Andrew Michael Hurley (born 1975)[1] is a British writer whose debut novel, The Loney, was published in a limited edition of 350 copies on 1 October 2014 by Tartarus Press[2][3] and was published under Hodder and Stoughton's John Murray imprint in 2015 (ISBN 9781473619821).[4] He was interviewed on BBC Radio 4's Open Book programme "British Gothic" in October 2015.[5]

The Loney has been reviewed in The Guardian and The Telegraph.[6][7] It is set in the area of Morecambe Bay in north west England, described in the text as "that strange nowhere between the Wyre and the Lune".[4] Hurley has said that the novel's two starting points were "to write a kind of dark version of the Nativity [...] and exploring ideas of faith and belief" and "various wild, lonely places on the north west coast of Lancashire [...] a sense of imminent menace or dormant power lying just under the sand and the water".[8] It is the winner of the 2015 Costa Book Awards First Novel Award[9] as well as the British Book Industry award for best debut fiction and book of the year.[10]

Hurley has previously had two volumes of short stories published by the Lime Tree Press (Cages and Other Stories, 2006, ISBN 9781411699021, and The Unusual Death of Julie Christie and Other Stories, 2008, ISBN 9780955981401).[3] He lives in Lancashire, where he teaches English literature and creative writing.[3]

His second novel, Devil's Day, was published on 19 October 2017 by John Murray (ISBN 978-1473619869)[11] and Tartarus Press (ISBN 9781905784981)[12] Its setting, "The Endlands", is based on Langden valley in Lancashire's Forest of Bowland.[13] The book "deploys myth, landscape and the tropes of horror to chilling effect".[14][15] Hurley was joint winner of the Royal Society of Literature's 2018 Encore Award for the best second novel.[16]

Hurley's third novel Starve Acre was published 31 October 2019 by John Murray (ISBN 9781529387261). The "Starve Acre" of the title is the home of a couple whose child has died, and it is "a novel which grapples with the irrationality and complexity of grief, the power and potency of folklore, and a moving examination of the effect a child's loss can have on its parents".[17] The Guardian's critic described it as "an atmospheric tale in the same tradition of English folk-horror" as his previous two books.[18] The film Starve Acre based on the book, was directed by Daniel Kokotajlo, starred Morfydd Clark and Matt Smith, and premiered at the BFI London Film Festival 2023.[19]

References

  1. ↑ The Loney: Linked Data. Worldcat. OCLC 919313849. Retrieved 15 October 2015.
  2. ↑ "The Loney by Andrew Michael Hurley". Tartarus Press. Retrieved 11 August 2017.
  3. 1 2 3 "Authors: Andrew Michael Hurley". Hodder and Stoughton. Archived from the original on 11 August 2017. Retrieved 15 October 2015.
  4. 1 2 "The Loney". Hodder & Stoughton. Retrieved 20 November 2015.
  5. ↑ "Open Book: British Gothic". Radio 4. BBC. Retrieved 15 October 2015.
  6. ↑ Perry, Sarah (28 August 2015). "The Loney by Andrew Michael Hurley review – a gothic masterpiece". The Guardian. Retrieved 15 October 2015.
  7. ↑ Martin, Tim (8 September 2015). "The Loney by Andrew Michael Hurley, review: 'haunted and haunting'". The Telegraph. Retrieved 15 October 2015.
  8. ↑ "About the author: Andrew Michael Hurley". Foyles. Retrieved 15 October 2015.
  9. ↑ "2015 Costa Award Winners" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 7 January 2016. Retrieved 5 January 2016.
  10. ↑ Flood, Alison (9 May 2016). "Debut novel The Loney wins book of the year at British Book Industry awards". The Guardian. Retrieved 11 August 2017.
  11. ↑ Cowdrey, Katherine (2 February 2017). "New Andrew Michael Hurley novel called Devil's Day". The Bookseller. Retrieved 2 October 2017.
  12. ↑ Cowdrey, Katherine (18 August 2017). "Yorkshire indie to publish limited edition of Hurley's next novel". The Bookseller. Retrieved 2 October 2017.
  13. ↑ "Andrew Michael Hurley: Devil's Day". New Writing North. Retrieved 31 May 2019.
  14. ↑ Apostolides, Zoë (3 November 2017). "Devil's Day by Andrew Michael Hurley — northern frights". Financial Times. Retrieved 8 April 2019.
  15. ↑ Harrison, M. John (26 October 2017). "Devil's Day by Andrew Michael Hurley review – dark tales from the moors". The Guardian. Retrieved 8 April 2019.
  16. ↑ "The Encore Award 2018" (PDF). Royal Society of Literature. May 2018. Retrieved 8 April 2019.
  17. ↑ "Film deal for Hurley as John Murray snaps up third novel". The Bookseller. 28 May 2019. Retrieved 21 August 2019.
  18. ↑ Merritt, Stephanie (29 October 2019). "Starve Acre by Andrew Michael Hurley review – an atmospheric tale". The Guardian. Retrieved 25 November 2019.
  19. ↑ Bradshaw, Peter (12 October 2023). "Starve Acre review – intelligent performances in sinister Yorkshire folk horror". The Guardian. Retrieved 9 November 2023.


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