Quaint Folk by Bitter Karella
Publication Date: October 6th, 2026
Run For It
352 pages. Hardcover.
About Quaint Folk:
"'Quaint Folk is a sharply satirical queer folk horror novel that peels back the idyllic veneer of a seemingly perfect island town to reveal the rot beneath, from Bram Stoker and Shirley Jackson Award-nominated author Bitter Karella.
"The folk horror I always wanted: queer, funny, bloody, and outrageous in the best way." ―Laura Cranehill, author of Wife Shaped Bodies
From the outside, it looks like Jessica has the perfect life. She's a stay-at-home mom, married to a man with a respectable job, raising a son they adore. Her family is as wholesome as all-American pie. But deep down, Jessica knows there's something wrong with her; she knows she can't escape her past.
When her husband’s job has them move abroad, Jessica thinks this is her chance for a fresh start. On the remote island of Hasenhurst, the modern world can’t get in. The people there grow their own herbs, make their own jam, and mind their own business. They believe in folk tales and the power of dreams. They tell visitors, we’re a quaint, quiet people.The right sort of family would do well here.
Jessica is determined to be the right kind of person for a family―and a life―like this. But as she tries to befriend the townsfolk and learn their ways, she soon realizes that beneath the town’s cozy idyll, something sickly-sweet and rotten lays buried ..."
"The folk horror I always wanted: queer, funny, bloody, and outrageous in the best way." ―Laura Cranehill, author of Wife Shaped Bodies
From the outside, it looks like Jessica has the perfect life. She's a stay-at-home mom, married to a man with a respectable job, raising a son they adore. Her family is as wholesome as all-American pie. But deep down, Jessica knows there's something wrong with her; she knows she can't escape her past.
When her husband’s job has them move abroad, Jessica thinks this is her chance for a fresh start. On the remote island of Hasenhurst, the modern world can’t get in. The people there grow their own herbs, make their own jam, and mind their own business. They believe in folk tales and the power of dreams. They tell visitors, we’re a quaint, quiet people.The right sort of family would do well here.
Jessica is determined to be the right kind of person for a family―and a life―like this. But as she tries to befriend the townsfolk and learn their ways, she soon realizes that beneath the town’s cozy idyll, something sickly-sweet and rotten lays buried ..."
I really loved Karella's Moonflow when I read it last year, so I was extremely pleased when Quaint Folk was announced and I was fortunate enough to receive a copy. This is just as delightfully weird as I would expect from the author of Moonflow (and I did notice a quick nod towards the King's Breakfast in this one...), and the satire is bitingly evident throughout.
Let's set the scene a bit here first: Jessica, her husband (Greg), and their child (Sandy) are off to the island of Hasenhurst--a remote British island--for the summer, as Greg's job at Ungo.com is sending him there for some manner of task or another (something in the tech field, perhaps? Jessica isn't entirely sure, and frankly neither am I, but it hardly matters). Hasenhurst appears to be a very cute, off the grid island that lacks Wi-Fi and almost appears to be like it's pulled right out of a children's storybook a la Beatrix Potter (or, in this case, Hollyoak). When the family arrives in Hasenhurst, the entire village is preparing for the upcoming Tigglestide festival, which feels mildly reminiscent of Christmas in the sense that there is a large cultural figure, known as Round Robin, who comes around and essentially ensures everyone has been acting right and embodies the town culture of being the "right sort of person." I feel like you can probably get an idea of where things might get a little... weird... in this story.
The premise of this might sound generally familiar: a family ends up in a perfect, quaint little village that seems perfect and delightful and lovely, but they realize that that is not quite the case. Quaint Folk does this a little differently, though, and that's where this book feels like it is set apart from others.
We largely follow Jessica and Sandy's perspectives, neither of whom are overly endearing, but both are very human in their own ways and have something very understandable about them that draws the reader in to their stories. They definitely are way some of the satire feels strongest in this book (among many other areas), and everything I'm saying about them seems to be considered in relation to that idea. Jessica initially appears relatable, but soon there were some cracks that started to show and made me question more things about her and her relationship with Sandy. Sandy, meanwhile, is trying to explore their identity and cement their place in the world while also struggling with parents--not abnormal for a teenager, of course. Jessica seems understanding on the surface and supportive of Sandy's they/them pronouns, but it quickly becomes clear that there's something lacking in that support. At the same time, we learn more and more about Jessica's past that adds even more depth to this entire story. No one is straightforward here, and I think that's what made their relationship and dynamic so intriguing to explore. I like that Karella's characters really have a lot of layers to them, much as we as real humans have many layers that make it hard to always know exactly what's underneath.
None of the characters ever felt truly grounded in reality, and I think that really lent itself to an overall dreamlike state that really permeated the atmosphere of this book. All of the characters here seemed to have very strong, distinct personalities, which almost gave everyone a larger than life feel. I think it's largely the characters' actions that make this book feel slightly odd, but the setting of Hasenhurst--which is its own sort of character--is largely what makes this village community feel as though it exists in a world of its own (which, in many ways, it does). It is certainly not somewhere that I think I'd like to visit.
There is a constant sense of things being not quite right in this book, but I wouldn't say that it's an overly pervasive or horrifyingly haunting manner that you might find in other similar books. It was just... an underlying tension. You could almost miss sit if you weren't paying attention, but it was definitely present. It was readily apparently that just underneath what people were saying wasn't quite as positive or idyllic as it seemed, even if those people sincerely believed it was. And it's not necessarily that everyone is inherently sinister, but it's rather what's normal for them, which I think makes it even more unsettling. I constantly felt like I wasn't sure entirely what I was reading or what to expect, and it was honestly a bit of a mixed bag on how I felt. At times, I wasn't sure if I really was enjoying any of the characters or anything enough to keep reading, but something about the writing and where Karella would leave hints really intrigued me enough to keep exploring. It's a little folktale-y, which very much fits the vibe.
There are quite a few ideas surrounding identity, gender, gender roles, escapism, community, and tradition that are explored throughout the book, and of course a close look at what might make someone the "right sort of person." Hasenhurst appears to offer this idyllic escape from the modern world, complete with a strong sense of community and tradition, but that idyllic image also comes with expectations about how people should behave and what roles they should occupy, and that's often where things start to get dicey. This is especially interesting when considering Sandy's exploration of their identity and Jessica's own complicated history. It felt as though there was a large tension throughout the story about finding what you want and where you belong, and where changing or suppressing yourself comes into play to find that place where you belong.
I also think there's something interesting here about escapism and how we often romanticize places like Hasenshurst--a place that feels simpler and pleasant. Quaint Folk really pulls back that curtain to see what's really in that idea of tradition and "quaintness" and just how restrictive those things often end up being...
I'll be honest that I'm still left wondering a bit about the ending and what exactly to take away from this book. I think I quite liked the ending, although I would have been fine with a few different routes it could have taken as well. In some ways, I think being left slightly puzzled feels rather appropriate for a book that kept me wondering the entire time, anyway. If you're up for an interesting time, then be sure to check out Quaint Folk!
*I received a copy of Quaint Folk courtesy of the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This has no effect on my rating or enjoyment.*
Buy the book: Amazon | Bookshop.org
