Blair's Reviews > Knock Knock, Open Wide

Imagine Tana French writing a folklore-infused horror novel, and you have Knock Knock, Open Wide. This is a book that won’t be for everyone, simply because there is just a lot of stuff in it; it’s not one neat storyline, but a bunch that overlap and entwine, and there’s a lot of character work, details that could feel irrelevant if they weren’t so beautifully crafted. For me, it was one of those reading experiences where my delight increased as the story went along, where I thought more and more this was written for me! the more I read.

It’s about Etain, who is involved in a freak accident that leads her into a series of bizarre horrors, and how that night changes the rest of her life. It’s about Ashling, her daughter, and the woman Ashling falls in love with. It’s about a long-running TV series remembered differently by everyone who watched it (the kind of plot device I find irresistible even when done lazily – used unusually well here). It’s dark and sinister, but full of life and love, too.

I’d like more time to sit with Knock Knock, Open Wide but I am hopelessly behind on reviews with no prospect of catching up in the near future, so this will have to do for now. This is a book I absolutely adored, an instant favourite and a world I will return to.

I received an advance review copy of Knock Knock, Open Wide from the publisher through Edelweiss.