Maitland's debut novel owes more than nod or two to Agatha Christie as a diverse cast of characters - all with secrets to hide - are gradually assembled, and then equally slowly bumped off again. What makes it unusual though is the setting - a gruesome grind through the English countryside of 1348 (which just happens to be a particularly bad summer and heralding the Black Death).Having previously read The Time traveller's guide to Medieval England, I felt Maitland did an excellent job of capturing the medieval mind with its leaning towards the supernatural, fear of the dark and open countryside. The brutal reality of everyday life as well as a sense of the world collapsing feels authentic too.
It's a good read although the final twists had me slapping my forehead and felt out of character with the rest of the book. I'd also felt some of the group felt too modern in their outlook and even that some of the slang felt out of place (eg Molly is 17th/18th century rather than 14th). Lastly, the author clearly has her favourite characters, and they are mostly male with the women of the group getting little in the way of dialogue or depth. Given the first person point of view - you may decide this is deliberate and reflects the bias of the narrator.
The unreliable narrator element leaves the book's closing chapters open to multiple interpretations meaning I can imagine continue to mull it over.
Verdict: Grimly compelling medieval road trip
No comments:
Post a Comment