Fiction

Hawk Mountain

Hawk Mountain

  • Downloads：7954
  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2022-07-24 06:52:52
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Conner Habib
  • ISBN：1781620601
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Summary

An unsettling and emotional riveting thriller about fathers and sons， revenge and forgiveness and ghosts from our past。 A book not to read alone in the dark。。。

Thirty-three-year-old Todd is playing at the beach with his son， Anthony， when he catches sight of an approaching figure。 Instantly， he recognizes Jack， his high school tormentor。

Todd hasn't seen Jack since school， and yet here he is - radiant， repentant， and overjoyed to have run into Todd。 Jack suggests a meal to catch up。 And could he spend the night？ He's in an unfamiliar town after all。

Caught off guard by this chance interaction， Todd finds himself unable to escape Jack's charismatic and insistent presence in his life。 But then Todd's past starts to catch up with him and Jack isn't going anywhere。

What follows is a fast-paced story of obsession and suspense as Jack pushes Todd to the brink， showing that love and hate can be intertwined until the very last breath 。。。

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Reviews

Matthew ，

Not sure this does what it thinks it does。 I needed it to be darker， dirtier， and I needed more time with the first act。 I was not invested in the intrigue enough before it just went and switched itself up。

nicole ，

this blew my fucking mind。 so so so good

Holly Hurst ，

This was gripping- I finished in one evening。 Got much darker than I expected 😬

Marla ，

This was a solid 1 star until about a third of the way through when it “turned” （and I never saw it coming） and then I couldn’t put it down。 I had to skim the gore and that is Gore with a capital G。 Reader beware。 Weirdest story ever with some character behavior that didn’t really ring true but I kept turning pages at a frenzied pace。 That counts for something。

Sherrie ，

I don’t think I was the intended audience， and I just didn’t get it。 Really gory and disturbing in a way that you should never read this while eating。

Justin HC ，

A pitch black fable about toxic masculinity。 Gripping， suspenseful， perfectly paced。 The allusion to Rope is apt - Habib has a Hitchcockian sense for technical mechanics of bleak， tense storytelling。 Impressive that he found a way to tell this story not in first-person from Todd's perspective but via shifting perspectives （even Livia's and Anthony's， though never Jack's） - which enhances the themes of the unknowability of others， how childhood and upbringing informs how a person is shaped， the i A pitch black fable about toxic masculinity。 Gripping， suspenseful， perfectly paced。 The allusion to Rope is apt - Habib has a Hitchcockian sense for technical mechanics of bleak， tense storytelling。 Impressive that he found a way to tell this story not in first-person from Todd's perspective but via shifting perspectives （even Livia's and Anthony's， though never Jack's） - which enhances the themes of the unknowability of others， how childhood and upbringing informs how a person is shaped， the impact of secrets kept from others and ourselves。 The Anthony chapter is especially impactful in terms of tying together imagery about how memory spreads and poisons - Todd is the absolute picture of internalized homophobia， truly poisoned by his toxic high school experience。 Conner is also a fabulous podcaster and a true intellectual。 To have pulled off something so pulpy， propulsive， lucid， and readable is a real accomplishment。 A major debut and recommendation！ 。。。more

Robert Swanson ，

Horror that fashions itself as normalcy this was a difficult read because it was so graphic。 I read each chapter in a cringe worthy state because I knew it had nowhere to go but very low and deep。 So well written and propulsive。

ScottK ，

📚 ***Book Review*** 📚4✨'sI picked this up at B&N during their buy 1 hardback get one 50% off having never even heard of it。 It was an odd book but I really enjoyed it！ This is a debut for Conner Habib， so I will be looking forward to more from him。 📚 ***Book Review*** 📚4✨'sI picked this up at B&N during their buy 1 hardback get one 50% off having never even heard of it。 It was an odd book but I really enjoyed it！ This is a debut for Conner Habib， so I will be looking forward to more from him。 。。。more

Deborah ，

Todd， a 30-something single father， is resting on his local New England beach， watching his 6-year old son play in the waves， when he is approached by a stranger—who turns out not to be a stranger at all。 It’s Jack， who had bullied him relentlessly in high school， turning Todd from a moderately popular， happy kid into a confused， bruised outcast。 Jack seems delighted to have run into Todd， and soon worms his way into his life， inviting himself to stay at Todd’s house。 Todd is reluctant but helpl Todd， a 30-something single father， is resting on his local New England beach， watching his 6-year old son play in the waves， when he is approached by a stranger—who turns out not to be a stranger at all。 It’s Jack， who had bullied him relentlessly in high school， turning Todd from a moderately popular， happy kid into a confused， bruised outcast。 Jack seems delighted to have run into Todd， and soon worms his way into his life， inviting himself to stay at Todd’s house。 Todd is reluctant but helpless against the charismatic Jack’s charm， who seems to have no memory or awareness of turning Todd’s life into hell 15 years earlier。 What ensues is a Hitchcockian dance， taut with high but unspoken emotion， as Jack seems to be playing some strange game that Todd can’t quite keep up with。 I don’t want to say more to avoid spoilers。 Suffice to say there is a horrifying peak， then a gradual mental unfurling。 One quibble: perhaps it’s meant to be obvious， but I’m a fairly careful reader， and I’m just not positive I understand what happened to the little boy at the end。 （I even rewound and listened again。） I mean， I think I know， but… 。。。more

Ashley Reel ，

Dark and mesmerizing。 A book full of characters you live to hate， where you’re not sure who you are rooting for。 Left me unsettled。

Matthew ，

4/ So unsettling and gripping， right from the gate。 I gobbled up the 320 pages in 24 hours， I can't say it's because I *enjoyed* it， because I actually found the novel deeply disturbing。 I liked the book， but needed to be out of the headspace it put me in-- a true feat for an author of literary thriller/horror！ Strong themes of the trauma of coming of age， bullying， the concentric and overlapping circles of influence that are the result of said trauma。 I wish we knew a little more about why Jack 4/ So unsettling and gripping， right from the gate。 I gobbled up the 320 pages in 24 hours， I can't say it's because I *enjoyed* it， because I actually found the novel deeply disturbing。 I liked the book， but needed to be out of the headspace it put me in-- a true feat for an author of literary thriller/horror！ Strong themes of the trauma of coming of age， bullying， the concentric and overlapping circles of influence that are the result of said trauma。 I wish we knew a little more about why Jack arrived and what his actual motives were。 。。。more

Sean McKenzie ，

Disturbing， innit？

Aleksandra Pletneva ，

I didn't get the ending at all， plus the whole book is kinda disturbing and there are very explicit gore parts， so not recommending this to sensitive people like me。 I'll go back to this book when more reviews appear - maybe there'll be someone who'll explain the ending to me lol I didn't get the ending at all， plus the whole book is kinda disturbing and there are very explicit gore parts， so not recommending this to sensitive people like me。 I'll go back to this book when more reviews appear - maybe there'll be someone who'll explain the ending to me lol 。。。more

Tina ，

What did I just read？

Linda clines ，

Not for everyone！ Dark and troubling content but a well written story！

Louis ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 I'm rounding my 3。5/5 review up to a 4 star rating because I think the author has a lot of potential， and I would love to see him continue to write， because he is obviously skilled at his craft。 I think this was an ambitious story that had some pitfalls， and I ultimately wanted a bit more from the characters。 I think the plot threads at the end that were left unfinished were left that way on purpose， but that didn't make it less unsatisfying to read。I loved the ending of the story， and I think i I'm rounding my 3。5/5 review up to a 4 star rating because I think the author has a lot of potential， and I would love to see him continue to write， because he is obviously skilled at his craft。 I think this was an ambitious story that had some pitfalls， and I ultimately wanted a bit more from the characters。 I think the plot threads at the end that were left unfinished were left that way on purpose， but that didn't make it less unsatisfying to read。I loved the ending of the story， and I think it was smart to leave that memory till the end， as it sort of redefines the rest of the book and changes how you view Todd's actions。 But， in the real-time present portion of the book， I feel like I needed something a bit more than what I got。 I would have loved for the first half of the story to be a bit longer， or for that section to have gone more in depth on Todd's feelings， for maybe something more to have happened， but ultimately I still think it was a good story。I think the story may have benefitted from some unreality， maybe if Jack talked back to Todd or if Todd started to see things that weren't there more often， I would have felt some more of his paranoia and his anxiety。 I liked the moments where we could see Todd's messages before he decided to change them， I wanted some more of those demonstrations of his mental state and his thought processes。I also wish that the stream of consciousness section with Anthony was more of a true stream of consciousness。 I think moving back and forth between Anthony's POV and the narration of the story explaining what Anthony's thoughts actually mean sort of took away from the impact of the section， I would have rather extracted the meaning myself。At the end of the day: I think this book is good。 It has some pitfalls and I think the author sometimes gets caught up in his own prose， but it is still a captivating read --- I was happy to buy it and read it on my breaks working at a bookstore， and I finished it in two days despite my busy schedule。 If it wasn't good， I would have just put it down。 。。。more

Jennifer Garber ，

At times gory and horrifying and at times so relatable I almost cried。 A very real， very sad story that compelled me faster and faster to the end。

Trace Nichols ，

DNF20% in twice and nothing to grab a hold of。

Mark James ，

This was a disturbing novel。 It was an unpleasant but well-written work。

Jeremy Savage ，

I’ve been listening to Conner Habib for so long and listening to him talk about books for so long and it makes me really happy seeing how good his debut novel is。 I loved it。 The book made me feel things， consistently。 And maybe most of all， reading this book just made me excited to read whatever comes next。

BookChampions ，

I haven't read a book this fast in a long time， and I loved every second of it。 I found it impossible to turn away from。*Hawk Mountain*， a debut novel by @againsteveryonewithconnerhabib （who also has a thoughtful podcast I've started to listen to） plays out like a thriller but this novel is pure horror。It's expert use of time jumps and foreshadowing and withholding was so effective and unsettling; the gruesome moments left me breathless。 And I cared about the main character。A bit of *The Talente I haven't read a book this fast in a long time， and I loved every second of it。 I found it impossible to turn away from。*Hawk Mountain*， a debut novel by @againsteveryonewithconnerhabib （who also has a thoughtful podcast I've started to listen to） plays out like a thriller but this novel is pure horror。It's expert use of time jumps and foreshadowing and withholding was so effective and unsettling; the gruesome moments left me breathless。 And I cared about the main character。A bit of *The Talented Mr。 Ripley* and a heavy dose of the bloodiest of Alfred Hitchcock scenes， *Hawk Mountain* gave me a glorious rush to satisfy my hunger for horror。 Plus， it's queer！ Plus， it examines masculinity！ Plus， you'll want to discuss and argue over the ending。 Go read it！ 。。。more

Euthymios Logothetis ，

I'm still processing， but I recommend this to anyone with the slightest curiosity。 Felt to me like an expanded version of a short story by Poe or Kafka， but populated by characters with rich emotional landscapes which are exposed only in slivers。 I hoped to live with the book for a week or so， but couldn't put it down and read it in an afternoon。 At times， Habib will keep characters interiority at a distance， then suddenly drop the reader straight into the heart of their emotional churn， which h I'm still processing， but I recommend this to anyone with the slightest curiosity。 Felt to me like an expanded version of a short story by Poe or Kafka， but populated by characters with rich emotional landscapes which are exposed only in slivers。 I hoped to live with the book for a week or so， but couldn't put it down and read it in an afternoon。 At times， Habib will keep characters interiority at a distance， then suddenly drop the reader straight into the heart of their emotional churn， which has an intoxicating effect。 The brief passage which is told through the consciousness of a child is especially potent， and recalled a state of mind I didn't know I remembered。 Whether remembered or implanted by the passage itself I still don't know。 Can't wait to read whatever is next from Conner Habib。 。。。more

Jeff T Talbott ，

3。5 stars。

Kabir ，

DNF after the end of part 1。 The first half was very interesting and suspenseful。 Why was the high school bully insinuating himself into the main character's life？ The themes of repressed homoeroticism and internalized homophobia were well done。 Unfortunately after the murder occurred （no spoilers here， it's pretty clear that it's a murder mystery of sorts）， the book became too much for me。 I think it would have potentially been a more interesting book （at least for me） if there had been a conve DNF after the end of part 1。 The first half was very interesting and suspenseful。 Why was the high school bully insinuating himself into the main character's life？ The themes of repressed homoeroticism and internalized homophobia were well done。 Unfortunately after the murder occurred （no spoilers here， it's pretty clear that it's a murder mystery of sorts）， the book became too much for me。 I think it would have potentially been a more interesting book （at least for me） if there had been a conversation where the two main characters would address their attraction to each other。 Maybe the main character could have reminded the bully of how he treated him during high school。 The murder just sort of happened all of a sudden。 。。。more

scams ，

dnf’d at 50% found todd to be immensely unlikable in an unfun way。 i found the exploration of gayness and masculinity was extremely shallow， the homophobic （and racist） bully who is actually gay and in love with his gay presenting target has been so overdone that if i see it in a contemporary space it better be perfect。 there were so many odd clichés when it came to the portrayal of characters it made feel like i was reading a story from a fake AITA reddit post。 the book takes a turn out of nowh dnf’d at 50% found todd to be immensely unlikable in an unfun way。 i found the exploration of gayness and masculinity was extremely shallow， the homophobic （and racist） bully who is actually gay and in love with his gay presenting target has been so overdone that if i see it in a contemporary space it better be perfect。 there were so many odd clichés when it came to the portrayal of characters it made feel like i was reading a story from a fake AITA reddit post。 the book takes a turn out of nowhere that i assume was supposed to be chill/terror inducing but felt ham fisted and zapped any tension that the first part was trying to build。 this may be because i found the adult todd to be extremely annoying。 i really was looking forward to this book because it was pitched to me as something different than it was。 this story is pitched as a thriller but had a lot of trouble building suspense。 i think if i went in with the expectation of it being lit fic i may have held out longer for pay off。 i will say habib’s prose is evocative， and he’s obviously a writer of skill。 just wasn’t for me unfortunately。 very disappointing😔 。。。more

Bonnie Conrad ，

Conner Habib's Hawk Mountain is all the more remarkable for being a debut。 Authors often struggle to find their footing but that is not the case here。The book will unsettle you。， challenge you， knock you off balance and keep you guessing until the final devastating chapter。Hawk Mountain is proof that the everyday terrors we take for granted are far more dangerous and deadly than any demon or supernatural entity。 It is about bullying and unresolved desire and how the scars we give and get in high Conner Habib's Hawk Mountain is all the more remarkable for being a debut。 Authors often struggle to find their footing but that is not the case here。The book will unsettle you。， challenge you， knock you off balance and keep you guessing until the final devastating chapter。Hawk Mountain is proof that the everyday terrors we take for granted are far more dangerous and deadly than any demon or supernatural entity。 It is about bullying and unresolved desire and how the scars we give and get in high school never really go away。This is a remarkable book。 Read it with the lights on。 。。。more

Sofia ，

First love gone wrong - extremely wrong。Habib got the flow between past and present just right， delicate and non invasive。Another thread that keeps rising to the surface of my thoughts is that no matter how hard we try to give our children a better experience than we had growing up， we still do not get it right。 Everything went haywire for Todd in this regard。 Even in dealing with his students he found himself in the part of the aggressor in alienating Banner from his friends。 Habib shows the cy First love gone wrong - extremely wrong。Habib got the flow between past and present just right， delicate and non invasive。Another thread that keeps rising to the surface of my thoughts is that no matter how hard we try to give our children a better experience than we had growing up， we still do not get it right。 Everything went haywire for Todd in this regard。 Even in dealing with his students he found himself in the part of the aggressor in alienating Banner from his friends。 Habib shows the cycle how the abused end up abusing so very well。 。。。more

Leo Rodriguez ，

Dang。I read this in about 24 hours--it's compulsive。 Certainly tense and provocative， at times disturbing and erotic， and other times very begrudgingly erotic。I can't gush about the prose， but I have no complaints either--written well enough！A brisk and worthwhile book。 I suppose my only problem， other than the brief Part Four （a stylistic choice I did not think worked or was convincing）， was concerning the origin of the main character's internalized homophobia。 For a book about the past and pre Dang。I read this in about 24 hours--it's compulsive。 Certainly tense and provocative， at times disturbing and erotic， and other times very begrudgingly erotic。I can't gush about the prose， but I have no complaints either--written well enough！A brisk and worthwhile book。 I suppose my only problem， other than the brief Part Four （a stylistic choice I did not think worked or was convincing）， was concerning the origin of the main character's internalized homophobia。 For a book about the past and present suffusing with each other， there isn't a bevy of details about the rest of his childhood。 Flickers here and there， a few scenes， but unless I missed something， it's still a nagging question that I have。 But I look forward to more work by Conner Habib。 。。。more

Christina Cook ，

You should plan to read this in one sitting。 I don't understand how I could be deeply disturbed and almost comforted？。。。lulled？ 。。。at the same time。 I tried to take a break from reading but couldn't stop thinking about Todd and Jack and had to continue。 I did not like how I felt reading this。 But it was so so so good。Update。。。I went to the beach today。。。not sure that the sand will ever be the same to me。Also， I still can't stop thinking about this book。 I think it will be with me for a long time You should plan to read this in one sitting。 I don't understand how I could be deeply disturbed and almost comforted？。。。lulled？ 。。。at the same time。 I tried to take a break from reading but couldn't stop thinking about Todd and Jack and had to continue。 I did not like how I felt reading this。 But it was so so so good。Update。。。I went to the beach today。。。not sure that the sand will ever be the same to me。Also， I still can't stop thinking about this book。 I think it will be with me for a long time。 。。。more

Mitch Grady ，

3。5 stars

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Hawk Mountain

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Hawk Mountain&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Hawk Mountain&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0