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A review by bobthebookerer
I Belong Here: A Journey Along the Backbone of Britain by Anita Sethi
4.0
I love writing about nature journeys, and I love political writing about identity, race and belonging, and this book is a fantastic combination of the two.
Starting with a racist attack on a train and the death of a close friend, Sethi details how this formed part of her decision to follow the Wainwright trail through the Pennines to Hadrian's Wall.
What follows is a beautiful, intriguing and luscious journey through nature, as Sethi reflects on how the natural world and the environment interact with notions of identity, belonging, nationhood, language and place. This becomes even more poignant when she starts reflecting on the racist attack and her friend's death, and how her walk through nature provides not only the mental break needed to process them, but also the numerous interactions with the people on her trip. Relying on the kindness of strangers allows her to begin to ease into her skin again, and feel a sense of belonging, and she describes beautifully how people of colour have a longer history in the UK than people often think, which responds excellently to her attacker, and you get the feeling that she is winning out by writing this.
Her investigations into language and its connection to place are also fascinating. She weaves beautiful patterns between words used for natural phenomenon, like "fell", "force" and "scar", and their relationships to violence, and it feels like cathartic release as she details their definitions and applications in both worlds.
It took me a little bit to get into the book, partly because I found the introductory section especially jarring. This was because it essentially gave a synopsis of the book in what felt like a rushed sprint through the entire plot and journey, never lingering long enough on anything, so that when the book began properly, the power of some of the earlier moments felt weakened. This meant that the beginning did not seem to strike much of a balance between the discussions of identity and the descriptions of environment, and felt as if it flitted between both.
That said, once Sethi herself settles into the walking journey itself, the book fittingly settles into an even and powerful rhythm that drives this beautiful and important book forward, and it reaches a conclusion that is heartwarming, poignant, powerful and empowering.
I received an advance copy of this book from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.
Starting with a racist attack on a train and the death of a close friend, Sethi details how this formed part of her decision to follow the Wainwright trail through the Pennines to Hadrian's Wall.
What follows is a beautiful, intriguing and luscious journey through nature, as Sethi reflects on how the natural world and the environment interact with notions of identity, belonging, nationhood, language and place. This becomes even more poignant when she starts reflecting on the racist attack and her friend's death, and how her walk through nature provides not only the mental break needed to process them, but also the numerous interactions with the people on her trip. Relying on the kindness of strangers allows her to begin to ease into her skin again, and feel a sense of belonging, and she describes beautifully how people of colour have a longer history in the UK than people often think, which responds excellently to her attacker, and you get the feeling that she is winning out by writing this.
Her investigations into language and its connection to place are also fascinating. She weaves beautiful patterns between words used for natural phenomenon, like "fell", "force" and "scar", and their relationships to violence, and it feels like cathartic release as she details their definitions and applications in both worlds.
It took me a little bit to get into the book, partly because I found the introductory section especially jarring. This was because it essentially gave a synopsis of the book in what felt like a rushed sprint through the entire plot and journey, never lingering long enough on anything, so that when the book began properly, the power of some of the earlier moments felt weakened. This meant that the beginning did not seem to strike much of a balance between the discussions of identity and the descriptions of environment, and felt as if it flitted between both.
That said, once Sethi herself settles into the walking journey itself, the book fittingly settles into an even and powerful rhythm that drives this beautiful and important book forward, and it reaches a conclusion that is heartwarming, poignant, powerful and empowering.
I received an advance copy of this book from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.