English Chess Forum

Equally atmospheric is Sam Lloyd’s first novel, The Memory Wood (Bantam, £12.99). Abducted from a chess tournament in Bournemouth, 13-year-old prodigy Elissa is imprisoned in a cellar in a house in the mysterious “Memory Wood”, where she is visited by strange, lonely Elijah. He isn’t quite all there, but Elissa is clever and resourceful beyond her years – just as well, because although Elijah is desperate to keep his new friend she must persuade him to help her escape by indulging his Hansel & Gretel fantasy while putting the strategies and gambits of the chessboard to good use. DS Mairéad McCullagh’s investigation makes a serviceable parallel narrative, and the villains are Stephen King-lite, but what makes this book special is the marvellously executed subterranean power game. Superbly creepy, with an unexpected twist, this is a very grim modern fairytale.