Content levels
Trigger warnings
Positive tags
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Themes
Synopsis
A young family receives a surprise when old Uncle Ian dies and leaves them a cottage in north Wales. For Ian’s nephew and his wife Ann, it seems a stroke of incredible good fortune, enabling them to leave their life in the city for a newfound freedom in the remote seaside cottage. There’s just one catch. Uncle Ian’s will has an unusual condition: the couple must care for his pet cormorant or forfeit the bequest. The will’s provision seems harmless enough at first, but when their young son Harry develops a strange fascination for the increasingly sinister and malevolent bird, they soon find that Uncle Ian’s gift may not be a blessing, but a curse.
Is The Cormorant appropriate for my child?
Suitable for most readers 16 and up.
A psychological horror novel featuring a malevolent bird that exerts sinister influence over a young child, creating escalating dread and familial tension. Contains disturbing animal behavior and implied threats to the child's wellbeing.
What to know going in
This book has moderate violence, no sexual content, and mild language. Content notes include animal harm, psychological horror, and child in peril (see the full list above).
Who'll love this
Adult readers who enjoy atmospheric Gothic horror with a slow-building sense of dread will find this tale of a cursed inheritance compelling.