Home Sick
By Rhiannon Grist
- Home Sick
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Author: Rhiannon Grist
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Publisher: Solaris
- ISBN: 9781837867646
- Published: July 2026
- Pages: 348
- Format reviewed: Paperback
- Review date: 07/08/2026
- Language: English
For many the idea of moving to the county is a dream, the ability to slow down and learn to live better in the natural world. For others like Tamsin it is an escape, an escape from the city in which she felt alone, escape from the company she worked for after the recent incident that has seen her go freelance. There is plenty to see and do in the country if you are an outgoing person, Tasmin is not that person, but she is the perfect target for the type of Fae folk that live in the hills.
Tasmin bought the rural cottage site unseen. This was her first mistake. Not understanding that it was a semi-detached was the second. Trying to get to know her strange new neighbour the third. With no food, bed or heating to her name Tasmin walks to the nearest village only to be told that the cottage that she has moved to has a strange history. Her fourth mistake was not believing the locals quick enough.
I am no fan of Fae magic in books as it is often impish and confusing, the rules of the fairy folk are so mischievous that they can undermine a book with one piece of magic. Home Sick by Rhiannon Grist is not that book. The magic in this book feels like it has traditional Fae origins, that olde British magic of kidnapped babies, changelings and pig hearts hidden in the walls. Rather than going full mystical, the book takes a steadier and darker tone, reminiscent of a Get Out.
Grist achieves this by focusing strongly on the one character, Tasmin. She is not the most sympathetic protagonist; needy, always feeling sorry for herself and an overthinker. This is deliberate on the part of Grist and is an integral part of the story. What makes up a person? Are there two sides to all of us the good and the bad, the light and the shadow. Home Sick explores Tasmin’s time in the village, but also her past.
I like the village feel that Grist was able to create in this book. It had a genuine feel to it, of being in a small Scottish hamlet, of some locals being welcoming, other not so much, and more than their fair share of eccentrics. The book uses this eccentric quality to lead the reader through the story; you are never sure what is real and what is in Tasmin’s mind.
Tasmin is the crux of the story, not only do we follow her through the story, but she is also the story. This is a story about what makes up Tasmin and as she unravels, so does the world around her. I liked the fact that the locals seem to take most of the oddness in their stride. As off as that may sound, it had a genuine feel to, it is remarkable what people will ignore to keep their own peace.
Home Sick is a dark, psychological horror that leans into the uncanny and not the Fae magic that it could have. I think this is to its benefit, Grist is able to use all the trappings of classic Fae stories, but give them a weird, dark feel that makes the book more horror than urban fantasy. This is a book that will appeal to fans of Folk Horror, a modern tale that has that 70s vibe to it.
Written on 7th August 2026 by Sam Tyler .
Topics and themes
Key Tropes
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