The Folly by Gemma Amor

The Folly Reviews

• 
  John Mauro

  Check out my
  Interview with Gemma Amor at Grimdark Magazine.
  
  My complete review of The Folly is published at
  Before We Go Blog.
  
  “When Dad had been sentenced, I had been orphaned, practically and emotionally, at a much younger age than I had anticipated being parentless. I had been thrust into a new phase of life, a lonely phase, an unguided phase, which was both terrifying and oddly liberating.”
  
  The Folly is Gemma Amor’s brooding Gothic mystery that evokes the best of both Daphne du Maurier’s Rebecca and Ann Radcliffe’s The Mysteries of Udolpho.
  
  The Folly opens with forty-three-year-old Morgan as she retrieves her father from prison. Morgan’s father was sentenced in a high-profile trial for the murder of his wife but is now being released following an appeal and eventual retrial. The isolation of prison is replaced by the disquieting loneliness of the COVID-19 pandemic:
  
  “What a life, I thought, in which every basic human need had become a protracted operation. Grocery shopping, doctor appointments, dentist appointments, haircuts, all the everyday shit we’d taken for granted suddenly layered with anxious complexity. What a world for Dad to come out into, after everything he suffered already.”
  
  Financial strain and the unbearable memories of her mother’s death lead Morgan to sell their family home in Bristol and build a new life along the Cornwall coast. Morgan and her father become caretakers of the Folly, a gloomy lighthouse-style tower famous for its death tourists, whose visits to the Folly are destined to be their last.
  
  “A decorative, brooding, and yet wholly frivolous endeavour, the Folly was a tall black granite tower with distinct crenellations capping the roof. It sat stoically on the very tip of a craggy, hooked peninsula, rising confidently above the sea as if it belonged to another era, as if ancient kings had resided there once.”
  
  Gemma Amor channels Daphne du Maurier’s dark, poetic writing style, perfectly capturing the atmosphere and tone of Rebecca. Like du Maurier, Amor explores themes of personal identity and isolation, while slowly revealing hidden secrets and motivations.
  
  This wouldn’t be a Gemma Amor novel without a healthy dose of horror. Amor strikes just the right level of supernatural dread to make The Folly feel deeply unsettling but without ever becoming excessive.
  
  Following up on her back-to-back masterpieces, Full Immersion and The Once Yellow House, the Bram Stoker and British Fantasy Award nominated author Gemma Amor apparently can do no wrong. Although less ambitious in scope than her previous two novels, The Folly is an understated Gothic gem from one of today’s most exhilarating voices in speculative fiction.
• 
  Adriennelee

  2.5 stars
  
  After campaigning for seven years to have his conviction for murdering her mother overturned, Morgan's father is released from prison during the height of pandemic lockdown. Hoping to mend what remains of their fractured family, as well as help her dad heal from the emotional and physical toll of prison, and also because of the financial stability she has exhausted due to legal fees, Morgan has sold the family home and the pair relocate to a small village on the Cornish coast. There, they take up the position of caretakers of a folly with a tragic history. More importantly, they will act as guards against the "death tourists" who seek out the folly due to its infamous reputation. But the arrival of a stranger on their very first night soon has them reckoning with their own dark family history instead.
  
  Doesn't that all sound great? I thought so, and I had particularly high hopes as the author of the tale is Gemma Amor, whose work I discovered last year. I've loved everything I've read by her up to this point, but The Folly was a big disappointment. I'm not even sure I can put into words why this book didn't work. It's very strange and disjointed, and not in a good way. It almost read like Amor wrote a framing story for a book with some filler thrown in, but never got around to making it coherent and complete.
  
  There were some glimpses of the writing I've come to know and love from the author. For example, after a glass shatters on the floor: I thought again how strange it was that gravity had such a heavy pull here. Everything seemed to want to return to the earth, at speed, to destroy itself. Crockery. People. And a couple of the scenes with the stranger were effectively chilling. But the whole book failed to pull itself together and the end was so unsatisfying, I knocked off another half star. Morgan also reads, in relation to her parents and with some of the reveals at the end that work to resolve the plot, like she should be much, much younger than 43. She's an unreliable narrator, and that's a trope I sometimes really enjoy, but in The Folly it just made a mess of a story seem more uneven.
  
  I won't take The Folly as representative of Amor's work, and it would be a shame if this is anyone's first exposure, so I really can't recommend this one. Read Dear Laura or the short story collection Cruel Works of Nature instead.
• 
  Sadie Hartmann

  Some genuinely creepy scenes, murder mystery (like The Staircase) coastal vibes, and family secrets. Review soon!!
• 
  Jamedi

  Review originally on
  JamReads
  
  The Folly is an excellent coastal horror novella, which explores themes such as grief, identity and isolation, written by Gemma Amor. Morgan's father was accused of killing her mother, but she was always sure of his innocency; after passing the last seven years campaigning for his release, he's released, and after selling the old family house, they come to live as the caretakers of a coastal light-house style tower in Cornwall.
  
  Soon, the isolation that Morgan lived during the years of the imprisonment is substituted by the isolation that is tied to their new position; at least now she has her father as partner. However, the apparition of a mysterious man spouting what seems to be non-sense, but which deeply affects Morgan, shaking the foundations of the relationship with his father, that confidence in the lack of culpability on her mother's death; being him the only possible company in this remote setting, cracks will start to appear while the past of Morgan's parents is uncovered.
  
  With a voice that touches the poetic many times, Amor maximizes the use of the isolation to weave a story that drinks from many Gothic elements, slowly drawing the horror to the setting, never being excessive or too oppressive. It gives some chills, a sort of enjoyable tension that works marvels for the situation.
  Themes as the effect of isolation in the minds and how identity is shaken when the foundations of said identity disappear are explored through the characters masterfully.
  
  The Folly is an excellent modern Gothic horror novella, another proof of Amor's writing skills; perfect to read on a chilly night, and that I recommend to anybody that loves the genre.
• 
  thevampireslibrary

  Gemma why did you write this? *because it's iconic, and I love to do iconic shit* this read like an ITV drama on steroids, I loved this mysterious coastal gothic horror, the writing was almost poetic at times and the entire book had an air of gloom, the horror is subtle but you can feel the creeping dread bubbling under the surface and the tension Amor weaves throughout is palpable, themes of isolation, grief and identity are explored, if you enjoy mystery/horror surrounding family secrets/drama and gloriously rich dark gothic prose and atmosphere then this is the book for you!
• 
  Yolanda Sfetsos

  I was lucky enough to get an eARC copy of this novella and couldn't wait to get stuck into it.
  
  After being convicted for the murder of his wife, Morgan's father spent six years in jail. Now that he's been released, she's determined to help him get back into the swing of life outside of prison. It starts with selling their tainted house and heading to the coast to stay in The Folly. A place in a lovely but harsh setting that hopefully helps heal past wounds. But strange things happen almost instantly, and Morgan has to face a reality she's been trying very hard to avoid...
  
  Wow. What an intriguing novella!
  
  I was hooked on this story straight away. Morgan's tragic situation dragged me in as quickly as the strength of her voice. It doesn't take long to realise that although she shares so much, she's obviously holding back certain details. And I couldn't stop reading.
  
  When the weird and super creepy stuff hit, I was riveted. Totally hooked on the events that turned everything upside down. Suddenly, nothing seemed normal anymore, or remotely okay, and I shared Morgan's confusion and suspicion.
  
  This is the kind of tale that grips the reader so tightly, it refuses to let go. I wanted to speed through, to get to the nitty-gritty of the mystery at the heart of everything. At the same time, I wanted to take my time because I didn't want it to end.
  
  I think the pacing is as perfect as the ominous shadow that seems to follow Morgan and Owen. No matter what's happening, the dread is always there, dripping from every page.
  
  Another beautiful thing about this novella is the location. This coastal structure Morgan and her father are staying in seems to have a life of its own, is as cruel as the ocean always ready to steal away careless souls. Not to mention how well the pandemic fits in with everything that's going on.
  
  The Folly is an amazing story that delves deep into the effects of close familial ties after a horrifying tragedy. It's about how the past is never really gone, and shows that secrets have a way of festering. Until one day, everyone has to face their greatest fears.
  
  I really loved everything about this tale, and the ending was unexpected. In the best way possible.
  
• 
  Anna Dupre

  I’ve read 2 stories from Gemma Amor, the 1st being about the horror of suburban living featuring 13 ft. skeletons (that story is so much fun, it’s called The Hooper Street Halloween Decoration Committee and can be found in the October Screams Halloween anthology). The 2nd is The Folly, a Gothic story about a woman, Morgan, who moves with her father, Owen, to a remote seaside abode following his release from prison. Based on these two stories alone, I’ll be purchasing all of Gemma’s other works.
  
  The Folly is equally terrifying and brilliant. Since high school (when I wrote a paper on how fear in isolation leads to madness a la The Shining) I have been obsessed with secluded horror. The idea that the lines of reality are hastily blurred when removed from conventional forms of connection is something so fascinating and something that Amor writes so well. The physical setting of the Folly and the time period, the time of the pandemic, serve to establish strong lines of isolation from the start. Morgan and Owen’s relationship is obviously strained given Owen was once convicted for the death of Morgan’s mother, his wife. While Morgan has always supported his innocence, his release and their time shared begins to show some fissures in this trust. It’s only when they begin to live in the Folly that things are amplified, especially upon the arrival of a peculiar stranger. This interloper is terrifying, not for any obvious reason based on appearance but rather his actions and words. There’s something so frightening about personal horror, horror that can only be fully grasped by understanding the small details that are innate to a person.
  
  More than anything this book is so clever. The plot is based on ideas of isolation and separation, yet, as soon as I finished reading, I immediately wanted to get in touch with someone to discuss what the hell just happened. The Folly is a dark, twisty Gothic tale that toys with ideas of perception, connection, and hauntings. I didn’t even get to discuss the use of gravity in this caption, but my full review goes into much more detail (links in my story and bio). If you like twisty, you have to read this.
• 
  Heidi

  A father / daughter relationship with a twist. A creepy old house on the coast where they move to in order to begin again after an incarceration.
  
  "A decorative, brooding, and yet wholly frivolous endeavor, the Folly was a tall black granite tower with distinct crenellations capping the roof."
  "A home did not always need to be bathed in sun to be a good place to live."
  
  Grief, pandemic, and a family mystery.
  
  My reading experience was that I really wished this story had more depth. To me, it touched only the surface on some parts and other parts went too deep.
  
  I enjoyed it, and it definitely kept my interest. A mystery that is light with a couple creepy parts.
• 
  Madison Butler

  I had to DNF this halfway through. This entire story is basically just one woman’s interior monologue and I honestly didn’t need a constant remind about how someone killed a bird in the first part of the book. Not worth it.
• 
  Lel

  I received a free E copy of this from the author after having such a reaction to their last book ‘Full Immersion’ (which if you haven’t read, you really should).
  The Folly follows a Father and Daughter after the father is released from prison after being accused of killing his wife. The pair move to start a brand new live but the past will not leave them alone.
  I read this book in two sittings as I could not put it down. The sense of tension and horror that the author manages to wield in her writing is amazing to me. The depiction of the stormy Cornish cliffs was the perfect back drop to this tense story and only goes on to cement the author as one of my automatic bits.
• 
  Milt Theo

  4.5 stars rounded to 5. Gemma Amor's 'The Folly' has strong epistolary vibes, though it's not at all that kind of book. It does feel like you're reading the main character's diary, or watching a documentary of her life she's the principal commentator on. And what a life it is. The plot takes many turns, perhaps too many for a novella, but the setting, the dialogue, and the writing make up for it. Otherwise it might not be as compelling or as convincing as it actually is. 'The Folly' is set towards the end of the UK lockdown due to the pandemic. It's about a 43-year-old woman, whose father has been exonerated for the murder of her mother; upon his early release from prison, however, he's forced to move, along with his daughter, whose idea the moving is, from Bristol to a tower in Cornwall. The remote seaside building is described very thoroughly, in step with the descriptions of the daughter's love for her father. In fact, both the building and the love have a major role to play, when there crops up out of nowhere an unknown man who's acting very strangely, invading their personal space both figurately and literally. There's a nice Gothic atmosphere throughout the story that goes very well with the enforced isolation of the pandemic. However, once the second part is reached, it all unravels very fast, both because people do not really respect the lockdown and the stranger is coming and going in the tower as he likes. So this is not a story about isolation per se; it mostly has to do with ambiguity: of love, of origins, of self-understanding, of family. The ending is quite dense, perhaps the novella was originally meant as a novel, but it satisfies and provides much needed closure. Still, some ambiguity remains even then. The portrayal of Corfu was very well done. Overall, an engrossing read, if you can handle the ambiguity.
• 
  Grace DiChristina

  I was so pleasantly surprised at how creepy this was !!!!!!
• 
  Aaron Lindsey

  A haunting ghost story and a scary mystery blended in Gemma Amor's beautiful style.
  Easily read in one afternoon.
• 
  Laura

  "It had not mattered that I was a strong swimmer and had always been. None of that mattered if the sea decided to swallow you whole."
  
  I do love a gothic novel, and this one fit the bill! Creepy setting, mysterious characters, thrills and chills, and an unsettling ending. Enjoyed it!
• 
  Melanie

  1.5 rounded down
  
  So glad it’s over. It felt like a disjointed mess. Started off okay, intriguing enough to want to know what happens. Then it takes a detour with its overwritten prose, seemingly endless inner monologue, rushed ending, never-getting-to-the-point having ass under the guise of horror and ghosts or some shit. Then in the end, I still don’t know what happened. Is Morgan just a mentally ill woman? What the hell was the point of anything.
  
  I think two stars is way too generous. I’m just glad this mess is over.
• 
  Lisa Marie

  OK, so this book was great there were some super creepy scenes that kept me so intrigued the story was creepy and then all of a sudden at the end of the book I was so confused I almost felt like I missed a chapter or some thing. The author really let me down with the ending of this one. It could’ve gone so many other ways that were more interesting than the way it ended.
• 
  Isabella

  Reasonably entertaining for how short it was, but I didn't particularly care for any of the characters, which made the entire story feel a little detached, ruining that sense of foreboding and eerie suspense that this otherwise could have held.
• 
  Melissatober

  The Folly review
  
  I loved this book; it’s like a murder mystery and supernatural ghost story, but not relying heavily on either because it is truly about family and how we care for each other. I received an e-ARC from the author.
  
  Gemma’s characters are all flawed and sympathetic, that even with unreliable narratives, I believed that the protagonist may actually see/hear/feel the ghosts of her family, though in the end I wondered if perhaps she may experience psychosis. She has plenty reason to… however, the ending was such that I am ok with not knowing, it’s an imperfectly tied bow, a lovely rare treat when most books leave too much open where I am disappointed in the outcome. Not with this one!
• 
  Marguerite Turley

  This was a beautiful, gothic, slow burn of a story! I couldn’t put it down until the big reveal, and some great little twists along the way. Gemma Amor has an amazing way with words and she pulled me so much I felt like I was there watching Morgan and her father deal with the folly. I could see the beach and smell the salt air. This is a not miss if you love good gothic horror!!
• 
  Kelly Jane Motamed

  Dnf@50%
  Such a boring and weird book, could not get into or force myself to finish it even though it was only about 140 pages
• 
  The Sassy Bookworm

  Book Review: The Folly by Gemma Amor
  
  ⭐⭐⭐ Stars
  
  Summary: Morgan has spent the past six years campaigning for her father's release from prison, convinced of his innocence in her mother's murder. When her father is finally set free, they are forced to leave their home, which holds painful memories. Salvation comes in the form of an alluring offer to live in a mysterious granite tower known as "The Folly." Initially idyllic, Morgan's newfound sanctuary takes a dark turn when a stranger arrives, resembling her deceased mother and wearing her clothes. This stranger's motives remain shrouded in mystery - are they seeking vengeance, connected to Morgan's mother's restless spirit, or simply deranged? Unfolding against a lonely Cornish backdrop, The Folly draws inspiration from The Lighthouse and Du Maurier's Rebecca, exploring themes of family drama and betrayal.
  
  Review: The Folly excels in creating an immersive and atmospheric setting that transports readers to the hauntingly beautiful Cornish coastline. Amor's descriptive prose brings the granite tower to life, with its eerie ambiance and secrets waiting to be unraveled. The gothic elements are masterfully executed, adding a layer of intrigue to the narrative and evoking a sense of unease that keeps readers engaged throughout.
  
  However, where The Folly falls slightly short is in its plot development. The story feels rushed at times, leaving readers craving a deeper exploration of the characters and their motivations. With a longer book length, Amor could have further fleshed out the intricate relationships and provided more nuanced insights into the characters' psyches. This would have added depth to the mystery and allowed readers to connect on a more emotional level.
  
  That being said, The Folly remains an enjoyable and quick read. Despite its brevity, Amor manages to create well-rounded characters who elicit empathy and curiosity. Morgan's unwavering belief in her father's innocence and her desperate search for answers are relatable and keep the reader invested in her journey.
  
  In conclusion, The Folly by Gemma Amor is an atmospheric gothic mystery that captivates with its haunting setting and dark examination of love, guilt, and betrayal. While the plot may have benefited from further development, it remains an enjoyable read for those seeking a quick escape into a world of mystery and intrigue.
  
  ⚠️This review was written based on personal opinions and experiences with the book. Individual preferences may vary⚠️
• 
  Josh

  For almost the first half of Gemma Amor’s new novel, I was convinced that it was not a horror novel at all, but rather a a dark psychological study of a family in crisis, dealing with deep trauma, using its environment to focus that trauma and reflect it back. The Folly does all of those things, and it does them with shocking efficiency both of language and plot, but it is also very much a horror novel, and when the turn comes, it’s a kind of quiet masterclass in the uncanny.
  
  Morgan picks up her dad from prison, where they have just successfully overturned his murder conviction. He’s spent the last six years incarcerated for the alleged killing of Morgan’s mother, supposedly having pushed her down the stairs. Morgan never believed this and has worked tirelessly to free him, and it hasn’t come cheap.
  
  Due to these financial considerations, as well as the fact that Dad is now an infamous quasi-celebrity in their hometown, Morgan moves them both out to the Folly, a tower on the Cornish coast that needs a caretaker to keep squatters from damaging it, but mostly to keep obsessives from climbing the tower and throwing themselves off. The Folly, it seems, has a complicated history of its own.
  
  The setting does a great deal of work here, obviously. A gothic structure overlooking the sea, its inner walls circled by a cast iron staircase, isolated from any kind of community, it is the perfect location for Morgan and her father to finally get to the bottom of what happened that night and what it all means.
  
  But the location isn’t the only tool in Amor’s arsenal. Soon, a strange man arrives, speaking in Morgan’s dead mother’s voice, wearing her mother’s apron, repeating the same message over and over.
  
  These repeated scenes of haunting/invasion operate both as a kind of Freudian return of the repressed and as an almost Greek drive toward Morgan’s eventual recognition scene. They are harrowing, uncanny, and genuinely eery, and her father’s transformation in this new location is equally frightening.
  
  Eventually, the plot comes around in a shape not unlike a Greek tragedy. A full-circle revelation that is so satisfying as to seem inevitable. This perfect shape might make the story’s coda a little disappointing, or at least a little unnecessary, but nothing can detract from the assured gothic psychodrama that is The Folly.
• 
  Books, Booze, and Horror Reviews

  I was lucky enough to get an advanced copy of this e-book, and I knew as soon as I cracked it open that I would be hooked.
  
  Our long-suffering protagonist Morgan has worked and sacrificed for years to advocate her father's release from prison. She knows he has been wrongly convicted for her mother's terrible death. Finally successful, Morgan is ready to start a new chapter with him back in her life, and try to move on from her trauma. In an attempt to leave the ugliness behind and escape the prying eyes of the media, she decides to move them out of their home and into a large, lonely tower in Cornwall called The Folly to work as caretakers. Unfortunately for them, The Folly has a dark history. Moving forward is impossible when you're plagued by ghosts from the past.
  
  This is beautiful, haunting, and atmospheric, and I've come to expect nothing less from the talented Gemma Amor. It's a slow burn with palpable tension, mystery, and dread. I could not put it down. Morgan's pain, confusion, and exhaustion comes through in every page, turning a simple dark mystery into a an emotional investment.
  
  ***SPOILER (kind of).....
  
  While I wasn't sure how to feel once I closed the book, there was no question that it haunted me and had me flipping back through pages for answers. I didn't know what to make of Morgan or the world around her, and I imagine that was the point. It can be a bit off putting for those of us who like things tied in a neat little bow, but in the end there's nothing neat about grief, trauma, or madness.
  
  ***END SPOILER
  
  
  This story actually hit me on a more personal level as it deals with loss, and a loving yet troubled relationship between a father and daughter. The imagery is gorgeous, and serves and a perfect backdrop for the spine-chilling events that unfold. I highly recommend it for lovers of Gothic horror, mystery, and the paranormal.
• 
  A.D. Jones

  I found this to be a perfect blend of lonely, isolated survival, perplexing mystery visitors and questioning the past. A tale of very few characters and an uncomfortable remote setting.
  I love Amor’s writing and it sounds bizarre but the pandemic setting really helped immerse me into this one. I absolutely blasted through this book and was excited to find out more about what the hell was going on.
  
  Something I also love about Amor’s writing is how very different each of her books actually feel, in both style and content. Clearly the same author, but really tapping into different vibes for each book.
  I did want a little bit more from the end of this one as it felt like the conclusion happened very fast, but that didn’t detract from the overall read.
• 
  Rebecca White

  When I first finished this one, I wasn't exactly sure how I felt about it.
  It was one of those reads that needs to digest a bit before you can really form an opinion.
  
  I quite enjoyed the beginning and absolutely devoured the chapters when they arrived at the Folly. I have a soft spot in my heart for the ocean so even though it was macabre, I could see myself living in the Folly.
  
  I loved the gothic setting and there was a few times throughout that I was genuinely creeped out. For me, the true horror of this one is more of a mental state.
  
  Although the ending was obvious to me, it didn't take away from Amor's storytelling.
• 
  Jendia Gammon

  Having received an eARC of THE FOLLY by Gemma Amor, I was eager to start and I went in cold…didn’t even read the description. This made the book even more deliciously spooky. The Folly is the tower structure seen on the cover, yet also refers to the other meaning for the word.
  This unsettling and fast read is best left unspoiled so that the mystery and the gothic elements can seep into you when you least expect it. Full of denial, terror, secrets, and desperate acts of love, THE FOLLY is a triumph.
• 
  Janet Martin

  A short spooky gothic set in a tower on the Cornish coast. There's some coincidence going on, but overall, the plot holds together well. Good use of setting, and well paced action keeps moving things along. Although backstory is important, it never bogs down. Emma Powell's performance is terrific. Probably better than a 4 star listen.