I've been a fan of Hurley since The Loney came out - his writing is evocative, full of mysticism and atmosphere and this is no exception.
This latest book is fast paced and sparse - there is a real connection to the natural, but few descriptive passages about characters physically, yet the minds eye sees them so clearly and it's easy to become fully immersed in this claustrophobic world.
The sense of a mind unravelling is written in every line and the book is unsettling - I'd describe it as a very rural magic-realist story - very firmly rooted in reality with clear explanations for everything we learn of the past if read with a cynical realistic point of view, but sweeping the reader away in a mystical dreamlike way in the present as grief so often does.
This is a wonderful book, Hurley is a real talent and seems to go from strength to strength - his books stay with you long after turning the last page, and this is no exception. Atmospheric, disturbing and one of my favourite books of the year.
This latest book is fast paced and sparse - there is a real connection to the natural, but few descriptive passages about characters physically, yet the minds eye sees them so clearly and it's easy to become fully immersed in this claustrophobic world.
The sense of a mind unravelling is written in every line and the book is unsettling - I'd describe it as a very rural magic-realist story - very firmly rooted in reality with clear explanations for everything we learn of the past if read with a cynical realistic point of view, but sweeping the reader away in a mystical dreamlike way in the present as grief so often does.
This is a wonderful book, Hurley is a real talent and seems to go from strength to strength - his books stay with you long after turning the last page, and this is no exception. Atmospheric, disturbing and one of my favourite books of the year.