Reviews
The Retreat
'beautifully constructed... intense and textured... I imagined I could almost reach out and be there.'
Fiction Books
'I was captivated by the writing... This is a great quirky little book... short but perfectly formed'
Book Blogging Bureau
'Alison Moore has perfectly captured the unsettling feeling of isolation, combining this with a delightful sense of the weird... if you're the sort of reader who revels in atmosphere, language, and the minutiae of human interaction, The Retreat will provide a short, sharp treat to curl up with on a winter's evening.'
The Shelf of Unread Books
'The Retreat is a really clever story... I very much enjoyed the writing and I feel that a lot more emotion was stirred up as I read than I was expecting.'
Intensive Gassing About Books
'This is a dark and beguiling novel which is rich in imagery and characterisation, undercut with a sense of menace and creeping horror... The Retreat is a brilliant novel which I feel incredibly privileged to have read. Intense, lyrical and haunted, I loved it.'
Rachel Read it
'Packed from the first page with a moody atmosphere and tinged with foreboding that subtly draws you into the story... This is a clever, creative, and creepy book and despite its diminutive proportions, it cannot fail to capture your imagination, as it has mine. I hope you add this book to your 'to buy list' as it is too exceptional to be missed!'
The Fallen Librarian Reviews
'The Retreat is a beautifully written, and incredibly creepy novel that explores a host of complex themes around alienation and ghosts from the past... This is such an impressive and immersive book... It is one to read on a single, viscerally affecting sitting and it will leave you with many things to turn over in your mind once you are done. This is my first book by Alison Moore, but will definitely not be my last. I am well and truly in love with her writing'
Brown Flopsy's Book Burrow
'Moore is an extraordinarily good writer. Each of her five novels to date has been in its own way perfect: not a dud sentence in sight and with the slowly brewing tension deliberately understated... I loved this book, which is effective and disturbing to a far more potent degree than any number of more deliberate or dramatic haunted house stories. The only problem with being a Moore fan is that the moment you've finished reading one of her novels you're already looking forward to the next'
Nina Allan, The Spider's House
'Moore vividly creates an otherworldly milieu that will make you glad you're not a resident there.'
Alexander Larman, The Observer
'Darkly funny and poignant.'
Anthony Cummins, The Mail on Sunday
'This new novel by Alison Moore (probably best known for The Lighthouse) is typically unnerving - and it's my favourite one of hers yet... Tension builds gradually in The Retreat, as it moves from the interpersonal to overtones of the supernatural. But, look, the highest compliment I can pay this novel is that I just wanted to keep on reading it. I don't generally say that I couldn't put a book down, but certainly I was always impatient to pick The Retreat up again. If you're in the mood for a ghostly tale, give this a go.'
David Hebblethwaite, David's Book World
'Alison Moore's engaging fifth novel... her trademark measured, economic prose... draws you in with its quiet confidence.'
Anna Aslanyan, Literary Review
'Immediately intriguing, this beautifully written novel hums with slowly building tension... Totally different style of book but one I really enjoyed.'
Sheila Grant, NB Magazine
'The Retreat is a small masterpiece of disconnection.'
Kate McLoughlin, The Times Literary Supplement
'Moore has wrapped her clever, devilish thriller around an elaborate study of artistic insecurity.'
Catherine Taylor, Financial Times
'Powerfully disturbing and atmospheric. Lord of the Flies with overtones of the supernatural.'
Rose Shepherd, Saga Magazine
'The Retreat, by Alison Moore, is a gloriously mischievous study of human interactions and behaviour... A spicy yet understanding take on tribal behaviour, artistic endeavours, and the effects of aspiration, judgement and rejection. Another excellent novel from an author deserving the widest acclaim.'
Jackie Law, Never Imitate
'It's a gripping book that I read in one sitting on the day that it arrived! Moore creates something that leaves you trying to grasp what is just out of reach. The weight of the story will resonate with you far beyond the end of the pages.'
F.C. Malby