Tillinghast

by Clare Cavenagh

There's a name for what he is. He prefers not to use it…

Stutley Tillinghast lives a solitary life, ostensibly as the minister of a remote rural parish in Rhode Island. For many decades now, what little human contact he allows himself has been brief, frenzied and bloody, and always ends in a shallow grave in his cellar.

You and I would have a name for what he is, but he prefers not to use it – he has needs, and when they become unbearable, he fulfils them.

Then the girl arrives – 19 years old, she has travelled from the UK to find him. She seems to have his surname, and her resemblance to him is uncanny. She is sick – very sick – and Tillinghast recognises her symptoms all too well. Which means he also knows what she needs…

Darkly compelling and irresistibly readable, TILLINGHAST marks the arrival of a major new literary talent.

Genres: Horror, Gothic, Vampires, Historical Fiction, Fiction, Historical, Adult

256 pages, Hardcover

First published June 4, 2026

About the author

Clare Cavenagh spent her childhood in Erica, Australia, and her adolescence in Fribourg, Switzerland. She read English and then renaissance literature at the University of Cambridge, and now lives in London where she works as a copywriter. Her short fiction and criticism have been published in Editions L'Hèbe, Cambridge Quarterly and Eucalyptus Lit. Her first novel, TILLINGHAST, will be published in June 2026. She is currently working on her second novel.

Reviews

[Nicki Christie]

A Man Called Ove if he was a vampire lolol

[She’s Stranger Than Fiction · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you do not like character-driven plots, this book is not for you. Now that I have that out of the way, this book is a great work of literary horror. It has some gore, but it is not excessive. There is a little bit of medical horror and a moderate amount of body horror. There is a whole lot of personal existential horror, and loads of character growth. The titular character is very contemplative and complex.
Tillinghast is a 150 year-old vampire and a Christian minister with a heavy heart and a guilty conscience. He is not of the Dracula/Nosferatu variety. He is almost indistinguishable from everyone else - except for the powerful thirst for blood and a few other things. He is contemplating ending his life when a sick young woman comes into his care.
The book explores loneliness, morality, altruism, and underlying motivators. It delves into Tillinghast’s inner world as he interacts with others around him.
Highly recommended for those who like deep literary psychology.
Side note: I love Tillinghast the character’s writing voice. It is reminiscent of Mary Shelley or Emily Brontë - perfect for a vampire from the 19th century.

This is my honest opinion regarding this title, received as an ARC. My thanks to Clare Cavanagh, Viking Press, and NetGalley for this opportunity.

[Salem ☥ · Rating 2 out of 5]

"Tillinghast inhaled through his nose, mostly fuel, but a little bit of soft, vegetal dampness. He could feel the potential of the movement in his hand. The band was wound, the energy was stored up, energy in his hand, in the match head, in the gasoline puddles on the floor and the volatile fumes in the air. No more actions were needed. He just had to let go. It was as easy as anything."

2.5.

I wanted to like this book soooo freaking bad. There's a review about Pride and Prejudice that says it's just about people going to each other's houses, and that's kind of how this novel felt to me. Nothing really happens. It's just the protagonist going from place to place.

Tillinghast kills a man within the first couple of pages, and through his letters his vampirism is explored, but not in the moment. So much more could've been expanded on, though it simply wasn't. I wish Tillinghast's relationship with Sarah would've been explored more.

The prose was easy to read, though a bit bland. Everything flowed smoothly, and I had a nice experience reading it—I just wish quite literally anything interesting would've happened. My expectations were a bit high, and unfortunately they weren't met.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

[Olivia Wolfenden · Rating 2 out of 5]

I assumed the stilted writing was due to translation issues, but nope, apparently it was an intentional choice. Huh.

DNF

ARC from netgalley

[Dana · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm not someone who needs a lot of plot in my reading; I love a plotless character study way more than the next guy. But Tillinghast really put my patience to the test, unfortunately for no payoff. Stutley Tillinghast has been a vampire (though the novel refuses to use the word) for a long, long time, living by himself in his family home in New England and killing someone every 70 days or so to survive. Sarah, a young stranger, arrives in town with a note with Tillinghast's name on it, leaving both to put together the pieces of their connection and their affliction.

And... that's about it. There are countless pages of Tillinghast wondering around his house, sort of musing on things. At one point, Sarah goes missing, and there must be 20 pages of uneventful, pointless looking for her. There's no real life (pun intended) in any of these characters; I could frankly not have cared less about Tillinghast himself, making his book-long decision on whether or not to self-immolate simply boring, frankly. There are really no other characters than Tillinghast or Sarah, just a few townspeople and the characters in Tillinghast's origin story.

I don't think this book is doing anything new or different enough with the vampire story to recommend, unfortunately. Thanks to Viking and NetGalley for the advance ARC in exchange for my thoughts.

[Ashley]

lol got an ARC of this but now i'm scared

[Claire · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5* really. An interesting take on a familiar theme just thought it took a long time to get where it was going.

[em · Rating 4 out of 5]

A refreshing take on the vampire genre, this was lovely to read. While this wasn’t full of blood and guts like certain novels, it was full of character. It was slow moving, with a lot of time spent exploring the past, but I really enjoyed that. The writing was all consuming, making it easy to fall into this story. A really great example of a character led story, with interesting elements of horror and real history blended throughout.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for kindly providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review. #Tillinghast #NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

[Cari Allen · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.25 Stars Overall

A slow burn literary horror that focuses on the end of Tillinghast's extra long life that he has now decided has been long enough. Just as he's putting his affairs together, the result of another shows up in his small town and upends everything he thought he knew and must now look toward an unknown future.

This was an interesting character study and take on vampire lore, having been loosely based on the vampire panic of New England. It was a quick enough read yo capture my attention, but the ending ultimately fell flat for me. Recommended for vampire fans who lean more towards the literary aspect of Dracula rather than fans of the Sookie Stackhouse novels.

Thank you to NetGalley, Clare Cavenagh, and Penguin Viking for an advanced readers copy in exchange for an honest review.

[Vikki Matthews · Rating 3 out of 5]

Extremely well written, just a little boring for me

[Kylie]

read about 50% of this - and i still couldn’t really tell you what the plot was

[Carlie Viemann · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you NetGalley and VikingPenguin for the arc!

I'm seeing a lot of mixed reviews pop up for this book and maybe they just aren't thinking in the mindset of a 150+ year old vampire who can't stop questioning his existence (*cough cough Edward Cullen cough cough*).

Now don't get me wrong, this is a slow burn. It feels bleak, long, atmospheric and certainly gothic. Honestly he is kind of a boring vampire LOL but I also really like him. Sarah comes crashing into his life and his newfound appreciation for existence is rekindled by taking care of her and her 'illness'. This take on vampirism and its origins felt very unique.

I also really enjoyed the confession letter he writes throughout the book as he contemplates ending his life and the look into the past we receive.

I wish the ending wasn't so abrupt, but overall I give this 4/5 stars.

[AlyciaRunsandReads]

Dnfing at 65 percent. I am very sad as the premise sounded up my ally. It had a strong beginning for me but I found the pacing and character development to be pretty tough. I wanted to learn more about them both but what we were getting just didn’t lead me to get to know them better or get more invested. I feel like the “confession” sections weren’t all that interesting to me either. Since I didn’t care about the character and this is a low plot book (which I can absolutely enjoy) I decided not to finish so no rating on good reads.

I received an arc of this book from NetGalley. And am writing this review honestly and voluntarily

[Eva · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐️

[Juli Stadler · Rating 2 out of 5]

Per the publishers’ synopsis, “TILLINGHAST is a dark, atmospheric literary horror novel inspired by the real events of the 19th century New England vampire panic. It follows a solitary, ancient protagonist living as a minister in a remote Rhode Island parish, whose violent, hidden life is upended by the arrival of a young woman.”

Vampires have always been my favorite monster, so I was excited to read TILLINGHAST, my sixth vampire novel in four months. I liked the unique concept and looked forward to learning about the New England vampire panic, as well as Rhode Island. I loved the book cover design. Unfortunately, I was disappointed with the novel.

The characters did not seem like fully realized individuals. There were notable inconsistencies, such as Tillinghast switching from a formal voice to “popping open” a car trunk. He wishes to go unnoticed and states he “hides by habit”, yet wears a priest’s collar, which would only draw attention to him. These are just a couple of examples.

There are numerous plot holes. It doesn’t make sense that Tillinghast lives in a house that is not wired for electricity, yet he drives a car. There is a scene that takes place in an ER waiting room that is implausible. The individual sitting behind the plexiglass who is an ER Register Clerk/Admitting Representative, not a nurse. They don’t have access to medical equipment, and they would certainly never give you a sample “because it’s disposable.”

I understand that this book is being published simultaneously in the UK and the US, but given that it is set in Rhode Island, it’s important that the vernacular reflect that. As an American reader, there were numerous times that I had to look up terminology that we don’t use in the US, such as “bitumen” (asphalt), “Perspex” (plexiglass), “pinboard” (bulletin board), and “singlet” (tank top).

The pace was too slow. There isn’t a strong sense of place. The storyline is fairly uneventful. The vampire mythos was confusing. These vampires are free to move about day and night, yet they spend a lot of time being sickly. It’s also unclear if Tillinghast was born a vampire or made a vampire.

Pub Date: June 23, 2026

Thank you, Viking Penguin and NetGalley for providing me with a complementary DRC of TILLINGHAST. All opinions are my own.

[Alwynne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Clare Cavenagh’s debut novel is a tantalising mix of macabre and austere, grounded in the New England gothic of Hawthorne and Poe. It’s a claustrophobic story featuring a highly unusual antihero, Stutley Tillinghast a clergyman who’s survived for more than a century feeding solely on human blood. Like a classic serial killer, he’s honed his hunting skills – which resemble Ted Bundy’s – aided by sporting a trust-inspiring, clerical collar. Although Tillinghast’s deliberately named after real-life people caught up in the notorious, nineteenth-century, New England vampire panic, the name crops up in Lovecraft too. And there are definite Lovecraftian echoes here. Not in the cosmic horror sense – or the disturbing views – but in Tillinghast’s situation. He’s overwhelmed by existential angst, profoundly isolated.

Tillinghast’s traversed America but for the last fifteen years he’s inhabited the dilapidated house where he grew up, nearby is the distinctly unorthodox church founded by his father. The church is empty but the house is rapidly filling up, bodies crowding its dank cellar. In the chill of winter, Tillinghast is trying to find a means to end his torment which seems more about loneliness and ennui than guilt. But it’s hard to die, he’s tried several times but always springs back to life. Then he’s contacted by Sarah a young English woman with his surname, she’s in town looking for her missing mother Lena. But, so far, all she’s found is a gravestone with Lena’s name. But this Lena died a long time ago – cue flashbacks to Sarah’s Lena and their troubled relationship. Sarah’s showing signs of an illness Tillinghast recognises, symptoms that suggest she’s like him. So, he begins an account of his life for her to find. As a plot device it’s slightly clumsy but it allows Cavenagh to branch out into a dual timeline, part present day, part Tillinghast’s and New England’s past.

Tillinghast’s confessional letter reads like a version of John Ames’s in Gilead – if Ames was a creature bordering on vampiric. It’s similarly quiet and measured, doubling as an indictment of a New England steeped in Puritanism and an obsession with rooting out sin. A place and a time equally shrouded in suspicion and lingering superstition. Tillinghast’s childhood was harsh and unwholesome. Still young when both parents died, his father’s papers revealed deep-seated hypocrisy and a prurient curiosity. Revelations which primed Tillinghast for rebellion. It’s not clear what Tillinghast is meant to be or how he came to be it. But Cavenagh frames his transformation as a kind of fall from grace – not that his parents' brand of faith seems particularly close to it. When Tillinghast accepted Lena’s offering of an apple, he yielded to temptation, unleashing suppressed sexual desires. Lena had been unwell. Not long after their encounter Tillinghast developed the same sickness. When he recovered, he was overcome with a desperate craving for blood.

But Cavenagh hints at other reasons for this metamorphosis. It seems both Lena and Stutley were born with teeth, reminding me of Shakespeare’s portrayal of Richard III, suggesting the beast was always lurking waiting to be set free. And beast seems a better description than vampire for Tillinghast. There’s a marked absence too of anything resembling conventional vampire lore here – sunlight’s definitely not an issue. Instead, there’s something frenzied and primal about Stutley’s initial attacks on his prey. At least before he turned violence into an art. Cavenagh’s depiction made me think of Tillinghast as somewhere between werewolf and wendigo – folkloric creatures who are a potent counter to the religion of the New England Puritans.

I did have some issues: the ending felt rushed and Sarah could do with fleshing out. But otherwise, I was gripped. I thought the story was inventive and intriguing, although I can see it won’t be popular across the board. It’s very much literary fiction. Dense, formal, extremely leisurely, it’s also very much centred on character. For long stretches it’s essentially an intense, noir-ish two-hander focused on the tentative bond between Tillinghast and Sarah; and where that might lead.

Thanks to Netgalley and publisher The Borough Press for an ARC

Rating: 3.5

[The Undercurrent Read · Rating 4 out of 5]

𝑹𝒆𝒗𝒊𝒆𝒘 𝒐𝒇 𝒂𝒅𝒗𝒂𝒏𝒄𝒆𝒅 𝒄𝒐𝒑𝒚 𝒓𝒆𝒄𝒆𝒊𝒗𝒆𝒅 𝒇𝒓𝒐𝒎 𝑵𝒆𝒕𝒈𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒆𝒚

3.5 ⭐️

"Stutley Tillinghast lives a solitary life, ostensibly as the minister of a remote rural parish in Rhode Island. For many decades now, what little human contact he’s allowed himself has been brief, frenzied and bloody, and has always ended in a shallow grave in his cellar."
 
I was so excited to recieve this ARC.  I grew up in Rhode Island, and still live in New England.  I've spent many late nights with friends trying to see if Mercy Brown's ghost would appear at her grave. 

This book started off slow for me.  Tillinghast's life is so routine and mundane that it almost leaks into the text.  I had thought about DNFing it 7% in.  I'm glad I decided to keep with it.  It picks up when Sarah enters, and it kept me engaged for the rest of the story.

Ok, so I may be partial to any and everything written about New England.  I may also love seeing names like Mystic, Beavertail, Fisherman's Memorial Park, etc. written in novels.  This is also a story that everyone who grew up in Rhode Island knows by heart.  The vampire panic of the late 1800's.  Spurred on by the fear of death by consumption (tuberculosis) the graves of the Brown family were exhumed one by one when Mercy's brother said she visited him at night and sat on his chest.  When they got to Mercy's grave its said that she was not in the state of decomposition that was expected.  Her heart and liver were removed and burned to the point they were charcoal, mixed with water, and given to her brother to consume as a cure for vampirism.  He died a few months later. 

What if the story wasn't that simple though?  What if there really was some truth the vampire panic?  This novel explores that in a way that seamlessly blends the past with the present while adding in a love story/mystery that doesn't overshadow the gothic feel.  I feel that this was a really strong debut novel, and I would definitely be interested in reading more writing by the author. 

P.S.  The only  part that took me completely out of the story was the flashback about digging the graves up.  The was a description of the sound of a "shovel slicing through damp earth".  This is probably not something people who don't live in New England would even realize, but we have rocks, lots and lots of rocks.   So many rocks that I have never once dug a hole and have heard a shovel slice through the ground.  What you would hear is the ping of metal on stone and the crunching of stone as the shovel was slid around to wiggle past.  Again if you aren't from New England this probably wouldnt even be on your radar, but it definitely was a detail that I picked up on.



I want to extend thanks to Clare Cavenagh, Viking Penguin, and Netgalley for an ARC copy in exchange for a review

[Wren Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

He knows what he is. It has a name all too common, but he will not refer to himself in that way.

Stutley Tillinghast is a lone preacher in a small village in Rhode Island, living on his families desiccated property. He only leaves and communicates with other people when it is absolutely necessary.

But every 70 days or so, he must go out into the world, and fulfill a hunger that cannot be overcome. One that he’s had for longer than your general natural human lifespan.

He’s been carrying on like this for more than a century, just keeping to himself, trying to maintain the upkeep of the small church that he inherited from his father after his passing. But nobody ever goes there for worship, or at least, none of the locals do. They know better.

Everything is stagnant, repetitive, and predictable… until the day that Sarah Tillinghast comes looking for him.

Her arrival is on the heels of her mother’s departure and subsequent disappearance once Sarah reaches adulthood. And the lone preacher knows Sarah’s mother from just two meetings, which just happen to be some of the most memorable moments in his extended life.

When Tillinghast finally encounters Sarah, he is called upon to collect her from the local hotel after some unpleasantness. When he arrives, he finds that she is very ill with some symptoms that he himself knows all too well. So it’s obvious that he will be the only one that knows how to care for her through the ordeal.

If you’re someone that needs a lot of plot in your books, this one might not be for you, but I love a well done character study. And this was WELL. DONE. The writing was beautiful and Tillinghast’s internal turmoil and panic was so incredibly palpable.

Along the way, he is writing what he calls his confession, as well as a brief history of his life, which starts at his childhood in the 1800s.

We see the meager beginnings of his own religious trauma, the loss of his family, how he’s kept up with his hunger, and the guilt he’s felt all along the way.

He treats his vampirism like a manageable illness, taking lives only when absolutely necessary, and with his confession, he also shares the names and dates of all the people that have fallen victim to his hunger.

When Sarah comes along, he gains a sort of sense of purpose, because he convinces himself that she is now his responsibility, because after all, nobody was there to help him through his transformation, and he likely had a hand in creating her.

But overall, this is a highly character driven story about one man, driven by patterns, and habit, until he finds something he can once again call his family.

[Jen · Rating 3 out of 5]

After an irregularly long and lonesome life, a man is finally resigned and ready for his end until a young woman arrives to entirely unbalance that resolution in Tillinghast by Clare Cavenagh.

To read this, and other book reviews, visit my website: http://makinggoodstories.wordpress.com/.

Reverend Stutley Tillinghast’s life has been a long one, filled with numerous identities he’s assumed over the years and the many names of those he’s killed to sustain himself residing in his head, as well as the cellar. Having returned to his original name and home, he’s making preparations to finally, and successfully, bring about his demise. When he receives a phone call from a young woman asking about Lena Browne, a woman with legendary status locally, Tillinghast denies knowledge of or connection to her, yet this fateful call sets off events that connect him and the caller, Sarah Tillinghast, while dredging up his past. While caring for Sarah’s strange illness due to their surnames and her delirious request for him and not a hospital, Tillinghast begins to fear that she is like him, a fact that makes him hesitate proceeding with his plans in order to instead help her as only he can.

A vampire story that never outright says vampire, it anchors itself within the historic context of consumption and the fear that drove people’s beliefs and behaviors surrounding the dead, slowly building a story with a dark, unsettling, and atmospheric narrative that is overwhelmingly reflective in nature. The origin of those few afflicted by the blood-consuming necessity remains unclear whether it’s an innate part of their genetic makeup or if there was an external catalyst that drove the change in them, though there were textual clues that hint toward the innate, but it could simply be a coincidence. With much of the narrative delving into memories while Tillinghast is writing up his confession, and a minor portion in the feverishly recalled memories of Sarah’s, there’s an exploration of the anxieties and fears they harbor in not quite fitting in with society and the abandonments they face, which contribute to their difficulty in trusting to be able to rely upon another person, yet highlighting the importance of forming connections with others to combat loneliness.

*I received a copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Lori · Rating 3 out of 5]

After I finished reading Tillinghast, I immediately hopped over to Goodreads because I knew this one was going to ruffle some feathers. The lenses through which readers experience books always amazes me — the words on the page don’t change, but the way they hit us absolutely does. So I was dying to see what everyone thought.

One reviewer, a Rhode Islander with deep personal ties to the area’s 1800s vampire panic connected with the book on that level. Someone else compared it to A Man Called Ove, which I've never read, and said it’s basically that book… if Ove were a vampire. And another reader referenced a review of Pride and Prejudice that described it pretty much as “a novel about people going to each other’s houses,” and said: samesies. And there was one person who was hilariously hung up on all of the situational things that were completely unplausible, as if the fact that the main character was a vampire wasn't unplausible enough, haha.

As far as vampire lore goes, Tillinghast is definitely a slower burn. We spend most of the novel inside the mind of a man who has learned to quietly manage his urges and pass as a priest and caretaker of a sleepy, retired church. It’s a very internal, introspective take on the monster myth — one that humanizes him and leans into the emotional and psychological toll of his condition.

Everything shifts when he receives a call from a local hotel claiming that a woman named Sarah — calling herself his niece — is gravely ill and asking for him. He has no idea who she is, but curiosity gets the best of him, and he brings the nearly unconscious woman back to his home. It doesn’t take long for him to realize he’s no longer the only one of his kind… and he becomes determined to help her survive. Together, they begin unraveling the threads that bind them.

It’s cheeky, contemplative, and surprisingly tender, but also undeniably slow. The introspection works, for the most part, though the pacing sometimes drags the story down instead of deepening it.

In the end, Tillinghast is a thoughtful, offbeat twist on the vampire tale — not a new favorite, but a solid three‑star read with enough charm and melancholy to keep me turning the pages.

[Claire Burge · Rating 3 out of 5]

Stutley Tillinghast is a, well, you know....



He's moody, broody, and been doing this charade called life for far too long. He's only met one other like him, the woman who made him who he is, his undoing. If there are others like him, they sure don't live in New England. That is, until Sarah shows up.

A stranger in town, Sarah has her hooks into local lore and a hunger for finding the missing piece in her own life. Neither she or Tillinghast expect their paths to cross, but when they do long-unspoken questions begin to bubble to the surface.

His stead over the old wooden church and Tilllinghast's gothic, looming house create a chilling and lonesome atmosphere, and the first few pages kicked off with a bang. It's the meat of the story that left me hungry for more - chapter after chapter felt repetitive as Tillinghast tries to fix, and then ultimately welcomes this new beginning. Paragraphs of procedure took precedent over diving into deeper character development or what could have been immersive dialogue between Sarah and Stutley. I didn't mind the ambiguity among the story itself, but certain aspects felt unfinished instead of intentional.

Through Tillinghast's own penning of his life story, you witness his crisis of faith and see a man unaltered by time trying to figure out if he's spent too much here already. These snippets were a highlight of the book for me, the only time I felt like I was getting a true connection to any character. The brief glimpses into Sarah's POV seemed repetitive, which I could have appreciated IF there had been more of her woven into the dialogue - instead it felt like all of her character development was being TOLD to me as a reader, instead of getting to experience it within the book.

While flashbacks into Tillinghast's long life bring in a historical aspect of living through early America's vampire panic, this felt like a conjoining of two very different stories. What could have been a symbiotic blend of historical fiction and fantastical storytelling read to me as a conjoined effort that fell flat.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

[Steve Cavill · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tillinghast by Clare Cavenagh is a beautifully written, slow-burning gothic character study that reimagines the vampire genre through the lenses of loneliness, guilt, and moral torment rather than blood-soaked horror.

The story follows Reverend Stutley Tillinghast, a 150-year-old creature of the night living as a pious Christian minister in a remote, rural parish in Rhode Island. On the surface, he tends to his small flock, but in secret he endures a heavy-hearted, solitary existence—indulging his bloodthirsty needs only when they become unbearable, leaving victims buried beneath his cellar floor. Burdened by centuries of remorse, religious guilt, and profound isolation, Tillinghast is quietly contemplating ending his long, cursed life when his world is upended by the arrival of Sarah, a 19-year-old Englishwoman who has travelled across the ocean to find him.

Sarah shares his surname and bears an uncanny resemblance to the long-lost woman who changed him forever. She is also desperately ill with the same wasting affliction that defines his own immortality. As Tillinghast grapples with whether he can—or should—save her, the novel unravels his tragic past through haunting flashbacks, exploring the New England vampire panics of the 19th century and the emotional weight of eternal existence.

Cavenagh’s prose is lyrical and archaic, echoing the style of Mary Shelley or the Brontës, perfectly suiting Tillinghast’s ancient inner voice. The novel excels at creating a suffocating, damp, and melancholic New England atmosphere while offering a fresh, restrained take on vampire lore—deliberately avoiding the word “vampire” and focusing instead on morality, altruism, and the crushing psychology of immortality.

While the deeply introspective, character-driven approach makes for a rich and haunting read, the deliberate pacing can occasionally feel static, with extended time spent in memory and philosophical reflection. Some readers may also find the resolution a touch rushed after the masterful buildup.

Overall, Tillinghast is an impressive and highly original literary gothic debut. It’s ideal for those who appreciate quiet, atmospheric horror and complex character studies over action or gore.

[sam · Rating 3 out of 5]

We meet Tillinghast, a man who lives alone in an old church and has been alive for far longer than any normal person should be. He survives by occasionally killing people and drinking their blood, so yes, he's a vampire, but not in the cool leather-pants, brooding-on-a-rooftop kind of way. He's more of a "writes sad journals and feels guilty about everything" vampire. After decades of believing he's the only one of his kind left, a sick young woman named Sarah enters his life. He takes her in, feels an immediate connection to her, and suddenly finds himself caring about someone again. Unfortunately, Sarah also brings trouble to his doorstep, forcing Tillinghast to confront parts of his past he'd rather leave buried. Along the way, we get his written account of his long life, the people he's loved, the people he's killed, and generally a lot of evidence that immortality is not doing wonders for his mental health.

This one took me a little while to get into because it is very much a slow-burn gothic novel and not the kind of vampire story where people are getting ripped apart every other chapter. The vampirism here is subtle, melancholy, and drenched in religious guilt. That said, once I got invested in Tillinghast and Sarah's relationship, I was hooked. The atmosphere is fantastic—old churches, graveyards, lonely New England settings, all the things you want from a gothic story. Tillinghast is also surprisingly easy to root for, considering he's technically a serial killer. He's just so painfully lonely and miserable that you can't help but feel for him. The writing is beautiful, and I appreciated how different its take on vampirism felt. My main issue is that there are a lot of flashbacks, so the present-day plot sometimes feels like it's standing still, and some of Tillinghast's brooding starts to cover the same ground. Overall, I enjoyed it quite a bit, even if it lacked the grit and gore I usually look for in monster stories. It's less "terrifying vampire rampage" and more "what if a vampire had religious trauma, depression, and several decades to overthink everything?"

3.5

[Susan Monroe · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a digital advance copy of Tillinghast by Clare Cavenagh via NetGalley. Tillinghast is scheduled for release on June 23, 2026.

Stutley Tillinghast is an odd man. He has a church and a white collar, but no flock. He has a house that has been in his family for generations, but no electricity. He has secrets tucked in shallow graves in the basement. He has needs. When a girl stumbles into his life, bearing his last name and ill with symptoms he recognizes from his past, Tillinghast is torn between forming a connection with her and following through with his plan.

Tillinghast’s condition is never named, as he prefers not to use the term that has caused so much destruction for people in his past. Instead, we get his own account of his actions, a list of names, and the unfolding of the confession he is putting to paper. We are piecing together both his past and the story of the woman who has entered his life. We do get some pieces of the story from her point of view, expanding the view of the story from what Tillinghast himself knows. As the narrators are both interacting with present day and remembering moments from their past, we shift in time throughout the story. Some of these shifts were less clear, with the result that I wasn’t completely sure of the timeline of the story by the end.

Tillinghast is also a narrator that is keeping secrets. He is editing the words he puts into his confession, and is not always fully honest with himself. As a reader, you are forced to both question his words and fill in what he isn’t saying. You get to know the man both for what is told, and what he chooses to hide. We get to know the other characters less, but this didn’t bother me in this story. This story is very focused on this man, his self-imposed boundaries, and the threads that stretch out from him.

Tillinghast is a solid novel with gothic and horror elements that take us into a piece of history I was unfamiliar with (the New England vampire panic of the 1800s). It moves far beyond a monster novel, diving into the risks of desire and connection.

[Angela · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and Viking Publishing for my arc in exchange for my unbiased opinion.

Tillinghast by Clare Cavenagh is a vampire novel inspired by the New England vampire panic of the nineteenth century. We follow a solitary vampire, Stutley Tillinghast as his monotonous life is broken by the arrival of a young girl who bears his last name and a face similar to a woman he knew a long time ago. Oh. And the young girl is afflicted with an illness that only Tillinghast knows the "cure" for.

I was so excited for this one. I love vampires and growing up, I loved reading about vampire myths in the US. Unfortunately, this one was not for me. As someone who studied late eighteenth to nineteenth century literature (my focus was on Brit Lit, but I read quite a bit of American Lit), you'd think I would be use to the slow sort of writing that Cavenagh is clearly trying to emulate here. And I'll admit that the writing itself is not bad, it is serviceable. However, the "story" of the novel is pretty loosely termed "story." And I love a good character driven plot, but this is not one of those. Nothing really happens in this and what does happen is fairly boring. It reminded me a lot of a slice of life without the heart and emotion.

I felt no connection between Tillinghast and Sarah other than the obvious one and the vast majority of the "plot" and "action" was just Tillinghast taking care of her. To me, that isn't a story. That is an interlude between moments in a story. Now, I see what Cavenagh was trying to do. I think. There are themes of the human need for connection through a vampire's eyes and the dangers of isolation, which I thought was interesting. But Cavenagh does not go beyond mentioning those themes.

I really wanted to like this but between the dead characters (lol get it) and the dead on arrival plot, this was a struggle read which I really did not want considering I'm reading for my PhD qualifying exams and every leisure read takes time I could have spent studying (yeah I know, it's my choice but still).

[Ceecee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Stutley Tillinghast. Reverend Stutley Tillinghast. He is about as unreverential as it gets. He hunts, it’s a necessity and afterwards, there’s penitence. Now, he’s making an exit strategy. Then, most unexpectedly a young English girl comes into his life, she’s ill and extremely so. Tillinghast has seen her symptoms before, indeed, has experienced them and so knows what to do.

This story will not be for everyone as it’s undeniably dark, mysterious and very chilling. The writing is of a high-quality and this keeps me immersed in the storytelling. Infused into the strangeness of the plot is the story of him and Lena Browne whose name is the stuff of legend and rumour in this area of New England. The pacing is not fast, Stutley is telling his story and he’s taking his time in doing so. He gives his backstory, his interactions with Lena and to inform readers of his ghastly tale and the deeper it goes, the stranger it gets. It’s not especially graphic yet it’s obvious what’s happening annd the whys and wherefores soon become apparent and it has me transfixed. I like how things change and develop between Sarah and Tillinghast which is not expected given how things have been shaping up.

The strongest element of the book in my opinion, lies in the atmosphere created, it’s ghostly, ghastly and eerie with Tillinghast’s isolation and the isolated nature of its property and the church adding to this. Throughout there’s a palpable sense of unease, of off kilter oddness and at times a kind of weightless almost like an out of body experience is conveyed. Torment and turmoil are most apparent. Is there regret? Possibly.

Overall, I’d probably describe this tale which is based on real events in 19th century New England, as mild horror. It’s told at a languid pace but the high-quality writing has me engaged throughout.

With thanks to NetGalley and especially to HarperCollins, HarperFiction /The Borough Press for the much appreciated early copy in return for an honest review.

[CloseTheClosetDoor · Rating 4 out of 5]

Note for fellow horror readers: The Closet Door Rating System

Because I read mostly horror and psychological thrillers, my dark walk-in closet has become part of my review system. If a book is disturbing enough that I have to shut the closet door before bed so I’m not staring into the void during a midnight bathroom trip, it earns a 5/5 Closet Door rating. The lower the score, the safer I felt leaving it open… even if my husband “accidentally” did.

Closet Door Rating: 3/5 — Book Rating: 4/5

Inspired by the 19th-century New England Vampire Panic, Tillinghast follows Stutley Tillinghast, a man living a solitary and bloody existence due to a strange sickness. His quiet routine is disrupted when a woman named Sarah arrives carrying the same last name and the same affliction, forcing him to confront the long path that led him here.

Clare Cavenagh’s writing is deeply atmospheric, pulling you into the damp, decaying world of rural New England with vivid sensory detail. The novel opens strong, immediately immersing the reader in the brutality and isolation of Tillinghast’s life. His backstory is the most compelling part of the book and really drives the narrative forward. Tillinghast himself is a fascinating character. Despite how closed off he appears, his loneliness and desire for companionship quietly shape many of his choices.

The pacing slows once Sarah arrives, creating a few lulls in the middle, and the ending felt somewhat rushed compared to the careful buildup earlier in the story. Some developments resolve a bit too quickly.

Overall, this is a haunting and immersive gothic horror story about isolation and the powerful pull of human connection. The horror element is much more of that classic gothic building of dread and tension, and it sure does work well.

Thank you to NetGalley and Viking Penguin for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Josie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book has an interesting and unique premise, and while it didn't 'hit the spot' for me, I was still intrigued to finish it until the end. It helped that I enjoyed Clare Cavenagh's writing.

This book was slow-paced, and my interest truly only peaked after the 60% mark. You are contained in a limited setting (mainly Tillinghast's house with the occasional visit to his past or Sarah's life in London) with an equally limited cast of characters. As I said, I only really got sucked in once Sarah started coming-to more and more.

Mr. Stutley Tillinghast is a miserable, sad, almost pathetic man - but!!! he is one that grew on me the more I learned about him, his childhood, and his subsequent 'pre' and 'post-Vampirism' life. Essentially, the man is lonely and needs a therapist :( He's just going through the motions of life, dulled and numb, until he encounters Sarah and begins to feel something akin to hope.

Sarah herself is someone who comes along trying to find him. Her mother is Lena Browne, a vampire that Tillinghast met briefly in his youth. She aptly abandons Sarah when she reaches adulthood, leaving Sarah to figure stuff out for herself... where she eventually ends up thinking Tillinghast may be her dad. Is he? idk. I don't think so, but why did Lena leave him n only him alive?? Cuz he was like her? mannn I just have so many q's!!

Will wrap up this review with just a snippet some of my questions: Who really is Lena Browne? Are these vampiric people born this way, based on what we heard in the book? Who is Sebastian and the reporter and how do they even connect??

All that's to say, I do enjoy how this was loosely based on the New England vampire panic back in the 18th/19th century. I had no idea this was a thing, and reading the blurb about it at the end was enjoyable.

3.5/5 stars

Thank you to Viking Penguin and NetGalley for providing me with an e-ARC! All opinions are my own.

[Kim · Rating 3 out of 5]

Vampire lore is an evergreen topic for the horror genre. In her debut, Tillinghast, Clare Cavanagh explores the folklore behind the nineteenth century 'vampire outbreak' in New England, where many believed that an outbreak of consumption had been caused by vampires. This led to suspicion, paranoia, the exhumation of graves, and consumption patients being given ghastly medications that did nothing to treat their fatal illnesses. Though consumption continued to ravage the people of New England, the vampire hysteria faded and became a strange footnote in American history and folklore.

In Tillinghast, Reverend Stutley Tillinghast has lived quietly in his aging house in the woods, tending to the little church his father once preached in, and trying to keep out of sight even as he hunts for the humans he needs to kill in order to survive. As modernity slowly forces its way into his life and he despairs at the thought of his continued existence, Tillinghast is thinking of making drastic changes. Then, nineteen year old Sarah abruptly appears in his life and forces him to face his past and reconsider his future.

Tillinghast is billed as literary horror thanks to its low-action plot, slow pace, and quiet passages delving into the characters' pasts. It's almost a little too slow, even for a book with just 272 pages. It's also a bit repetitive. There is, perhaps, a point to this since a long-lived vampire would, no doubt, find life to be dully repetitive after a couple of hundred years. Still, there were points when I wondered if the story was going to just get on with it, or if we were going to have to sit there with Tillinghast as he prepared this thing or that for the rest of the book.

Though I liked Tillinghast overall, the narrative felt like it was treading water a little too often for such a short book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Viking Penguin for the advance copy for review.

[Adrian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tillinghast was older than he looked, but he was still strong enough to dig trenches in the earth of the cellar floor. Eight feet long, three and a half wide, six deep; this one was in the northern corner, far enough from the walls to avoid disturbing the foundations. He'd been doing this long enough that all the trenches had been used before.

He rotated through them, like he was keeping some kind of dreadful garden. By the time the final one was full, the first was ready to be used again.

I won't lie, I bought this purely due to the name. The Tillinghast family name is often seen in the works of H.P. Lovecraft due to his practice of using prominent family names from Providence, Rhode Island. It has seeped into my consciousness from the various original stories and adaptations I have devoured over the years.

I was also somewhat aware of the premise of the book, which is partly based on real events. The same events were covered by Lovecraft in The Shunned House. That said, this tackles the events in a completely different way. Think cosmic horror vs gothic horror.

Here the book avoids saying the key word, although you know throughout what you are dealing with. It twists the original folklore, and the hysteria it caused, and considers it from a different angle. It follows a priest with the darkest of pasts whose world is thrown into turmoil by an unexpected guest. It's a slow burner that keeps you engaged throughout.

I rather enjoyed this and will be keeping an eye out for future books by Clare Cavenagh as this was a cracking debut. 5 stars.