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mimosaeyes's review against another edition
4.0
A raw and brutal read. Not a word wasted, and each scene able to snatch your breath away with either its violence (sometimes graphic) or its poignance (related to grief).
haversam's review against another edition
dark
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
deea_bks's review against another edition
4.0
4.5*
I have to admit that I had not heard about this author until hearing him speak in a literary podcast. The way he was phrasing his words intrigued me and I decided to give his book(s) a go. And I am so glad I did!
His writing is the most intense and visual writing I have ever stumbled upon. There are two interrelated stories in this book and I really did not care for one of them (reading detailed descriptions of how badgers are killed in the Welsh countryside cannot really be my thing), but the other story from the book is about grief and oh God, can Cynan Jones express the subtilities of grief! In a few poetic, very intense sentences he gets you transported there, in the realm of someone else’s grief and I have to say that his words work like a spell! The way he uses and combines them in order to get this very intense result is simply astonishing. I’ll be sure to try his other books (novellas) as well.
I have to admit that I had not heard about this author until hearing him speak in a literary podcast. The way he was phrasing his words intrigued me and I decided to give his book(s) a go. And I am so glad I did!
His writing is the most intense and visual writing I have ever stumbled upon. There are two interrelated stories in this book and I really did not care for one of them (reading detailed descriptions of how badgers are killed in the Welsh countryside cannot really be my thing), but the other story from the book is about grief and oh God, can Cynan Jones express the subtilities of grief! In a few poetic, very intense sentences he gets you transported there, in the realm of someone else’s grief and I have to say that his words work like a spell! The way he uses and combines them in order to get this very intense result is simply astonishing. I’ll be sure to try his other books (novellas) as well.
valparaiso45's review against another edition
4.0
Ferocious and tender without sentimentality, Cynan Jones has a gift for telling stories that give us a sense of earth-bound, hard scrabble rural lives without a hint of cliché. In The Dig, we follow a badger hunter — who knew this was a thing?, and a farmer in lambing season who has recently lost his wife and wrestles with her absence. And as always, we follow this corner of Wales, which could be anywhere, and everything that grows from it and walks upon it.
This story is in line with my limited vision of Wales as a place of rugged individualism, stark beauty, and a universal longing for contentment, only here it’s sought from quiet, persistent lives that stain the land with their blood, sweat, and tears.
I love Jones’ gritty, clever, unadorned prose. He builds his stories with a sparse originality that is unlike anything I’ve ever read. His similes are utterly unique. In the process, he allows us to relate to the subtle, persistent emotions of characters whose lives are, externally, nothing like our own. There is a brutalism in his work, as here, but his characters are relatable, which is paramount to me.
I’m going to read everything he has written. I’m glad I found him.
This story is in line with my limited vision of Wales as a place of rugged individualism, stark beauty, and a universal longing for contentment, only here it’s sought from quiet, persistent lives that stain the land with their blood, sweat, and tears.
I love Jones’ gritty, clever, unadorned prose. He builds his stories with a sparse originality that is unlike anything I’ve ever read. His similes are utterly unique. In the process, he allows us to relate to the subtle, persistent emotions of characters whose lives are, externally, nothing like our own. There is a brutalism in his work, as here, but his characters are relatable, which is paramount to me.
I’m going to read everything he has written. I’m glad I found him.
anblott's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
christynhoover's review against another edition
dark
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
This is a very quick read, practically a novella. The author carefully crafts the intersecting lives of two very different inhabitants of rural Wales: a grieving sheep farmer and a badger poacher.
And I loved the book for its moments of lyrical prose.
I'm an American who will definitely read more of Jones' work.
And I loved the book for its moments of lyrical prose.
I'm an American who will definitely read more of Jones' work.
jhourihan's review against another edition
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
snappycatty's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
queltynoedd's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0