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This is the story of Daniel , a young man searching for his sister. The present day narrative shows him as itinerant, lost and vulnerable and these short extracts allow the main narrative to unfold which is about the events years before in rural Yorkshire.
The writing captures the beauty and harshness of both the landscape and the people as we meet Daniel, his sister Cathy and their gentle man mountain , bare fist fighting , 'daddy' John as they move into and build a house in the woods . This is a solitary life , living off the land , they have little contact with the outside world other than a woman who is asked by the father to tutor them.
Their occupation of the land however brings them into confrontation with Price the local landowner . The land once belonged to Daniel's mother but she lost it to Price and we learn that the mother had demons and was easily exploited. The story then becomes one of survival against the cruelty of the landowners and their exploitation of their tenants and the land.
The book also explores the effect on the children of their parents characters , Cathy is like her father and she bristles with wildness like the creatures in the forest, Daniel is soft and sensitive and ultimately protected by Cathy.
The prose beautifully creates a sense of the countryside and I was also hooked by the story. I really liked the characters and became anxious about the ultimate resolution.
Definitely a good read particularly as it was a debut and I am looking forward to reading more by the author.
The writing captures the beauty and harshness of both the landscape and the people as we meet Daniel, his sister Cathy and their gentle man mountain , bare fist fighting , 'daddy' John as they move into and build a house in the woods . This is a solitary life , living off the land , they have little contact with the outside world other than a woman who is asked by the father to tutor them.
Their occupation of the land however brings them into confrontation with Price the local landowner . The land once belonged to Daniel's mother but she lost it to Price and we learn that the mother had demons and was easily exploited. The story then becomes one of survival against the cruelty of the landowners and their exploitation of their tenants and the land.
The book also explores the effect on the children of their parents characters , Cathy is like her father and she bristles with wildness like the creatures in the forest, Daniel is soft and sensitive and ultimately protected by Cathy.
The prose beautifully creates a sense of the countryside and I was also hooked by the story. I really liked the characters and became anxious about the ultimate resolution.
Definitely a good read particularly as it was a debut and I am looking forward to reading more by the author.