290 – Liam Higginson & Awful Things in Lonely Farmhouses

2026-08-11

Download

Finally, we dare venture to the darkest land of all. Wales! After years of avoiding the terror of the Valleys, Liam Higginson takes us to The Hill in the Dark Grove – his debut novel of isolation, folk-memory, and things unearthed from the soil of a mountain farm. We talk about the link between folklore and nationalism, about marriage and madness (not linked) and why it’s always men who go barmy in these situations. This is up there with my favourite books of the year. Enjoy! Other books mentioned: The Shining

Finally, we dare venture to the darkest land of all. Wales!

After years of avoiding the terror of the Valleys, Liam Higginson takes us to The Hill in the Dark Grove – his debut novel of isolation, folk-memory, and things unearthed from the soil of a mountain farm.

We talk about the link between folklore and nationalism, about marriage and madness (not linked) and why it’s always men who go barmy in these situations.

This is up there with my favourite books of the year.

Enjoy!

Other books mentioned:

The Shining (1977), by Stephen King
Incidents Around the House (2024), by Josh Malerman
The Salt King (2026), by Natasha Pulley
Small Gods (1992), by Terry Pratchett
Meet Me at the Surface (2024), by Jodie Matthews
Boss in the Wall: A Treatise on the House Devil (1998), by Avram Davison and Grania Davis
North Woods (2023), by Daniel Mason
Country People (2026), by Daniel Mason