The Hounding

by Xenobe Purvis · 2025

In the sweltering summer of 18th‑century Little Nettlebed, five enigmatic sisters—known as the Mansfield girls—stand apart from their superstitious neighbours. When bloated sea creatures litter the riverbank, ravens perch ominously over dying roofs, and a low, persistent barking drifts through the village, rumors ignite: the sisters are turning into dogs. Through the shifting eyes of five villagers, Xenobe Purvis weaves a gothic fever‑dream that blends the moral crucible of Salem with the haunting melancholy of The Virgin Suicides. As hysteria swells and the line between myth and reality blurs, the community confronts its own fears, prejudices, and the feral violence lurking beneath polite façades. The Hounding is a spellbinding, atmospheric tale of suspicion, transformation, and the dark power of collective imagination.