“The Fog” by Brooke Hardwick is a tense psychological thriller that has an interesting premise….a writer’s retreat on a secluded, rugged island with a charismatic leader (Cormac) of an intensive program designed to unblock whatever is stifling creativity and flow. The participants have pasts that need exploring but the methods used are intense, sometimes extreme and traumatic.
The setting is suitably creepy and the participants a motley crew. Kate is there to make sense of her marriage through the “fog” in her mind. Why do her memories seem to be betraying her…and what is the truth she needs to face before she can move on?
The story unfolds at a breakneck pace over ten days and the ending (which I found a little predictable but kind of unlikely) seemed rushed. I would have liked more background of the house and the family that lived there as the brooding Celtic atmosphere, stories and traditions really helped to set the scene and tone of the novel. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. I enjoyed this novel and leave this review voluntarily.

I really enjoyed this book and didn't see all the twists and turns coming before they did!
There's a decent number of triggers in this book, particularly for people who have had to endure emotionally/mentally abu$ive relationships and/or dealt with narcissists, so make sure you read and are ok with the trigger warning list.

After an incredible, suspenseful story, it did feel like the ending was a little rushed and could potentially have been expanded on a bit more, but it was still an excellent story and one I would read again.

Favourite quotes:
"Pretending isn’t lying- it merely softens the brutality of truth”.
-
“But, he loves her” I say, my voice small.
“Or does he love himself when he’s with her?”
-
“This is how Hugh did it- how he hurt Olive and me. He didn’t harm us through violence; he didn’t push me over the cliff, didn’t injure Olive… he simply didn’t save us”

Well this one was a goody. She had a bit of slow start but once I got into it and caught on to what was going on and how it was written I couldn’t put it down. I’m going to say the women in the story overcame a TONNE of trauma. I didn’t care for the guys much. Except for a special kind of man at the very end. Who I will admit I had my suspicions about the entire time 😂 the brain is such a fascinating organ, it really is. This book gets you deep thinking, well it did me anyway.

The Fog, by Australia-born and currently Netherlands-based author Brooke Hardwick, is set in Rathlin Island, the northernmost point of Northern Ireland. On this wild, remote land, an unconventional retreat at a cliffside mansion promises to unlock writers's block in ten days. The story's first-person narrator Kate arrives, hoping to uncover the secrets of her past so she can finish her novel.

Kate's husband disappeared after the tragic loss of their daughter, but she has no idea where or why. The bits and pieces of memories plaguing her draw forth more questions than answers, so the unorthodox therapy offered at the retreat appears to be her only hope, with the unusual techniques tapping into the island's mythical past and helping to unravel repressed trauma.

However, as Kate's flashbacks become increasingly intense and disturbing, she realises what she remembers as her life is not true, and her husband has never been who she thinks he is. Her real past is much darker and scary, but there are also dangers lurking on the island. It seems that no one can be trusted, not even her fellow attendees at the writer's retreat.

It is hard to critique The Fog without spoilers, as the whole book is about revelation. Suffice to say, the story highlights some of the most urgent and alarming issues in our society, whose origins can be traced back to the fundamentals of power and control. Not just between partners in a relationship, but also between members of the same family.

Traumatised by her past, Kate desperately wants to get back the memories of those shocking events that she experienced and witnessed, which she hopes will help her heal. Yet, from the reader's perspective, the use of first-person narration may not be ideal. For example, throughout the story, we not only observe Kate's flashbacks, but also have to follow along as she summarises and analyses everything and uses them to deconstruct her existing memories. That is a lot of duplicated material to be endured, not to mention her detailed deciphering of what is valid and why.

Furthermore, as much as we can sympathise with what Kate is going through emotionally and psychologically, her character is inconsistent due to her repeated questioning and doubting herself. For sure, in her existing memories and at the start of the ten-day period, this is a timid, feeble, submissive, insecure, frequently flustered and perpetually self-undermining character that is bordering pitiful and unlikeable.

In sharp contrast, as Kate salvages more memories of her past, she seems to turn into a different person. This Kate – in some of the flashbacks and particularly at the end of the ten-day period – is clear-headed, organised, adequate at planning ahead and willing to take risks while calculating and preparing for the potential consequences. To say it is hard to reconcile these two dramatically different versions of the character is an understatement.

Some may argue the “weak Kate” is the result of what was done to her in the past, and the trauma of losing her daughter is the final straw that broke her mind with amnesia. That certainly is the point about power and control in relationships, with one being oppressed to such an extent that either she implodes, her mind crushed beyond repair by that relentless, suffocating pressure, or all her repressed emotions finally unleash in torrents, hence the “strong Kate”.

However, in the book, Kate's amnesia is only partial, with all those memories of the truth conveniently tucked away and needing retrieval, while her existing memories illustrating a seemingly perfect life. Similarly, the contrast between the two versions of the character is so necessarily staggering that the “weak Kate” seems ridiculously minuscule and inept. Indeed, when the “strong Kate” asks herself why she let it all happen – “Why hadn't I resisted? I was proud and strong, I had my own life – my own dreams – I was on the cusp of my future – a new identity” – it appears to be the very first time Kate ever truly looks at herself, with the subject of her survey being a woman lacking agency and requiring intervention. Worse, to comprehend it all, she has to read the woman's journal where all her flashbacks have been recorded and scrutinised.

It is through this female gaze that our heroine is finally able to diagnose and treat her subject's problem: “There's a rush of blood through my veins. My throat tightens, and then every memory and truth collides in my head. An almighty howl leaves my mouth, penetrates the wind and echoes along the cliffs. It's huge and piercing and filled with all my pain. I have my voice back. I can scream.” She conceals her corresponding action afterwards: “It's not a burden, this secret. It's the truth, and it reminds me who I am – a woman who found her courage.” Then she moves on to a new project: “It's a story about a woman in a bad relationship – a strong woman who frees herself from constraint and control and survives.”

So the female gaze continues, and our protagonist is always watching and examining herself as a character, which makes her a spectacle, to be received by herself and by us as spectators. The distance between Kate and the target of her gaze remains, perhaps rightly so, as both her previous and current novels are based on her own life. Unfortunately, that same distance also lingers between the book and its readers, making it somewhat difficult to fully embrace not just the story but also how it is framed.

The Fog by Brooke Hardwick had such potential and I was instantly drawn in by the setting on a remote island and the premise of a creepy, cultish writers workshop. Sadly, beyond that, I just didn’t connect with the story. As strong as the overarching narrative was, the execution fell flat. I feel the author tried to accomplish too much, instead leaving all angles to fall over.

Synopsis: Kate is experiencing writers block when she enrols in an exclusive retreat for authors on Rathlin Island. While she works through the fog of her writers block, she simultaneously has to reflect on her failed marriage and what went wrong. As time passes and memories come back to her, she realises her husband may not have been who he seemed, and the same goes for the island…

My main criticism of The Fog was the writing style. The timeline jumps between the writers workshop and the flashbacks felt quite disjointed and I frequently found myself turning back a few pages to work out whether we were in the past or present.

The author did build fantastic suspense and nailed the creepy setting, but again the jarring jumps in the timeline made it difficult to feel truly immersed in the setting. I also struggled to feel empathy for the central character, I would have loved for her to have been fleshed out more at the start of the book so the reader truly feels for her throughout the narrative.

Overall a strong storyline, but not my favourite execution. I’d recommend this to real fans of mysteries and thrillers - it had enough intrigue to keep me reading, but left me wanting more from the structure.

3 ⭐️

A big thank you to Simon & Schuster Australia for sending me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Setting ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Characters ⭐⭐⭐
Suspense ⭐⭐⭐
Whodunit/Motive ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Ending ⭐
Overall ⭐⭐⭐⭐

1st Person POV / Dual Timeline

Dark. Repetitive. Clever. Game.

I don't like when thrillers end tied up nicely with a pink ribbon.

But I did enjoy whodunnit, how they did it and their motive - meaning (view spoilers on Goodreads)

Favourite Scenes: The way the fog slowly lifted to reveal Olive's true cause of death / All treatment scenes / Anything with Ruby.

Favourite Characters: Ruby, Cormac and Hugh

More from Ruby would have been great. She was easily the strongest guest character.

Least Favourite Character: Kate. Kate is weak and needy and just annoying. I didn't root for her lol. Just like the whodunnit said, she's so easy to manipulate.

Given Kate is in 100% of this book, it's amazing I chose to rate it so highly. Goes to show how well done other elements of the book were.

Surely, if you've blacked out that many times, you don't remember how you got where you are, you'd start thinking.. maybe there's something wrong here. Hmm, what did I eat and drink last? Where was I? Who was I with? Et cetera.

She's a bit.. how do I say it.. slow.

Like any good hero vs villain movie; I rooted for the villain.

💀🖤

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for the opportunity to read and review an advanced copy of this book!

Her husband has left her and her child is gone. A woman with amnesia attends a remote, 10-day writers retreat in the hopes of being able to remember what happened. On a remote and isolated island, at the whims of a charming therapist with eccentric techniques, something starts to feel… off. She struggles to comprehend the present while being assaulted with disturbing flashbacks from her past.

‘The Fog’ has a good central premise and is very easy-to-read, but unfortunately I don’t think the execution is all there. The main driver of interest for me was the flashbacks — this was where the bulk of the action and interesting revelations were — while the present day storyline felt meandering. I felt like I was waiting for the flashbacks to be filled in before things really kicked off.

I found the start of the novel quite disorienting and struggled to connect with the main character (Kate). She lacked, well, characterisation, where I felt the side characters had much stronger identities. Kate would often be asked direct questions by other characters and respond with only ‘ummmm’ before the conversation just moved on between two other characters. She refused to accept compliments and just generally didn’t take a super active role in the story until towards the end.

My other gripe is an odd scene where a female-presenting character gets drunk and rants about how they refuse to be called a girl. This is never addressed again and the characters continue to refer to them as female. It loosely makes sense with an event that is later revealed from their past, but I don’t think that justifies it being there, it just felt unnecessary and uncomfortable.

Nevertheless, I did churn through this book because it was ultimately still entertaining. The atmosphere is spooky and unsettling, with some good metaphors and other descriptors.

As a general note, there are a lot of trigger warnings attached to this book, particularly surrounding abusive relationships, infanticide and bodily harm. So be aware of those if you are thinking of picking up a copy when this book is published!

This is a special one folks, separate from the monthly reviews and seriously, this is an absolute banger of a book. Thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster Australia for my advanced copy.

In ‘The Fog’ we meet our protagonist, Kate, as she makes the somewhat perilous journey to the lonely and mysterious island of Rathlin, to a retreat which promises to cure her writer’s block. She is seeking to make sense of her past and a large part of that includes coming to terms with her marriage, which is shrouded in about as much fog as Rathlin. We meet the charismatic Cormac who runs the retreat, and a small assortment of tortured writers whose own stories unfold down the track. The therapies are weird, the people are weird, the island harbours secrets and as Kate’s past presents itself in flashback form she has the unsettling feeling that she’s not safe there on Rathlin.

‘The Fog’ is one of the best novels I’ve read so far this year. The writing is visceral in its descriptions and I often found myself pausing to consider whether there was any better way to describe the physiological reaction to a specific emotion. There is not. See example A):

‘My stomach drops with the swift force of an anchor plummeting to the ocean floor’

How accurate is that?!

The suspense in ‘The Fog’ is skillfully written so that the reader develops suspicions towards every character at some point; even minor ones. And while you can get an idea fairly quickly of what might have happened in Kate’s marriage, it still transpires in a compelling and heartbreaking way. The truth about her marriage is really just the thread that pulls together the whole arc of the story and the author pulls it off seamlessly until we’re left gaping at the end when the twists unfold before us, one after the other. And they are delicious twists!

‘The Fog’ is set to be published on the 4th of September 2024 by Simon & Schuster Australia. Mark it on your calendars and buy yourself a copy as soon as it hits the shelves.

Gripping. Couldn't put it down. This is Brooke Hardwick's debut novel and it blew me away.

The way the author as cleverly insert links between characters throughout, traversing the reader from one chapter to the next, it's like watching scenes from a movie fade in and out then reconnect.

The suspense as you gasping for breath and hanging on the edge of your seat as events escalate out of control.
The evil of the characters is, dare I use the word 'beautifully' executed.

The final chapters brutally lift the reader our of the 'Fog' but with a unexpected and shocking twist.
The ending is a welcome slowing of pace and reaches a warming and gentle conclusion.
Thank you Net Gallery for allowing me to review this outstanding debut novel.

My 6P review: Publication, Plot, People, Place, Prose/Pace, Praise

Kate takes part in a retreat on a remote island in the freezing Irish Channel in order to unlock her secrets. She is plagued by memories of her marriage and the death of her child. Dealt with sudden flashbacks which are so real to her, can she assume they are real or is her mind playing tricks on her?

What an exceptional debut novel. This was truly fantastic. A real psychological thriller.

The plot was well written and although not fast paced, I was turning the pages at a ferocious pace. It intertwined nicely.

The characters were great. I really felt for Kate and I loved her relationship with Ewan and Cormac. I also love Ewan and found him to be not only loveable but so intriguing too. The other characters at the retreat were also dealing with their own issues and the plot did not leave them out. They really grew too.

What can I say about the setting? It was freezing and the wind was whipping through my hair too. I was scared, enlightened and truly fascinated by the surroundings.

It was well written and a very easy to read story.

I loved this book and would highly recommend you read it as well.

I absolutely loved this book. Fantastic character development and an amazing plot. Physiological thriller in all its glory.
My first Brooke Hardwick book and I will be going back for more.
The pace was constant and a great build up to the end. Storytelling ability of this author was so on point.
It’s a 5/5 for me.

I love the title because of its double meaning. The Fog features Kate, a writer who is having a case of writer's block. Together with fellow residents Ruby, Mark and Sarah, they join a Ten-Day Therapeutic Retreat for various reasons. On Rathlin Island in Northern Island, four residents with director Cormac and caretaker Ewan.
The Fog is not just the fog that surrounds the island; it is also a fog that clouds Kate's mind. As the story unravels, Kate uncovers a lot more about herself, and the situation that might well destroy her future. It is a thrilling read that keeps me wondering, although I am not much of a fan of overuse of gaslighting.

The methods to the madness drives you to the brink of insanity before pulling you back into reality. My only gripe is that the ending did not actually fit, honestly could use 1 more breadcrumb for me to say: "why didn't I connect the dots."
Overall, good read.

Thank you NetGalley for this pre-published version. I actually give this 3.5 stars.
It was an enjoyable read and reminded me of so many old (pre 1960s) movies I used to watch; suspense psychological thriller. I don’t have much to say about the characters, they just are. I didn’t go in with any expectations except the hope to enjoy it and that was met. While others might see the twist at the end with the husband, I didn’t. The story kept me reading to the finish.

Thanks to Simon and Schuster for a ecopy of The Fog by Brooke Hardwick.
Set on a secluded island off the Irish coast the story revolves around Kate attending a 10 day readers retreat designed to unlock writers block. Kate, along with three other authors, begins to unlock hidden memories of her marriage with the assistance of Cormac and his disturbing methods of help.
I found the main points annoyingly repetitive and largely unbelievable and felt the whole story needs a more thorough edit.
There were a few twists but I found myself longing for this story to end.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. Many thanks to Netgalley and the Publishers.

This is a fabulous suspense filled, eerie and hard to put down book. The main location on a small Irish island gives the read an instant sense of foreboding, as the title suggests. Combined with the strange events that take place on this small island, the personal experiences of the main character of domestic abuse, forced abortion and infanticide add a sobering element to it.

Kate arrives at the far flung tiny island of Rathlin with its few weather hardened inhabitants determined to unlock the missing bits of her memory and to try and understand why her husband just up and left. Her relationship with Hugh was fraught with mental and physical abuse which increased with her pregnancies that he did not want. He had made it clear to her that he did not want children. Hugh controlled her every being, even her monthly cycle. However, Kate wanted to have a child, manipulating her medication saw her pregnant but for which brought about increased danger, the escalation of Hugh's control resulting in her beginning to become forgetful, experiencing memory loss and hallucinating.

Kate has a lot riding on the writer’s retreat for the retrieval of her memory, to stabilise her mental wellbeing along with recovering from the grief of the death of her baby, Olive for which Hugh had blamed her for.

It's a small group with their own individual problems, some not unlike Kate, poor relationships, writer's block etc that get together for this retreat run by Cormac, part owner of the facility along with his brother, who arrives on the island but it seems not part of the programme. Cormac outlines his vision, one that is similar to that of his dead parents. As the programme proceeds events become more and more bizarre with Kate ever hallucinating, experiencing flashbacks and being placed in danger.

Towards the end Hugh appears on the island, secrets are exposed and the truth of Cormac's bizarre programme revealed. Kate's memory returns along with the truth of Hugh's and Cormac’s sadistic manipulation.

I always enjoy a good Gothic novel. The Fog is a pageturner that has all the classic elements (fear, horror, death, high emotion). Add a remote island location and a sociopath who tries unconventional psychological 'therapies' at a supposed writers' retreat and you have a great read. Lots of twists and turns here!

Thanks NetGalley!

Thanks NetGalley for the ARC of The Fog.
Not a bad little gothic, psychological thriller. The only thing that bugged me, and it really bugged me, was the sheer number of internal questions the protagonist asked herself. “What had he started up with her? Was R crying about her situation? Was he telling her blah blah? That he was waiting for blah blah? Or blah blah?” On repeat, ad nauseam. I appreciate that the author was showing the internal dialogue of the protagonist, but it was overkill and distracting.

Well the twists start coming and the don’t stop coming!

Kate is experiencing writers block caused by the trauma of her husband leaving when she gets accepted into a world class writers retreat on remote Rathlin Island which promises to get to the root of the block and clear it in just 10 days.

Joined by 3 other writers, under the supervision of Cormac the group under go a series of unconventional therapies that aim to bring to light the traumas and breakthrough the barriers in order for them to write again.

As Kate progressed through the sessions, she begins experiencing flashbacks that have her questioning everything she believed about her husband and her marriage. But what is real, and why is she at this retreat?

Ooooft this was a banger! I was hooked right from the get go. It was also a surprise seeing the book set on Rathlin which coincidentally is where my family are from many many generations back 😅

The mystery of the location and the ragtag bunch of writers all with their own problems, Cormac with his air of authority, and the “black sheep” of the family Aiden all comes together in a way that fits perfectly.

Watching Kate slowly uncover the truths to her writers block is engaging and happens at just the right pacing. Throw in the revelations from the other participants and everything about their character makes sense.

When the reveals start to happen, I was on the edge of my seat, and they didn’t stop, they continued to escalate but luckily stopped before they became ludicrous.

One part that maybe didn’t flow was the epilogue, which wasn’t bad but seemed a bit jarring, even if it did wrap up nicely.

I highly recommend this to anyone who is a fan of a good, dark mystery

‘The Fog’ as a title, describes not only the atmospheric environment in which the action takes place, but the state of mind of a very troubled and traumatised Kate. Brooke Hardwick’s talent for crafting believable characters – who are all in their own fogged-up states – is commendable. The bleak and oh-so-cold island is a perfect foil for every ghastly revelation as the plot twists in unexpected directions. What an ending! So satisfying with the epilogue (love them!) going just beyond that aha moment; another delightful page or two to wrap it all up. Congratulations on a great (and harrowing) yarn, Kate!
Many thanks to Simon & Schuster (Australia) for the opportunity to review this title.

Thanks to everyone involved in this book so I could read it and give an unbiased review.

I honestly was as lost as Kate for a great deal of this book. She is an unreliable narrator, who has been so gaslighted that she attempts to gaslight us in the first half of this book. Everyone is creepy. No one is to be trusted. It's not paranoia if they really are out to get you.

And then very slowly you realise you are reading the journal of the retreat. As she uncovers more about why she is there, the truth comes to her and to us but not before some truly horrific events which had me PACING. The plot twist could be seen coming but it didn't matter.

I don’t usually like books written in present tense but I guess it worked in this instance - it also would've worked if she had written in the past.

Four stars.