The Ash-tree
‘…the feeling of surprise, and indeed disquiet, was very strong when it was found that, though her coffin was fairly sound and unbroken, there was no trace whatever inside it of body, bones, or dust.’
The Ash-tree – M. R. James
It’s almost impossible to write a review of The Ash-Tree and not fill it with spoilers. Like Lost Hearts, it’s a story that moves away from the standard ‘professor messing about with archaeological artefacts/haunted books on hols’. So much so that it deserves a bingo card of its own: witches, check; mysterious deaths, check; a dozen of the spoiler things I will not tell you about, but I’ve completely given away in the post photo, check and whoops.
The Ash Tree feels like the moment that M. R. James decided he enjoyed adding a bit of gothic Scooby-do mystery to his stories. There is a great build up to the final reveal: the strange scratching at the casement window, the mysterious deaths, the screams of a cat attacked by things unseen.
The end is a little overblown. Let’s be fair though, at the time he wrote this it would have been perfectly horrifying, but this is the age of Netflix so it’s equivalent to one of those B horror movies that get made with a tiny budget. But, I love it. I just do. I loved it as a kid and I love it now even if it has given me a life-time aversion to ash trees. I hope you love it too.
Verdict
*** (3 screaming nightmares out of 5)
A lovely slow build, a gripping mystery and I bet you close your window next time your room faces an ash tree.
M. R. James bingo
Ditching friends or offers of company on holidayGetting into trouble on said holidayBook abuse- Ignoring the blindingly obvious facts/hints of others
GolfInterfering with an archaeological site- 19th century snobbery
The Story
The story can be found in James’s anthology Ghost Stories of an Antiquary (1904) and is included in most later collections of his stories. Depending on your country and copyright restrictions, you may be able to access the book legally and for free via Project Gutenberg.
The excellent people at literature wiki have put together a great synopsis here.
K.M. Cooke 