What do you think?
Rate this book
Hearts in the Hard Ground
Following the death of her mother, Fiona buys a new house in order to start a new chapter of her life, one with fewer reminders of painful memories. Unbeknownst to Fiona, this house has a melancholy history, and slightly more ghosts than she anticipated. In learning to live with her unexpected companions and their losses, Fiona might find a way to make peace with her own.
At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.
At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.
44 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 23, 2020
6 people are currently reading
769 people want to read
About the author
G.V. Anderson
30 books29 followersG. V. Anderson’s short stories have won a World Fantasy Award, a British Fantasy Award, and been nominated for a Nebula.
Her work has been translated into several languages, and can be found in Strange Horizons, Lightspeed and Tor.com, as well as over a dozen anthologies such as The Year’s Best Dark Fantasy & Horror.
She lives in Dorset, UK.
Her work has been translated into several languages, and can be found in Strange Horizons, Lightspeed and Tor.com, as well as over a dozen anthologies such as The Year’s Best Dark Fantasy & Horror.
She lives in Dorset, UK.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 139 reviews
September 14, 2020
They say a child’s laughter is a beautiful thing. Well, see how beautiful you find it the first time you hear a giggle outside your bedroom door at three in the morning.
ghost boy, zombie bird, nighttime fingers, and yet the biggest hauntings here are regret and self-recrimination. not a scary story, but a good one; about the slippery ways of grief and the slow shedding of burdensome guilt as a woman mourns her mother along an unexpected path to healing, involving the companionship of entities both living and variously dead.
and of course there’s a cat, silly.
SHORT REVIEW FOR A SHORT STORY!!!
read it for yourself here:
https://www.tor.com/2020/09/09/hearts...
come to my blog!
ghost boy, zombie bird, nighttime fingers, and yet the biggest hauntings here are regret and self-recrimination. not a scary story, but a good one; about the slippery ways of grief and the slow shedding of burdensome guilt as a woman mourns her mother along an unexpected path to healing, involving the companionship of entities both living and variously dead.
and of course there’s a cat, silly.
SHORT REVIEW FOR A SHORT STORY!!!
read it for yourself here:
https://www.tor.com/2020/09/09/hearts...
come to my blog!
October 27, 2023
2.5/5
Short, sapphic and spooky.
Not to mention the utterly gorgeous cover. It was really short, so I didn't get attached to the characters, hence the low rating.
Short, sapphic and spooky.
"That’s another thing about living alone: there’s only a house to comfort you. The creak of wood contracting in the cold, the bang of old pipes in the wall, the secret sounds you only hear when you’re awake in the early hours, soggy with grief."
Not to mention the utterly gorgeous cover. It was really short, so I didn't get attached to the characters, hence the low rating.
May 19, 2021
Fiona moves into a new but old house after her mum dies. She particularly chose the old house as she feels that a new build would be too impersonal. She starts to experience strange things from a zombie seagull to a stray cat to ghosts of the past residents. But she isn't deterred by all this as much as she is deterred by her guilt.
You think you’re a kind person, you know? You grow up hearing people, strangers, say aren’t you a nice girl? You drop your change into collection boxes for RICE, say hello to the homeless; you hold doors open for the elderly. It’s kindness at arm’s length, but still, you tell yourself you are kind. Slowly, time and circumstance erode your conviction: you hope you are kind.
When she befriends Annika, Annika encourages her to get rid of the ghosts. With Annika, she finds companionship and eventually the ghosts leave.
Cast them out. This is your house now.
I delved into this not knowing anything about it and honestly it took me a while to really get into the story and understand its deeper meaning. It was a dark read and could be triggering for some who have lost someone close to them so tread carefully. The end was moving but as I couldn't get into the story until the very end, I couldn't enjoy it as much as I had wanted to.
2.5 stars
You think you’re a kind person, you know? You grow up hearing people, strangers, say aren’t you a nice girl? You drop your change into collection boxes for RICE, say hello to the homeless; you hold doors open for the elderly. It’s kindness at arm’s length, but still, you tell yourself you are kind. Slowly, time and circumstance erode your conviction: you hope you are kind.
When she befriends Annika, Annika encourages her to get rid of the ghosts. With Annika, she finds companionship and eventually the ghosts leave.
Cast them out. This is your house now.
I delved into this not knowing anything about it and honestly it took me a while to really get into the story and understand its deeper meaning. It was a dark read and could be triggering for some who have lost someone close to them so tread carefully. The end was moving but as I couldn't get into the story until the very end, I couldn't enjoy it as much as I had wanted to.
2.5 stars
September 14, 2020
You think you’re a kind person, you know? You grow up hearing people, strangers, say aren’t you a nice girl? You drop your change into collection boxes for RICE, say hello to the homeless; you hold doors open for the elderly. It’s kindness at arm’s length, but still, you tell yourself you are kind. Slowly, time and circumstance erode your conviction: you hope you are kind.
When a haunted person chooses a haunted house in which to start their new life, we get a short story that looks at grief, and holding on, and letting go. Quite short, but does an excellent job of telling a good amount of story in that time, without overstuffing it.
When a haunted person chooses a haunted house in which to start their new life, we get a short story that looks at grief, and holding on, and letting go. Quite short, but does an excellent job of telling a good amount of story in that time, without overstuffing it.
March 28, 2021
I bought a slim Edwardian terrace with the money Mum left me. It declared itself a house of dead things right away. Old houses can’t help doing that. The years accumulate inside them, dense as tree rings. On move-in day, I found a stain darkening the floorboards of the master bedroom — grim expulsions that had soaked through the carpet and underlay — while, downstairs, the handyman extracted a rotting seagull from the flue.
Reading Tor books short stories in the weekend is becoming a habit and Hearts in the Hard Ground by British author G. V. Anderson is up next. This first paragraph told me it was going to be good. And it was. Deeply moving, deliciously spooky and so well written. Would love more of this author.
f/f
Themes: there is some seriously bad juju in this house, Marley the zombie bird, Annika.
4.5 Stars
December 24, 2020
Rep: wlw mc & li
March 30, 2021
A creepy yet heartening short story, about a half hour.
This house of dead things holds lots of hauntings, but for new owner Fiona she is more haunted by the memory of her passed on mother.
Unique and touching.
This house of dead things holds lots of hauntings, but for new owner Fiona she is more haunted by the memory of her passed on mother.
Unique and touching.
January 1, 2024
i liked where this was going, but the narrative style is very much not for me. whoever popularized the no quotation marks for dialogue movement needs to die.
September 19, 2021
Hearts in the Hard Ground (Những trái tim trong nền đất cứng): Sau cái chết của mẹ, Fiona muốn bắt đầu một chương mới của cuộc đời ở một nơi ít gợi lại những ký ức đau buồn hơn. Cô không hề hay biết ngôi nhà mình mới mua cũng có lịch sử u sầu của riêng nó. Trong lúc học cách sống chung với những hồn ma cùng nỗi mất mát của họ, liệu Fiona có tìm ra cách để xoa dịu chính tâm hồn mình?
Văn đẹp quá, hút hồn mình từ những dòng đầu tiên. Bầu không khí trong truyện nhẹ nhàng, man mác buồn. Mình thích cách tác giả đồng nhất một ngôi nhà ma ám với một con người mang nhiều nỗi niềm u uất. Nỗi đau của nhân vật chính chân thực và nhiều sắc thái: tội lỗi, cô đơn, nghi hoặc,... Truyện có các yếu tố siêu nhiên nhưng không đặt nặng tính kinh dị. Lâu rồi mình mới chấm điểm cao như vậy, cả cốt truyện và văn phong đều hòa hợp với gu đọc của mình. Mình luôn thích các tác phẩm khai thác góc nhìn và trải nghiệm cá nhân của con người.
Văn đẹp quá, hút hồn mình từ những dòng đầu tiên. Bầu không khí trong truyện nhẹ nhàng, man mác buồn. Mình thích cách tác giả đồng nhất một ngôi nhà ma ám với một con người mang nhiều nỗi niềm u uất. Nỗi đau của nhân vật chính chân thực và nhiều sắc thái: tội lỗi, cô đơn, nghi hoặc,... Truyện có các yếu tố siêu nhiên nhưng không đặt nặng tính kinh dị. Lâu rồi mình mới chấm điểm cao như vậy, cả cốt truyện và văn phong đều hòa hợp với gu đọc của mình. Mình luôn thích các tác phẩm khai thác góc nhìn và trải nghiệm cá nhân của con người.
August 24, 2022
After the tragic death of her mother, Fiona moves into a new house to escape from her past regrets and move on with her life. Fiona's mind isn't the only thing that's haunted. Her new house is full of ghostly tenets, some of them replaying their deaths over and over, others with grudges strong enough to gain free will and torment anyone that dares to enter. Fiona deals with the ghosts in unusual ways, bonding with them rather than running away in fear. Having chats with the sorrowful dead is just the perfect therapy she needs to come to terms with her guilt and move on with her life.
Fiona finds that the only way to make peace with the dead is to make peace with herself. She's haunted by the loss of her mother, she remembers all the times she wishes she could've been kinder and all the times she's ruined opportunities because of her unwillingness to let people in. After meeting a girl that understands her pain, she slowly learns to accept her past and exorcise the ghosts of the house and the ghosts in her heart.
***
If you're looking for dark ambient music that's perfect for reading horror, fantasy, sci-fi and other books like this one, then be sure to check out my YouTube Channel called Nightmarish Compositions: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPPs...
Fiona finds that the only way to make peace with the dead is to make peace with herself. She's haunted by the loss of her mother, she remembers all the times she wishes she could've been kinder and all the times she's ruined opportunities because of her unwillingness to let people in. After meeting a girl that understands her pain, she slowly learns to accept her past and exorcise the ghosts of the house and the ghosts in her heart.
***
If you're looking for dark ambient music that's perfect for reading horror, fantasy, sci-fi and other books like this one, then be sure to check out my YouTube Channel called Nightmarish Compositions: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPPs...
May 15, 2022
Hearts in the Hard Ground by G.V. Anderson - 2.5/5★
If you moved in an old house, and found a dead seagull, who then digs its way out of the grave and comes 'knocking' at your window, wouldn't you run like hell?! 'Cos apparently the lady from this story not only doesn't run, but keeps it as a pet!
Let's not even mention the angry ghost and the boy that keeps falling... the old lady knitting quietly I quite liked.
But underneath there is a deeper layer, and the actual core of the story is made of regrets and self-recrimination..
Can be read on Tor.com.
If you moved in an old house, and found a dead seagull, who then digs its way out of the grave and comes 'knocking' at your window, wouldn't you run like hell?! 'Cos apparently the lady from this story not only doesn't run, but keeps it as a pet!
Let's not even mention the angry ghost and the boy that keeps falling... the old lady knitting quietly I quite liked.
But underneath there is a deeper layer, and the actual core of the story is made of regrets and self-recrimination..
"You think you’re a kind person, you know? You grow up hearing people, strangers, say aren’t you a nice girl? You drop your change into collection boxes for RICE, say hello to the homeless; you hold doors open for the elderly. It’s kindness at arm’s length, but still, you tell yourself you are kind. Slowly, time and circumstance erode your conviction: you hope you are kind."
Can be read on Tor.com.
September 26, 2020
A short story from Tor.com, tells the haunting story of a woman mourning the death of her mother and more a into a house that's plagued by ghosts of others.
I thought this would trigger me in some instances but I'm glad it didn't. It's a beautiful and sad ghost story, that dives into grief and the human psyche, with the question at its core being: am I kind?
It goes on to explore the history of this new house and the story behind the ghosts, whilst splicing in our main characters own losses, guilt and grief as she learns to move on and enjoy the life she has.
Unfortunately, I didn't get as much of an emotional connection to the story as I would have hoped (my own fault really, as I was surrounded by distractions), but I can't fault the good storytelling and use of themes.
Beautiful cover art too.
Available here, if you'd like to read it for yourself: https://www.tor.com/2020/09/09/hearts...
Pick it up, give it a go and enjoy! >(^_^)<
Gén
I thought this would trigger me in some instances but I'm glad it didn't. It's a beautiful and sad ghost story, that dives into grief and the human psyche, with the question at its core being: am I kind?
It goes on to explore the history of this new house and the story behind the ghosts, whilst splicing in our main characters own losses, guilt and grief as she learns to move on and enjoy the life she has.
Unfortunately, I didn't get as much of an emotional connection to the story as I would have hoped (my own fault really, as I was surrounded by distractions), but I can't fault the good storytelling and use of themes.
Beautiful cover art too.
Available here, if you'd like to read it for yourself: https://www.tor.com/2020/09/09/hearts...
Pick it up, give it a go and enjoy! >(^_^)<
Gén
September 26, 2022
A bit boring but hey! Look at that cover!
February 10, 2021
English Review Below.
قصة عن شابة تدعى "فيونا" تحاول بدء حياتها من جديد بعد وفاة أمها، التي عاشت معها حياتها كلها تقريبا، وتقرر أن تشتري منزلا قديما متهالكا وتجعله بيتها، ولكنه مسكون بطائر شبه ميت وبأشباح حقيقية مرتبطة بتاريخ ذلك المنزل. عبر تلك المخلوقات الغريبة التي تحيط فيونا نفسها بها، تحاول أن تتقبل وفاة أمها وحالتها التي كانت تسبق الوفاة والذنب الدائم الذي تشعر به. قصة مرعبة فيها بعض اللحظات المخيفة والجمل الجميلة، لكنها لم تكن مؤثرة كفاية.
قرأتها على موقع tor.com
I'm still conflicted about this story. It deals with the grief our main character deal with after the death of her mother, and she seems like she's been an abusive mother? She's been taking care of her and living with her for all of her life almost, and she now has to navigate living on her own. She buys a rusty old house and tries to make it a home, but of course it's haunted with a zombie-like bird and actual ghosts from that house's past. Fiona, the main character, tries to come to terms with a lot of things, and somehow her haunted house and an unexpected companion help her on the way.
It was eerie and had some beautiful passages, but it just didn't pack that perfect punch.
I read it on Tor's website for free.
قصة عن شابة تدعى "فيونا" تحاول بدء حياتها من جديد بعد وفاة أمها، التي عاشت معها حياتها كلها تقريبا، وتقرر أن تشتري منزلا قديما متهالكا وتجعله بيتها، ولكنه مسكون بطائر شبه ميت وبأشباح حقيقية مرتبطة بتاريخ ذلك المنزل. عبر تلك المخلوقات الغريبة التي تحيط فيونا نفسها بها، تحاول أن تتقبل وفاة أمها وحالتها التي كانت تسبق الوفاة والذنب الدائم الذي تشعر به. قصة مرعبة فيها بعض اللحظات المخيفة والجمل الجميلة، لكنها لم تكن مؤثرة كفاية.
قرأتها على موقع tor.com
I'm still conflicted about this story. It deals with the grief our main character deal with after the death of her mother, and she seems like she's been an abusive mother? She's been taking care of her and living with her for all of her life almost, and she now has to navigate living on her own. She buys a rusty old house and tries to make it a home, but of course it's haunted with a zombie-like bird and actual ghosts from that house's past. Fiona, the main character, tries to come to terms with a lot of things, and somehow her haunted house and an unexpected companion help her on the way.
It was eerie and had some beautiful passages, but it just didn't pack that perfect punch.
I read it on Tor's website for free.
November 10, 2025
so you’re telling me i need a haunted house to find a girlfriend? noted
September 11, 2020
Fue muy atmosférico, me encantó! 😍
December 7, 2024
The free hours stretch on forever when you don't have someone else to worry over, and you wonder what you could possibly fill them with. What are your interests, your hobbies? You hardly know yourself. I brought someone back to the house one night - a man, because I didn't dare deviate from the familiar - and when he asked how to make me come, I couldn't say. I'd forgotten what I liked.
This is a second story I read from Anderson, the first being The Harvest of a Half-Known Life which wasn't the usual thing I would reach for but interesting nevertheless.
I picked this one because of the cover (which we dubbed as "lazing lesbians") but honestly the cover is a bit misleading. This is a sapphic story, but it takes some time for that aspect to come up and it's not quite as the cover would make you believe. Anyway, it was highly enjoyable and I highlighted a lot. My favourite part of the story was the undead albatros pet... I'm not going to say more on that front, but this story made me cry over a zombie... The story has an unreliable narrator of sorts, so it's not always clear what happened (it's not because she lies to the reader but more because of some internal issues) and that was sometimes frustrating, but also relatable in a way. It was a weird one for sure, but I think I would recommend? An interesting read for sure.
Read it for free here: https://reactormag.com/hearts-in-the-...
November 2, 2020
Managed to unnerve me despite the extreme domesticity.
The big problem with stories about haunted houses is why anyone would ever stay in them after the first bad night. The stories require a stupefied lack of agency to get through their second acts. So too here, but it isn't very irksome. The other big problem is the lack of empirical spirit from the protagonists - can we finish philosophy of mind by enlisting the ghosts? There's a little bit of that here, but mostly just the old emotional haunting.
The big problem with stories about haunted houses is why anyone would ever stay in them after the first bad night. The stories require a stupefied lack of agency to get through their second acts. So too here, but it isn't very irksome. The other big problem is the lack of empirical spirit from the protagonists - can we finish philosophy of mind by enlisting the ghosts? There's a little bit of that here, but mostly just the old emotional haunting.
September 17, 2020
A creepy little short story about grief, regret and accepting yourself. The ending and relationship felt too quick though! Would have preferred this as a full novel, but I enjoyed it nonetheless.
Available on Tor's website.
Available on Tor's website.
February 25, 2025
a good and quick read for an evening, but tbh not much more than that. it feels like the author wanted to explore certain themes further but didn’t, and i wish they had because the pacing of the story feels slightly uneven in some parts. for me, the house was the best character and i wish we had seen more of fiona’s relationship with her mom.
if you came for horror yuri, just go read something else; imo not enough yuri nor horror ☝🏻😔
if you came for horror yuri, just go read something else; imo not enough yuri nor horror ☝🏻😔
December 27, 2023
This book had the heart of Ava Reid, Shirley Jackson, and a sprinkle of Edgar Allan Poe. A haunted house with such a dense atmosphere you could cut it. I loved this one so much, but I do wish it was a bit longer to flesh out some of the plot line and symbolism.
cw: animal death, parent death, child death, gore, death
cw: animal death, parent death, child death, gore, death
December 29, 2023
I really don’t understand what this was about, but the writing was reallllyyy pretty and very Ava Reid coded
March 17, 2024
Short and spooky as expected, though I would’ve liked 10 more pages about confronting Patricia and 10 more about Claire and Charlie finding peace.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 13, 2025
I bought this a while ago and didn't know how short it was until now 😅
Otherwise, it was alright. Spooky and Sapphic
Otherwise, it was alright. Spooky and Sapphic
November 26, 2020
Following the death of her mother, Fiona moves into a new house, but the ghosts of former residents haunt her new home as much as Fiona’s guilt and grief haunt her.
The way Anderson weaves equal amounts of pathos, creepiness, humour, and poignancy into this brief tale is really impressive. Above all, she does a fantastic job of capturing the fine lines between love and hate, and care and cruelty, as Fiona reflects on the strain of watching her mother’s declining mental state. Anyone who has seen a loved one fall into the grips of dementia will know this unique frustration all too well.
Evoking hauntings both real and self-inflicted, with some striking imagery and a lot of heart throughout, this is an emotionally complex story that says a lot in few words about the pain of letting go.
The way Anderson weaves equal amounts of pathos, creepiness, humour, and poignancy into this brief tale is really impressive. Above all, she does a fantastic job of capturing the fine lines between love and hate, and care and cruelty, as Fiona reflects on the strain of watching her mother’s declining mental state. Anyone who has seen a loved one fall into the grips of dementia will know this unique frustration all too well.
Evoking hauntings both real and self-inflicted, with some striking imagery and a lot of heart throughout, this is an emotionally complex story that says a lot in few words about the pain of letting go.
September 12, 2020
I read this masterful haunted house story in one sitting, as I have very much enjoyed the author's previous stories, especially I Am Not I and The Harvest of a Half-Known Life. I'd consider myself a fan and was delighted to see something new.
I was not disappointed! In 'Hearts,' Anderson somehow manages to capture loss, love, regret, and humor so seamlessly. She has a great control of language, powerful descriptions, amazing characterizations, and such fun and interesting additions (like the unlikely 'mascot' in the story) that make an already engrossing experience that much more entertaining and meaningful.
Well worth the read! I'm seriously in awe!
I was not disappointed! In 'Hearts,' Anderson somehow manages to capture loss, love, regret, and humor so seamlessly. She has a great control of language, powerful descriptions, amazing characterizations, and such fun and interesting additions (like the unlikely 'mascot' in the story) that make an already engrossing experience that much more entertaining and meaningful.
Well worth the read! I'm seriously in awe!
June 2, 2022
Liked the "ghosts representing regret/trauma" part of this a lot. But I don't feel like it made a lot of sense plot-wise. For one thing, why isn't the MC more freaked out by
September 16, 2020
Very creepy and well-told, perfect for the season. I feel like this would have been better as a full novel, though. Fiona barely had space to grow and I would have loved to have seen more of Annika. It was still very good, but it felt like glimpses or excerpts of something that could have been much deeper.
September 12, 2020
Really liked this one. So poignant and aching, but also hopeful. The ending made me tear up, but, like, in a happy way.
July 3, 2022
that was really cozy,, and quite sad as well. but cathartic in the end
Displaying 1 - 30 of 139 reviews