Excellent dark and creepy novel

⭑⭑⭑⭑⭑  Dark, ominous and otherworldly, Pine is a subtle, creeping novel that infiltrates your subconsciousness with its sense of mystery. It isn't scary, per se, but quietly unnerving with a disturbing conundrum waiting patiently to be solved. I was wholly absorbed in Pine, looking for good reasons to be reading during, traditionally, non-reading times. So glad the rainy weather conspired to help me!

Here, our protagonist is a charming, sweet girl of ten, Lauren. She lives with her dad, Niall, and dog, Jameson. Her family has been the center of rumor and speculation since her mother disappeared whilst Lauren was a baby. Living in the remote, heavily wooded highlands of Scotland, there are few places for her to escape the whispers and taunts from her schoolmates. Interestingly, our girl has picked up a passing fancy with the occult becoming fascinated by relics, like tarot cards and supernatural texts, left by her mother. She is thoroughly fascinating as she tries to understand the mystery of the woman who stumbled into the road in front of her father's truck to be brought home, cared for and vanished without a trace by morning. Her father has no recollection but Lauren remembers it all with clarity.

The depth of probing into the darker corners of human emotion is professional-grade in Pine. Niall has great turmoil roiling inside him and only drink brings him calm. Not the ideal situation for a young girl to live with but one that feels authentic and believable. The trauma of her mother's disappearance has left deep scars in both of them though the wounds fail to heal. Much revolves around the unease and that is the platform this story is artfully constructed on. Spine-tingling and original, Pine left me guessing and keen to understand what this novel was trying to say. I felt and appreciated the otherworldly elements as they created tension that only eased with the climax. I great read that delivers more than meets the eye.