say, Hanny's part in it made no sense: they shoot him (why?) they heal him (why?) and he shoots the baby (why?). Perhaps we're meant to think that once healed he appears to become a fully-fledged Christian but -hah!- the devil's big joke is that he is actually demonically driven. Rather like Catholicism itself is shown to be through most of the main characters. But even so. And, whatever, you're quite right, there just aren't enough babies to go round. Also, even before the anti-witch bottle breaks Clement warns Father Bernard that the 'others' will just turn up if invited. I think the writer needed a better editor! I quite like gothic literature generally, but modern gothic tends to be either self-conscious or ducks out of the full-throttle approach of earlier years - and this one is mainly haunting because of the general plot incoherence, I think, and because most of the characters are just dropped at the end, rather as the plot is.

I agree, was farkin shiiit.

I found solace at onlinebookclub.org - thanks for the link

Many others were of the same opinion as me. Really unsatisfying ending