Hunger

by Susan Hill

When Adrian and Paula move to a cottage in the countryside, they don't know what to expect. At first, Adrian finds their new life idyllic, and insists on lots of long walks and fresh air, while Paula finds rural life lonely and dull.

Then some small and oddly silent children start showing up -- in the woods, the garden, and eventually inside the house itself. Their presence proves disturbing to Adrian, who is having second thoughts about the move they've made. It's Paula now who seems more at home with country life, and Paula who starts to take a peculiar comfort from the mysterious new arrivals.

Hunger is a haunting account of a marriage unsettled by a move -- from a master of psychological suspense.

Genres: Horror, Short Stories, Fiction, Ebooks, Contemporary, Mystery, Thriller

33 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 10, 2013

About the author

Susan Hill was born in Scarborough, North Yorkshire in 1942. Her hometown was later referred to in her novel A Change for the Better (1969) and some short stories especially "Cockles and Mussels".

She attended Scarborough Convent School, where she became interested in theatre and literature. Her family left Scarborough in 1958 and moved to Coventry where her father worked in car and aircraft factories. Hill states that she attended a girls’ grammar school, Barr's Hill. Her fellow pupils included Jennifer Page, the first Chief Executive of the Millennium Dome. At Barrs Hill she took A levels in English, French, History and Latin, proceeding to an English degree at King's College London. By this time she had already written her first novel, The Enclosure which was published by Hutchinson in her first year at university. The novel was criticised by The Daily Mail for its sexual content, with the suggestion that writing in this style was unsuitable for a "schoolgirl".

Her next novel Gentleman and Ladies was published in 1968. This was followed in quick succession by A Change for the Better, I'm the King of the Castle, The Albatross and other stories, Strange Meeting, The Bird of Night, A Bit of Singing and Dancing and In the Springtime of Year, all written and published between 1968 and 1974.

In 1975 she married Shakespeare scholar Stanley Wells and they moved to Stratford upon Avon. Their first daughter, Jessica, was born in 1977 and their second daughter, Clemency, was born in 1985. Hill has recently founded her own publishing company, Long Barn Books, which has published one work of fiction per year.

Librarian's Note: There is more than one author by this name.

Reviews

[Nandakishore Mridula · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have not read anything by Susan Hill before I approached this. Work is slack, and I needed some diversion from a stressful contractual issue at the office: so as usual, I approached GR and discovered this miniscule novella.

I have heard of Susan Hill as a writer of atmospheric horror stories (the most famous being The Woman in Black), so I was expecting something along the lines of Stephen King's Children of the Corn, from the blurb. So it was a surprise, not altogether unpleasant, to find that there is no touch of the supernatural.

Paula, an introverted painter moves to the country at the insistence of her unimaginative husband Adrian: soon, Adrian is fed up with his daily commute while Paula starts enjoying the countryside more and more, virtually blending with it. The silent, permanently hungry and possibly feral children who steal from her bird-feeder and then from her kitchen, seems to represent the spirit of the English woodland. While Adrian is outraged, Paula slowly comes to accept them, and the story draws to its inconclusive end.

Even though everything in the tale is open to a rational explanation, the subtext with its subtle metaphors is there for the readers whose psyche is attuned to such readings. Chance is that if you approach this story conventionally, you will be frustrated. But if you believe that the things left unsaid are more important than the ones explicitly stated, you will like it.

[Dean · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved it!!!

This is one of the best short-stories I've ever read!!!
Susan Hill has captured the spirit of the countryside, the weather, the animals, the freedom, quiet and peace..
A cottage surrounded by nature..

A young couple move from the city to the countryside, they discover the truth about themselves!!
A bunch of hungry children as the face and content of this lonesome and magic place!!!

Irresistible and hunting!!!

Beautiful and captivating!!!
I wish that I could write better reviews friends..

A quick reading experience, but nevertheless a rewarding one..
If you -like me- are fond of short stories, then go for it!!

My full recommendation!!!

Dean;)

PS:
I want to read all written by Susan Hill..

[Blair · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'd had this Kindle Single for ages and had almost forgotten about it. I downloaded it onto my phone in the middle of a bout of insomnia, and didn't expect anything more from it than a quick read. In fact, I really enjoyed it: it wasn't what I'd expected. Accustomed to Hill's short stories being historical, ghostly tales, I was anticipating something spooky, particularly since the blurb mentions creepy children in the woods. But this is actually a more everyday story, with an element of psychological tension.

Paula, an illustrator, moves to a country cottage with her partner Adrian. It's his idea, which she goes along with reluctantly, fearing boredom and isolation. After they arrive, her worries are compounded when she keeps spotting a group of undernourished children who seem to be scavenging - and stealing - food. Why aren't they in school, and why are they so desperately hungry? This mystery is accompanied by a slow but significant shift in Paula and Adrian's attitudes towards their new home, which also makes Paula begin to realise what is truly important to her.

As this is such a short story, it lacks a neat resolution (judging by the reviews, many readers seem to have felt let down by the lack of a proper explanation about the children) but the characters are nevertheless very well-drawn and I quickly warmed to Paula. The repeated appearance of the children is arguably easy to explain rationally - but all the same, there's something wonderfully fairytale-ish about their presence, and I thought the ending struck just the right note, somewhere between realism and fable. You can imagine Paula's story becoming a local legend in time.

Despite my preference for ghost stories, and the brevity of this tale, I think this might be the best thing I've read by Susan Hill. While I love the atmosphere of her ghost stories, I often think they have rushed endings and/or lack satisfying explanations, whereas Hunger felt fully-formed, with a surprising amount of depth - and in this case, for me, the lack of a comprehensive explanation added to the intrigue rather than detracting from it.

[Sarah Dalton · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had decided to stop leaving reviews now I'm an author, but after reading some of the bad ones for this novella, I felt a strange protective urge to defend it.

It probably helps that I haven't read any of Susan Hill's books before, so I had no frame of reference, other than knowing of her by reputation as a fantastic horror writer.

I was expecting frightening child ghosts after reading the blurb, but rather than being disappointed with the lack of scares, I was pleasantly surprised by the subtlety and quiet unease in this atmospheric story.

It is short, yes, but any longer and it would lose its magic. As many writers will know, writing a short piece of fiction often takes longer than writing a novel. For that reason, it's excellent value.

Now, to the story itself. To me, it was a haunting story of a women struggling to find herself. I related to Paula. I saw her struggle with the decision to stay with Adrian and lead the life expected of her. The strange children seemed symbolic to me. She struggled with her lack of maternal instinct, and with her hunger to live a life of solitude.

This is a short novella that fills you with a sense of unease, but also draws you into the mind of an interesting character. It isn't horror, really. It's more of an atmospheric literary novella.

From now on I'll look to Susan Hill when I need inspiration for atmosphere and suspense. I'm looking forward to reading more of her work.

[Adrienne L · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a short story, so I'll keep it brief. I went in expecting a supernatural element based on the description and the cover. That's not what I got, but it's Susan Hill, so I still enjoyed the writing and the story (though not as much as I would have if it was supernatural, tbh), which is basically about a woman discovering her true self after a move to the country. Available on Kindle Unlimited.

[Kasia · Rating 1 out of 5]

Well this story was a piece of shit on a stick and a waste of a dollar, too bad I don't have a time machine to remove it from my existence.

[Amy (Other Amy) · Rating 4 out of 5]

On the second morning, she went for a walk alone, ambling along the track and across the field without any sense of direction or purpose. Adrian always had a purpose - to the east, to the west, to the woods, to the fields, to see a view, to reach the end of somewhere. Not having one made her feel peaceful.

PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT: THIS IS NOT A GHOST STORY. It is not a mystery. It is not any kind of horror or fantasy. Like most people (judging by the reviews), I picked up this Kindle Single by Susan Hill assuming it was something like that, given the author, but it is not. It is straight up contemporary fiction about two people figuring their lives out. (Some creepy children help with that, but there is a perfectly real world explanation for them that did not suggest anything more to this reader.)

This is not the type of story I normally go looking for, but having found it, I'm happy to have read it. This is very well written; Hill is a really excellent prose-smith. It is not quite as good as a piece like Ghosts and Empties, which I read earlier this year, but it is in that neighborhood, and that's a very good place for an author to be.

Now if she would just write a ghost story that hits the same level of plotting as this little piece did, we would be in business.

[Steph · Rating 1 out of 5]

I am not going to spend very long talking about ‘The Hunger’ partly because it was so brief itself and partly because it simply wasn’t worth my time. I bought it as a kindle edition from Amazon when it came up for the princely sum of 99p. I saw the name Susan Hill, who I think is a magnificent author and the absolute queen of the atmospheric and without looking into it much further, parted with my hard earned 99 pence.

When I came to read it on holiday (I was standing in a queue at Universal Studios at the time, which I admit is not the most conducive atmosphere to reading a kind of thriller, but I get so irritable waiting for any length of time I have to read), I was at first rather disappointed at its meagre 33 pages. I should at this stage also point out that the wait in the queue lasted longer than the book! However, by page 15, I was only too glad that I was already half way through. Essentially, Adrian and Paula move from the city to the country – they aren’t really sure why. Adrian is full of enthusiasm at first, but then realises that it was a silly move from a practical point of view as he still has to commute into London. Paula is apprehensive at first, but then realises that she enjoys the time alone and resents Adrian’s return. In the meantime, there are some peculiar children wandering around who might be ghosts, but are more likely gypsies and Paula tries to feed them. Yes I know it is all a bit silly. To be fair nothing much else happens.

On the plus side, you do get some of the usual Susan Hill atmosphere, but in 33 pages, there just isn’t enough time to generate that real gripping sense of fear for which she has such a talent. Moreover, a nice country cottage in the summer does not really lend itself to this kind of writing. My real problem with the short story – it really isn’t even a novella – was that I just didn’t care about the characters. If the gypsy children had returned and burnt them both in their beds that would have been fine by me. Adrian was an absolute pillock, who was far too jolly and mundane. Paula was a self-absorbed cow, who didn’t seem to do a lot apart from a bit of doodling. The whole thing was also unrealistic. SPOILER: When Adrian leaves at the end, he simply gets another house in about two weeks. Now anyone who has been through the warzone of house buying will know this is simply not possible even if he did have the money for a second property.

Anyway, I’m sorry Hill, but this was a definite flop. Not even the title made sense – well the children were a bit hungry and ate some toast – but really was that all you were basing this on? The Hunger….’A Limp Biscuit’ would have been more appropriate.

[Jurga · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hm. Those kids there were damn creepy, though.

[Ken · Rating 3 out of 5]

Adrian and Paula move from the city to a cottage in the countryside, adjusting to a new way of life Adrian finds their new life idyllic and peaceful where as Paula finds rural life lonely and dull.

Once a group of small and oddly silent children start showing up, their presence proves disturbing for Adrian.
It’s not only Adrian who’s thoughts on the new cottage changes, so does Paula.
She seems to be at home with the country life.

A highly enjoyable sinister short story!

[Sue · Rating 2 out of 5]

Unless I am missing something this book is neither haunting nor full of psychological suspense as the blurb would lead you to believe. Disappointing story from the author of Woman in Black

[David Highton · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very slightly sinister short story of life in a remote house in the countryside

[Grace Harwood · Rating 3 out of 5]

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.

[Ashleigh · Rating 2 out of 5]

Going into this, I expected a creepy short story about creepy children maybe stalking a married couple in their new home in the countryside, and the horror fan in me was delighted. But no, this story is not really about the children.

It explores the relationship between Adrian and Paula, (as said before, they're a married couple who have moved into a new home in the countryside). To start off with, Adrian is the most enthusiastic about this move and he raves about the benefits of being with nature, while Paula is a little apprehensive. But as the story goes on, their views change. I didn't really like Adrian. He was a bit of an asshole, and when we meet his mother, she's kind of an asshole too.

I'm not 100% sure I fully understood this story, and that's why my rating is only 2 stars.

[Andrea Knott · Rating 2 out of 5]

Kind of a let down

I guess I thought this book would be scarier, but it is basically about a couple who move to a cottage in the country. The husband has to commute to the city every day to work, while the wife stays home all day. She discovers children that are hungry and tries to feed them. The couple argue about this. The husband decides the commute is too much for him and wants to move back to the city, but the wife decides she will stay in the cottage in the country, without the husband. End of story. The scariest thing in this story was the husband's mother. At least it was short.

[Lyndon · Rating 4 out of 5]

A poignant literary piece about the emotional yearning of a women who finds herself in an unsatisfying marriage. Hill does a good job using the conceit of hungry children to thematically address the spiritual and relational hunger we all face at various times in our lives. The story is about one's search for fullness and satisfaction, but alas, hunger is an ever recurring reality - a reality that rightly leaves us readers wanting more.

[Jeff Chapman · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've enjoyed the other books I've read by Susan Hill. The writing here is good and I appreciate Hill's deft portrayal of the protagonist's changing moods and thoughts. I like her style. However, I expected this to be a creepy ghost story. It had a lot of potential. I kept waiting for something horrific to happen but nothing ever did. I also didn't connect with or like the protagonist.

[Erin · Rating 2 out of 5]

I don't really see the point of this book. Were the hungry children ghosts? If so, what was with their 'ma'? I don't get it. And why would the husband just leave without asking questions? I only gave this two stars because I wanted to see how it ended. Really should have only given it one star.

[Anna · Rating 1 out of 5]

This short story was hard to follow, it was so choppy. I actually was ticked because I wasted time reading it. Would recommend not reading it.

[Caroline · Rating 3 out of 5]

This story started off well, was athmospheric, but seemed to lose steam midway and ended rather abruptly. Not the best offering from Ms Hill.

[Emily Carter-Dunn · Rating 2 out of 5]

Disappointing story with no real thread or point. Terrible ending that made no sense. Don't waste your time.

[Adrian · Rating 3 out of 5]

The children had started to half-sing, half-chant softly again. They had an old enamel bowl and a stick each; the bowl was balanced on a nest of twigs, which was alight and smoking feebly. Each child took a turn at stirring whatever was in the bowl, while the others watched; then another took over, on and on, stir and stir.

When I came across this Novella by Susan Hill on Amazon Singles I couldn't resist it. Having previously enjoyed Dolly, The Small Hand, and The Mist In The Mirror; I was expecting a classic ghost story when young couple Adrian and Paula move from the inner city to an isolated cottage in the countryside.

However, this is not a ghost story. It is a sinister psychological view at a relationship strained by the move, Adrian's commute, and by the local children, who appear to be wild, hungry, scavengers.

With this in mind you might expect me to have been disappointed, but I wasn't. The story was just as gripping, left a lovely amount of unknown, and left you with the sorts of questions that a classic ghost story would.

I also quite enjoyed reading the following lines:

She had been very fond of Adrian. Who could not be? He hadn’t a bone of malice in his body, never complained, always enthused, was optimistic to a fault, all of which was refreshing to someone who was inclined to occasional melancholy.

[A · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was trying to reduce my massive TBR here on Goodreads, which has become an annual end of year/beginning of year project. Last year I reduced it by about half (from 600 to around 300) and as it has crept up again to around 370, I wanted to go through and get rid of things that had been on it for a long time that I'll most likely never read, and random books that I can't remember the reason for having wanted to read in the first place. This falls into the category of the latter. I don't know anything about Susan Hill, and this has been reviewed by only one person I followed. I randomly decided to give it a go since it was only 99 cents, and a short kindle single.

This is a short story of a couple who move to an isolated cottage in the countryside in England. The wife, Paula, is an artist who works at home; with her husband commuting a long distance to work every day, she quickly becomes isolated from just about everyone. In the beginning of the story, she is unhappy with the move, but she quickly starts to enjoy the slow life of the country, taking to long naps and a sleepy, slow kind of living. The main point of the story involves a few vagrant children who come by to steal food from the couple's home, and Paula's willingness to help them. Really, this is a simple story without much of an ending, or much plot for that matter, but I enjoyed the way it was told and the sort of parable of wanting to belong to the other, the wilderness, and be left to oneself. Very nicely written and I'll have to check out more from this author. Glad I checked this out rather than just deleting it from the TBR reduction project...

Also, this is not a scary or horror story, which is what I thought based on the title and cover.

[Markie Jones · Rating 2 out of 5]

I just could not get into this book at all. For one thing it seemed almost ripped out of the James Herbert novel, 'The Magic Cottage'. A married couple move from a busy town to a cottage far away from other human life, and the wife is even a children's book illustrator!
I normally love the way Hill builds her tension but I just didn't feel anything with this at all. Strange children are stealing food from them, children that turn out to just live in a caravan. The end. Obviously the story is more about Paula and Adrian, and how Paula isn't really happy in her life with him, but I was still hoping for that creep factor Hill is known so well for. Unfortunately it just didn't come.

[Leslie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is really a short story or novella but is has all the elements that Susan Hill puts into her paranormal and mystery novels. A young couple moves to the countryside and are troubled by scruffy looking children. The wife feeds them and cares for them whereas the husband hates the isolation of the country and moves back to the city. Who are these children and where did they come from? Paula, the wife, does eventually find out but the children one day disappear yet she waits in her county cottage for them to return while her husband, Adrian, stays in the city.

[Reuxbot · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm unsure why this is classified under some of the categories that it is. The only horrific thing in this novella is the protagonist's husband. Susan Hill's usual fare tends to involve the supernatural, and for myself any unease I felt was due to my own (misled?) expectation. Creepy children are the worst. Regardless I found the story engaging as a sort of vignette of country life with detours into the odd lives of the children.

[Rose Grabowski · Rating 3 out of 5]

This story was richly atmospheric, and the writing was beautiful. It described the pros and cons of living in the country and the marriage dissatisfaction well. I know it was short, but it never resolved the issue of the children, who they were, or where they went. I feel like I missed the point of the whole thing.

[Joyce Rigg · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting short story about in unmatched couple moving to the country.

[Eleanor Taylor · Rating 3 out of 5]

Just a very short story

[Victoria · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent short story