Pine

by Francine Toon · 2020

When a lone woman stumbles onto a remote Highland road on Halloween, Niall drives her to his isolated pine‑filled village, only for her to vanish by morning. Daughter Lauren, who lives with her father in the shadow of towering pines, is already haunted by the disappearance of her own mother a decade ago and by the strange, brutal death of a local trapper. As the community’s secrets surface—locked doors, stone circles, and a teenage girl’s sudden disappearance—Lauren turns to tarot cards, hoping to decode her father’s turbulent mind and the darkness that grips the village. Francine Toon weaves a chilling, claustrophobic tale of rural childhood, hidden rage, and the relentless pull of the forest, earning the McIlvanney Prize for its eerie, unforgettable atmosphere.