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!!

Wow. I just finished this book and knew immediately that it was going to be one of my top five favorite books of all time. Unfortunately I cannot say MUCH without spoiling this book, but it shows a character struggling through a traumatic past, her own rage, sexuality, and shame, and ultimately liberation. The book chronicles Ada Byrd’s travels to become a school teacher in a new town who have no idea of her past. This past is slowly revealed throughout the novel, and is alluded to from the very beginning. As Ada gets settled into this new life, she begins experiencing strange phenomena that others do not notice. As she learns more about the townspeople and THEIR pasts, she is forced to relive her own and find out who she can trust. A slow burn, the buildup is so tense and the climax absolutely worth the wait. I found myself devouring this book, desperate to learn more and more about Ada and her journey. That being said, I was HIGHLY disturbed, forced to confront some of my own trauma head-on, and will be thinking of this book nonstop for years to come. And none of those are bad things.

I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for a review and was so excited bc I needed a spooky read for Halloween. This novel was perfect for the occasion, the diary format made for an interesting read and definitely brought the story to life for me. The main lead's voice was so compelling and I finished this in a day and a half. The ending got a bit wild so fair warning if you get lulled into a false sense of security earlier in the book.

Spoilers possibly?



The Grey Dog. The God of Outside.
How thrilling. I throughly enjoyed this book.
Slow at the beginning but for good reason. Seeing the consistency of Ada’s writing over and over again. Then suddenly seeing the shift. Oh how fun that was for me. Tell me why I was rooting for this Ada? How pitiful her life was under the God of Inside. I truly felt bad for Ada.
I appreciate the writing skills, rich with metaphors and vocabulary I haven’t heard before. I enjoyed looking up those words. Wonton woman?! That I had to search the web for.
Highly recommend this book, I would love to see it on film. I feel it would make a great scary movie.
Another thing I loved about this book, is the writers ability to keep you wanting more. I think that’s what kept me reading. I wanted to know what Ada did in Willoughby. Oh boy was that juicy! If you’re able to keep up through the slower chapters you won’t be disappointed.
I wanted to copy and paste an entire paragraph that I’m OBSESSED with but the sample won’t allow so I’ll type this smaller part out myself.
“I am not a thing you can shape, not anymore. I am no garden, but the woods, and if you ever come near me again, every bit of wildness in me will rise up to bite you. I will tear your throat out with my teeth.” I want to shout that from the highest mountain! Yasss Ada you tell him!
This book will inspire most and terrify many.
I loved it. Thank you Elliot Gish for writing this wonderful book. I will think of Ada for a while before I’m able to move on to another book.
Thank you ECW Press for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book. I had a blast.