Hope Wharf by Mark Towse
Hope Wharf is a novella by Mark Towse, an Englishman living in Australia who would, and I quote, “sell his soul to the devil or anyone buying if it meant he could write full-time.” Hope Wharf was published by World Castle Publishing, LLC on August 16, 2021, and it is 188 pages in length. This is the second book I’ve read by Mark Towse, and he is quickly becoming an author whose work is a must have for me.
This is a story about Hope Wharf, a small town in Great Britain that has one road leading in and out of the area. The people who live there can’t leave, yet vacationers are able to come and go as they please. Ryan is determined to solve the mystery and discover the secrets that no one wants to talk about - especially his parents. With the help of his best friend Zac, they find themselves in the middle of a situation that will change their lives, and the town, forever.
The story starts out with an exciting scene that sets the stage to keep the reader wondering and searching, along with Ryan and Zac, for the underlying secret that is holding the town of Hope Wharf hostage. That’s not the only mystery, though. Ryan has experienced a medical condition all of his life that has no explanation, at least not one that anyone is willing to give. The story unfolds as you explore, discover, and recoil at the clues these teenage boys stumble upon along the way. The main character Ryan is a teenager, so you’re going to enjoy a bit of teenage banter between him and Zac throughout the story. This book is not considered Young Adult, though. The Amazon reading age is listed as 18 years old, and the book is listed as being in the Occult Horror and Occult Fiction categories. I’m assuming the age listing is due to some of the gory and graphic depictions in a few scenes. There aren’t a lot of these moments, so don’t be shy about grabbing this book if you aren’t a huge gore fan. If you read Towse’s book Nana and enjoyed it, Hope Wharf will bring the same level of excitement but less gory details.
Speaking of Nana, I actually laughed to myself as I was reading because there is another interesting elder character in Hope Wharf. He brings his own style of oddity and creepiness, and I think readers will eat him right up - along with some of his delicious and irresistible candies. Towse has a way of taking our views of senior citizens and turning them on their heads. I love it, and I think readers will love finding out more about this sugar peddling curmudgeon.
At one point while reading, I had a moment where the pilot episode of The Twilight Zone called “Where is Everybody” popped into my head. If you’ve seen that episode, you know that the main character is feeling lonely, desperate, and stranded in solitude. The feeling of desperation was overwhelming both for the character and myself. Towse has a similar situation going on with Ryan in one scene, and it had me on the edge of my seat. Add in the mysterious fog that roils across the town, and you’ve got a great feeling of suspense and unease. I couldn’t put this story down.
This is an unexpected and unorthodox coming of age story. Ryan undergoes a huge transformation in his life, and it is fun to watch him make discoveries about himself, the people he loves, and the town. It’s a lot to handle, but he takes it in stride and finds a way to make peace with the past and forge on with his future.
Some themes in this book are temptation and gluttony. Towse lured us with pie in Nana, and in Hope Wharf he uses delicious candy. I wonder what he will use to entice me next. Whatever it is, I’m ready to indulge.
