Hay Festival Special: The Hill in the Dark Grove

The Aberystwyth Book Club are at Hay Festival 2026 discussing The Hill in the Dark Grove by Liam Higginson.
An atmospheric folk horror, set deep in the Welsh mountains of Eryri that tells the story of Carwyn and Rhian, a married couple in their sixties who are lifelong sheep farmers.

When Carwyn discovers a buried prehistoric ruin in one of the fields on their land, his curiosity quickly descends into obsession. His wife Rhian, meanwhile, is confronted with the growing realisation that the man with whom she shares her life and home is becoming a frightening stranger. As the harsh winter closes in, Rhian finds herself alone with her increasingly peculiar husband, and the mountains, and the looming megalithic stones.

The Hill in the Dark Grove is a story about a lost way of life and the terrifying lengths we go to to protect what we know.

Presented by Hannah Loy
Readers: Ffion Jones, Gareth James, Leela Churchill and Roger Boyle
Produced by Read the Room Productions