Hi everyone! I hope you’re all well. Today is Friday, and it’s time for another review. Today, I’m sharing my review of Hesket: A Norfolk Haunting by Sara Bayat.
Hesket: A Norfolk Haunting will be published on 5 March 2026, by Corsair and is 224 pages long.
The Plot
Set in a quiet Norfolk village with a buried history of witch trials, the novel turns on a modern planning decision: new building works in the village woods. As development begins—despite local protests—odd, unsettling phenomena start to ripple through everyday life, and the tight-knit community begins to fray.
Characters
Isla
Isla and her husband, Daniel, are mourning the loss of their little girl, Molly. One evening, Daniel comes home sobbing, having secretly gone to see a medium, who tells him that their daughter’s spirit is residing in the woods nearby. To Isla’s horror and frustration, he becomes convinced she is there, and obsesses over trying to bring her home.
Rio
Rio is a journalist, writing a puff piece about the more eccentric people of Norfolk. Sitting in on a seance held by a psychic named Madam Celia, Rio doubts anything strange will happen, suspecting the woman of cold-reading her clients. But when one of Madam Celia’s clients takes over the session, Rio is left feeling strange as another, Daniel, runs out and into the woods following a glowing light he believes is his dead daughter.
Nell
When Nell’s best friend Oonagh dies, leaving her grief-stricken, she steals a tiny stuffed kingfisher from Oonagh’s house, only to find that it seemingly has a will of its own, throwing itself from the shelf she places it on in her own home. When, at one point, Nell feels threatened by a strange presence, she decides it wants her to return the bird.
Jack
Jack is Oonagh’s grandson and has been staying with his grandad, Walter, since her funeral. He works as a tree surgeon for the company hired to uproot the town’s ancient forest, to the chagrin of his grandfather, who makes him keep this a secret from the townsfolk. After cutting down a rotting tree from their garden, Jack discovers bones buried beneath it, which kick off some strange goings on in their home.
Finn
Finn is a young boy who, along with his older brother, Hardy, is being raised by their single father, Paul, who regularly takes them fishing. When Hardy wants ot go fishing with his friends, their father makes him take Finn. However, on the way, Hardy tells Finn he can’t come. Finn pretends he’s a spy and follows Hardy, only to discover he’s meeting a girl.
Emir
Emir has an allotment and grows crocuses for the saffron they produce. Along with Paul and another man, named Mr Thatcher, Emir clears out a deceased friend’s shed. While digging over the earth of his allotment, they accidentally disturb a hoard of hibernating toads who leap from the ground and begin to form a long procession to the woods.
Rev. Eileen
Eileen is the town’s Reverend. She’s promised her son (whom she believes thinks of her husband as his favourite parent) that she will be home on time to meet his new girlfriend. But when a young woman asks her for help finding an address, Eileen ends up getting on the wrong train to go with her.
Arthur
Arthur is a young man living alone as a shut-in in a small, rundown cottage by the river. He is visited often by the Reverend Eileen, who offers him connection and friendship. He develops a crush on her and suspects it is reciprocated. Arthur plans to act on his crush at a party Eileen invites him to; however, once there, he realises the crush is one-sided and it fizzles out. At home, his cottage is slowly rotting away, revealing the bones of cats buried in the walls and chimney.
Writing Style
Bayat’s writing style is a bit literary and observational, offering plenty of detail (though not an absurd amount) to keep you interested.
The pace is brisk, the story compelling, and each of the main characters we meet is interesting—although their stories do feel a little unfinished.
I found the book’s structure particularly interesting; it begins with a prologue, which I don’t usually love, yet this one drew me instantly into the story. The rest of the book is arranged like a collection of short stories; each chapter is one of the main character’s viewpoints, but they tend to interlock, sometimes concretely, and sometimes more tangentially. The book finishes with an epilogue, which, in my opinion, doesn’t add anything to the plot. It does wrap up the story, although not in any concrete or satisfying way, which left me feeling a little frustrated.
Another thing I struggled with was that the chapters were longer than I usually prefer, which makes bedtime reading a challenge. I read until I feel sleepy, closing the book when a chapter ends. It can be irritating if you’re exhausted and nowhere near the end of the chapter you’re reading. However, that aside, I did look forward to bedtime so that I could read it.
Final Thoughts
Overall, I enjoyed the book. I just felt it lacked a little in plot development. I was expecting a story about witches and spooky goings on—and while a few odd things do happen, they don’t seem to coalesce into anything substantial.
All in all, I do think you’ll enjoy this book if you like folksy, haunted, literary fiction that pieces a community together, voice by voice. Just don’t expect much of a scare; it’s more eerie and creepy than anything else.
I’m giving this one a 5/10.
I received a free copy of the book via NetGalley in return for a review.
Have you read Hesket: A Norfolk Haunting? What did you think?
Thank you, as ever, for reading my review!
Until next time,
© 2026 GLT
Categories: Book Reviews, Reading
GEORGE L THOMAS 
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