I know I’ve mentioned in the past, I love Washington Irving’s “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.” As a child in NY, my mom would take me to Sleepy Hollow and tell me the story of the legend. I have found memories of visiting the old Dutch Church and wandering the cemetery. Years ago, I went to a reading of the Legend in the old Dutch Church. It was lit only by candlelight with a fire burning in the wood burning stove.
Being in the Church listening to the story felt like I found this magical vortex where reality and story overlap. I dove into the story as it happened around me. I crossed the bridge the horseman couldn’t cross. I stood safely in the old Dutch Church listening. I was a real human and yet I was so far into the legend, I sort of expected to see the headless horseman ride by outside the window. Crossing that secret barrier from reality into the book and the story crossing from pages into the world around me, made me feel a unique connection to the story. In a weird way, I lived it. I’ve been inside those pages.
Embracing the spooky season, I revisit the legend. I rewatch the old Disney cartoon (it’s available on Disney+). I dive into one of my copies of the legend and some years, like this year, I revisit those grounds. I walk the steps of Ichabod, Katrina, and Broms. I stand inside the story and look around.
This year, I was looking for another legend related book. You can visit past reads of the Legend and Legend related books. The incredible librarians at the Ridgefield Library tracked down a copy of Christina Henry’s “Horseman: A Tale of Sleepy Hollow” for me. In “Horseman” we meet Ben, grandchild of Katrina and Broms over 30 years after Ichabod disappeared. Broms insists the Legend is just a made-up story to scare off Ichabod. Young Ben doesn’t think much of it, until a child goes missing and is found headless and handless in the woods. Ben has always been told to stay out of the woods and everyone in Sleepy Hollow believes bad things happen when you step off the trail into the woods. Ben is curious and wonders if the horseman might be real and tied to this discovery.
The story is divided into 3 parts. I really enjoyed the first two parts. The third is sadder and while I respect the writing, I wanted a different ending. Just simply personal preference. Others go missing in the story and face a similar horrific demise as the first missing character. We do find out who is stealing the heads and hands of their victims. The horseman does make an appearance of sorts in the story and another surprise character from the original legend appears. The book would be ideal for older teens, not younger readers. It’s gruesome at times but not scary but the gruesome level should definitely be taken into consideration when determining appropriateness (and again why I think older teens and up).
While many books based on popular tales struggle to capture the essence of the initial story, Henry does a good job. It does feel believable as a continuation of the story. If you are looking for a good Halloween spooky read, this is a good one.
