As I read The Midnight Feast by Lucy Foley I was a little confused. What WAS I reading? Apparently The Midnight Feast is Folk Horror. What is that and how does The Midnight Feast compare to The Guest List and The Paris Apartment? Let’s discuss it!
The Midnight Feast by Lucy Foley: Summary
- To be published on June 18, 2024 by William Morrow
- 368 pages
- Grab the Barnes and Noble Exclusive Edition here! (this is an affiliate link)
- More books by Lucy Foley: The Hunting Party, The Guest List, The Paris Apartment, plus two earlier works of historical romance.
- The book currently has a 3.79 Goodreads rating, with some readers loving it and others finding it slow-paced (true) with unlikeable characters (I disagree!)
- Thanks to the publisher for sending me an advance copy for review consideration
The Midnight Feast: Jen’s Quick Take
- Yes, The Midnight Feast is folk horror, which is “horror fiction that uses elements of folklore, including a rural setting, isolation, and themes of superstition, folk religion, paganism, sacrifice and the dark aspects of nature.” Check, check, checkity-check.
- If the idea of reading horror scares you, I’m a scaredy cat and the horror in this is more mild than wild. NO graphic violence or things that gave me nightmares.
- If you ARE a horror fan, The Midnight Feast has a slow pace, making it feel a bit like slow burn suspense with folk horror elements. Maybe it’s really folk suspense?
- To me, not much seemed to be happening in the present but then (most) everything tied together at the end. Like Daughter of Mine.
- There WAS a lot going on narrative-wise, with short chapters, three timelines, an epistolary element and four POVs.
- I recommend this to fans of Alex North as this reminded me a bit of The Angel Maker.
The Midnight Feast: Jen’s Analysis
I will be honest: the first time I read The Midnight Feast, I was not the biggest fan
Despite the book’s short chapters and Big Little Lies-style body discovery in the opening pages, I was not enthralled.
The characters were mysterious and their motives unclear. I agree with the readers that felt that most were unlikeable, though I think that was the case in most of Foley’s prior books.
The action felt mundane: preparations for a fancy summer solstice party, mild tension between the guests of a new resort on the Dorset coast and some disgruntled locals, and the police investigating that body, which I knew would not be identified until the book’s last pages.
There were three timelines: one on the day of the Midnight Feast, a summer solstice party at a new resort on the Dorset coast; one the following day, and one that played out in the pages of a teen’s summer journal from 2010.
Some readers loved the 2010 journal element and others really disliked it. I was neutral. I loved the funny Y2K references but I wasn’t sure where things were going.
However, the journal was necessary to understand the surprising reveals at the end and avoid a huge info-dump (which I never enjoy.)
On the positive side, everything DOES really come together at the end
There are lots of tiny clues and breadcrumbs dropped throughout all the different narratives. (I’m a fast reader, so I don’t always do well with subtlety and tiny clues.) But I did appreciate the craftsmanship of this story.
What about the folk horror?
Themes of folk stories and superstition are not really my thing. The book references a 2019 Swedish folk horror movie called Midsommer which sounds really out there.
There is an animal sacrifice (not depicted but part of the plot) but that stuff is not really the center of the story.
The Midnight Feast: Spoilers and the Ending Explained
Below I will leave protected spoilers for the ending of The Summer Feast and the Ending Explained. If you want a chronological account, you can grab my longer Spoiler Discussion Post. If you are reading or listening there is a LOT that can confuse you and I’m not sure I have it all figured out either.
SPOILERS BELOW! To protect readers who HATE being spoiled you will need to click on the blue “Show Me” box below and log in with a Grow account, Facebook, or Google. By doing so, you will be added to my email list and receive weekly updates about new books! For more information on why I protect my spoilers, please read this post! If you are having any issues check this tutorial OR leave a comment below as I want to help!
This book was a LOT. Feel free to leave comments below. Spoilers are fine. Let’s figure this out together! I’m still trying to figure out who locked the twins in the wine cellar….
Also check out my list of New Folk Horror books to read!
