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Pine by Francine Toon is a Scottish gothic horror book released on the 23rd of January 2020 from publisher Penguin. Toon’s Pine won the McIlvanney Prize 2020, was shortlisted for Bloody Scotland’s Scottish Crime Debut of the Year 2020 and was longlisted for the Highland Book Prize 2020.

Pine follows Lauren and her father, Niall, as they drive home on Hallowe’en night and find a woman stumbling out of the dense woods in the middle of the dark road late at night. 

After that night, Lauren begins to notice weird things start to happen around the small village where she lives. Venturing out to the forest and trying to find out more about her mother, who went missing many years ago, Lauren finds herself at the centre of confusing secrets while the memories of his missing wife haunt her father.

EVALUATION 

Genre

I don’t really read crime books, but Pine had a hint of paranormal to it, which made it interesting. Plus, I wanted to give a horror book that is based in Scotland from a Scottish. While there was a paranormal aspect, which was important to the storyline, I wouldn’t say it was overly used or pulled the story too far away from the mystery and crime genres. 

Prose

I wasn’t the biggest fan of Pine’s writing style. There were points where the time hopping didn’t work, and it confused me. Like, a chapter would start, and I would be under the assumption that I was reading about present events in the story, then a few lines in it would randomly appear that one of the characters ‘came back to the present’, and I would be left confused when we travelled back. It was never really clear, and that made it hard to read. It happened too often without clear distinction that I found myself getting a bit annoyed with it. I spoke to someone else who had also read the book, and they agreed that this writing was a bit confusing.

Characters

The characters were well-written and could come off the page very well, but I can’t say that any of them particularly stood out. I’m not too sure if this had anything to do with the writing style or if the characters were good, but it just never stuck out too much. It could also be that I’m not normally one to read crime, so I may not have connected with the story as much.

Worldbuilding

The world-building was good. I am still able to conjure the images, which is good. A nice, lasting impact. It also did well at establishing how the village looked and how dense the surrounding forest got.

Pacing 

The pacing was really slow at the start and picked up a little in the middle, but where it really got to a decent pace was the last few chapters, where everything was starting to happen, come together and be revealed. 

Plot & Theme 

The story was okay. It was gripping, but it also wasn’t bad. I think my favourite parts were all at the end when things got more disturbing and more questions cropped up faster. 

The ending wasn’t much for me either. It was a nice round-up of the story, but it didn’t wow me or anything. Pine was just kind of okay all over.

Story’s Impact 

Upon finishing Pine, I was just happy I finished it. It was okay, and I enjoyed seeing references to various Scottish isms, but I wasn’t blown away by it. 

RECOMMENDATION 

I don’t see myself rereading Pine. It was okay, but I don’t think it would be worth a reread. This would be a good fit if you’re into crime with light paranormal vibes. However, if this isn’t what you’re looking for, then you can give this a miss. 

Information & Rating

Triskele Rating: 4/7

5-Star Rating: 2/5

Book: Pine

Author(s): Francine Toon

Series Name: Standalone

Pages:  330

Genres: Horror, Mystery, Thriller, Gothic, Crime, Scotland, Contemporary, Adult, Paranormal,

Format: Kindle & Paperback

ISBN/ASIN: 9781784164829

Publication Date: 23 January 2020

Publisher: Penguin

Reading Speeds 

(Based on Kindle/How Long To Read)

Average Estimated Reading Speed: 4 hours and 38 minutes

Based on the average of 300WPM

My Estimated Reading Speed: 6 hours and 6 minutes

Based on my calculated speed of 228WPM

Calculated by How Long To Read’s test

Goodreads Blurb

They are driving home from the search party when they see her.

The trees are coarse and tall in the winter light, standing like men. Lauren and her father Niall live alone in the Highlands, in a small village surrounded by pine forest. When a woman stumbles out onto the road one Halloween night, Niall drives her back to their house in his pickup. In the morning, she’s gone.

In a community where daughters rebel, men quietly rage, and drinking is a means of forgetting, mysteries like these are not out of the ordinary. The trapper found hanging with the dead animals for two weeks. Locked doors and stone circles. The disappearance of Lauren’s mother a decade ago.

Lauren looks for answers in her tarot cards, hoping she might one day be able to read her father’s turbulent mind. Neighbours know more than they let on, but when local teenager Ann-Marie goes missing it’s no longer clear who she can trust.

In spare, haunting prose, Francine Toon creates an unshakeable atmosphere of desolation and dread. In a place that feels like the end of the world, she unites the gloom of the modern gothic with the pulse of a thriller. It is the perfect novel for our haunted times.