Book Review | “The Midnight Feast” by Lucy Foley
A Summer Mystery Where the Past Will Always Find You
An ideal summer read, Lucey Foley transports the reader to a fantastical retreat in the woods of Tome, a village on the Dorset Coastline in the south of England.
The village is home to generations of farmers and laborers, valuing hard work and respecting the land and its history. According to local folklore, the area is protected by large, beaked, black-feathered creatures called “The Birds” which keep the woods and the town safe. Whether believed or not, the locals honor the “The Birds” by not disturbing the beautiful elder trees in the woods and preserving the village as much as possible, not taking kindly to outsiders that don’t take it seriously.
In this idyllic yet simple setting, the story travels alternately between the present and a summer fifteen years earlier, following the perspectives of Bella, Francesca, Eddie, Owen, DI Walker, and a summer journal but not everyone is who they seem.
The main storyline centers around the rich and powerful Meadows family at their summer home and the local teens caught in their web. The family consists of young, entitled Francesca Meadows and her equally terrible twin brothers, Hugo and Oscar, spending the summer with their wasp Grandparents, lovingly referred to as “the Olds” by the teen trio.
As the past unfolds, we quickly learn how the Meadows trio used their generational wealth and the amenities of their summer property to lure in local teens to be pawns in their twisted games, leading to a life-altering experience for all.
Cut to the present, adult Francesca Meadows is back in Tome and has inherited her Grandparents’ property, set to open a luxury hotel in its stead, called The Manor. She has a luxurious opening weekend planned, culminating in a midnight feast expected to be a real banger.
As opening weekend approaches, strange occurrences begin to happen, threatening the success of the hotel launch and bringing the past into question.
Those that have the most to hide are the easiest to frighten.
“The Midnight Feast” is in a multi-perspective format, which often creates early hoops for the reader to jump through as they play catch up on who is who as they work to differentiate the different voices. But Foley does this work for the reader, making it easy to identify each character while masterfully weaving their viewpoint into the story. The reader gets to sit back, relax, and enjoy the ride.
The pacing and the connectivity of the novel are magical, also contributing to a stellar reading and/or listening experience. It feels seamless and smooth as Foley organically connects various perspectives, stories, and time.
And the characters! The characters are vast and complex, with so many to root for. Childhoods have been ravaged and we explore how everyone grows up and deals with it…or doesn’t.
In contrast, the privileged Meadows family is deliciously evil and you love to hate them. Their existence in the story highlights the imbalance of power and money in the world, spotlighting the rich given every advantage with everyone else barely keeping their heads above water begging for some respite.
Also, what role do “The Birds” play? They are crucial characters, exploring how local lore acts as the arbiter of the woods, safeguarding the magnificent trees and the nature around them.
Throughout, Foley examines themes involving class, money, folklore, the environment, ownership, and truth — imploring the reader to ask themselves: what is a lie worth?
“The Midnight Feast” is a feast for your brain, giving you everything you’re looking for and leaving you full and satisfied. Foley is an expert storyteller, drawing you into a world of mystery, mistakes, and the aftermath.
From start to finish, you’ll be hooked, thinking about it often, wishing you could be reading it at all times.
And no spoilers but the last line will be such a satisfying nod to earlier in the book, it will give the reader a menacing chuckle and a smile, capping off a supreme and entertaining experience.
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐½
“The Midnight Feast”: A mesmerizing mystery of money, power, and lies, where the past never forgets and no one is what they seem.
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