Customer Reviews

Hunger (Kindle Single)

Reading a Susan Hill book is like spending Halloween night alone. More than likely, nothing too terrible will happen, but that doesn't stop you from having every hackle raised in anticipation of that 'Boo!' moment.
I love the way she creates the unlikeable characters of husband and mother-in-law and turns the 'trespassers' into ones that attract sympathy and fondness. I know this is meant to be a novella but I would have loved it to have gone on into a full length novel - the potential for hair-raising events is definitely there!

This short story has great attmosphere and was written in Susan fabulous style but I thought the ending was pants, it just stopped rather like she had forgotten to write the last chapter

took a bit to understand and get into at first but a good read once into book. would recommend to a reader of the occult.

I enjoy Susan Hill's writing and love the settings and the tense atmosphere that she creates in some of her stories. The atmospheric setting is present in this short book, but I felt the plot would have been better if it had the chance to develop more. I was enjoying the story and wanted it to continue, but then it quickly concludes in a slightly unsatisfactory way. I was left wanting more!

Having read and loved some of Susan Hill's previous books, this short story was a bit of a let down

Of all of the Kindle Singles by Susan Hill which I have read recently, this one is by far my favourite. It doesn't have a supernatural twist, isn't narrated by some fusty old professor in front of his fire, but has a clear and original narrative voice and tells a story which feels a bit creepy even if there are no ghosts in it. It is a very short story and I do wonder whether it is worth 99 pence - and you can't get much for 99 pence these days - but there really isn't much to this. Also, despite the story being lovely, it still isn't perfect - there's a moment at the start where the heroine states that she is looking for Nurofen because she has period pain and backache. She doesn't find it and her husband is hurrying her out for a walk. However, later, whilst out for the walk, the heroine states: "The Nurofen had begun to wear off." I'm not surprised it's begun to wear off - that will happen if you don't take it in the first place. It also ends quite suddenly. If this was a bit cheaper on Kindle, I'd be wholeheartedly recommending it - as it is, despite it being a lovely story, I really didn't feel that it was worth the price.

The quality of Susan hill's writing is perfect in this short story. I was immediately and completely I transported to the cottage in the country where Paula and Adrian have relocated from the city. Adrain is boyishly enthusiastic about their new life, Paula more reticent, but it soon becomes clear that the couple's differences go much further and the gap is ever widening. Weaving through the personal drama is the presence of the 'hungry' children, shy at first, then increasingly bold.
There is no real ending or explanation and that, for me, was a shame. There seemed to me to be great potential for a much fuller story or novel and the scope for a more satisfying ending but there is no denying the superb writing.

Short but captivating.Susan Hill worked her magic again and created a story that held my attention to the end. Brilliant.

I did not enjoy this book at all. I am sorry but I found it a bit weird. Did not know if it was supposed to be a supernatural thing or not. Not for me!!

Much too short to allow the themes to properly develop and I was frustrated when the story ended so quickly with so much potential left unexplored. The plot concentrates on the life of a woman who feels she's in the wrong place at the wrong time and, maybe, with the wrong man. She's basically re-evaluating her relationship with her husband. I've no idea why anyone suggested 'Hunger' for the title as it's quite irrelevant. She's not hungering for anything in particular, just questioning where her life is taking her and looking at where she's been. That's about it. Nothing much happens and it's all quite introspective and slow.

As with every story from this author the quality of writing is superb and she sets a great scene for her characters. I can honestly say I found Hunger an OK read though it's certainly not gripping or spellbinding like some of her other work.