The Cormorant

'[An] artful first novel, reminiscent of the tales of Poe . . . Gregory uses a low-key style and subtle lyricism to build an atmosphere of nightmarish horror in a tale that could become a classic.' - Publishers Weekly '[A] first-class terror story with a relentless focus that would have made Edgar Allan Poe proud.' - New York Times '[N]o summary can do justice to the subtlety of Gregory's first novel, with its fresh, vivid, sensual prose and its superb descriptive and evocative power. An extraordinary novel - original, compelling, brilliant.' - Library Journal 'A work of tremendous self-assurance that leaves the reader with a lingering sense of unease and announces the arrival of a considerable new talent.' - British Book News A young family receives a welcome surprise when old Uncle Ian dies and leaves them a cottage in north Wales. For Ian's nephew and his wife Ann, it seems a stroke of incredible good fortune, enabling them to leave their unfulfilling lives in the city for a newfound freedom in the remote seaside cottage. There's just one catch. Uncle Ian's will has a strange condition: the couple must care for his pet cormorant or forfeit the bequest. They think nothing of it at first: Uncle Ian was eccentric, and the bird is amusing in a way. But when the cormorant begins to show a violent and malevolent side, they soon find that Uncle Ian's gift may not be a blessing, but a curse. Stephen Gregory's first novel, The Cormorant (1986), received widespread critical acclaim, winning the prestigious Somerset Maugham Award and earning comparisons to the works of Poe. This edition includes a new introduction by the author, in which he reveals how this enduring and haunting tale had its origins in his own experiences during a bleak Welsh winter.

Amazon.com Review

A history teacher moves, with his wife and baby son, into a newly-inherited cottage in northern, seaside Wales. The terms of the inheritance dictate that he must care for his dead uncle's cormorant. It's just a bird, but in the eyes of this man and his family, the cormorant looms as a relentless, malign presence -- "as ugly and poisonous as a vampire bat" -- and seems to draw the small boy under its spell. A tightly written, erotically charged drama about people who do not know themselves and cannot come to terms with the natural world and its inescapable strangeness.

From Publishers Weekly

Uncle Ian's strange bequest comes as a "thunderbolt of good fortune" to a young family when he leaves his nephew a rundown cottage not far from the coast in North Wales. But there is a condition: Uncle Ian's pet cormorant must be cared for. Though Ian's nephew (through whose eyes we observe this sinister tale) and his wife Anne settle in happily to their new life, they are soon disconcerted by the arrival of the bird, "as ugly and poisonous as a vampire bat." Anne shudders at its "demonic arrogance," but their 11-month-old son, Harry, is unpleasantly attracted to the bird, whom they name Archie. As a feeling of impending disaster gradually permeates the narrative, Archie's relentless presence causes a rift between the couple, who must cope with its viciousness and malevolence. The nephew finally decides to do away with Archie, but the cormorant proves to be his nemesis instead. This artful first novel, reminiscent of the tales of Poe, won Britain's Somerset Maugham Award. Gregory uses a low-key style and subtle lyricism to build an atmosphere of nightmarish horror in a tale that could become a classic. Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

A young English couple and their small child take up residence in a cottage in Wales bequeathed to them by an eccentric uncle. The uncle's will contains one bizarre stipulation: they must take care of a cormorant that he had adopted as a pet, or they will forfeit the cottage. Unfortunately, the cormorant turns out to be a vile, menacing creature that seems to embody some evil, mesmerizing force. Yet it shares a strange understanding with the child. Events build up relentlessly to a frightening conclusion, as scenes of homey domesticity alternate with wild episodes involving the cormorant. But no summary can do justice to the subtlety of Gregory's first novel, with its fresh, vivid, sensual prose and its superb descriptive and evocative power. An extraordinary noveloriginal, compelling, brilliant.Bryan Aubrey, Fairfield, Ia.Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Reviews

News