Review: One Of The Best I've Read In A Long Time
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 05 12, 2014
I've recently had some issues with British authors writing unconvincing American novels, but I do love a British author writing about Brits in the UK. And Ms. MacNicol is a star among them.This brilliantly written and profoundly beautiful book is not an easy read. Not because of language or characters or dialogue, but because of the deep suffering that one of the main characters (Nick) still endures as a result of horrendous sexual and physical abuse as a child, and later, from a sadistic "lover".He is living the life of a hermit, as a lighthouse keeper on the Norfolk coast. When his dreams torment him, he walks the cliffs and contemplates jumping, to put an end to the endless pain that reverberates from his youth, and the mother who pimped him out to feed her drug habit.One day, he spies a body washed up on the beach. Barely alive, Owen had gone overboard and washed up, literally, at Nick's feet. Nick takes him in, tends to him, and the rest is well, a difficult journey to happily-ever-after.Owen is a stunning character, so full of compassion and care, so patient, so empathetic with Nick's suffering that, in saving Nick, he saves himself.One other remarkable character is Nick's "dad", the policeman who saved his life, as an adolescent, adopted him, and raised him as his own son. This huge bear of a man is so filled with love and acceptance that he is all that's kept Nick alive these past ten-or-so years. Now it's Owen's turn.I know my synopsis (a poor substitute for the real thing) sounds like melodrama, but there's nothing melodramatic about this book. The writing is absolutely first-class, the characters so lovingly and realistically drawn that any pathos is both understandable and authentic. Ms. MacNicol has really gotten inside the mind and soul of an abuse survivor, and beautifully evokes his emergence from the depths of despair.As I said, it's not an easy read. The abuse the young Nick suffered will break your heart. His progress comes in fits and starts, interrupted by anger and self-loathing, though less and less, as the relationship between the two men grows.When all is said and done, this is a beautifully written, important book about survivors and survival. It will warm your heart and leave you with hope.Do not miss this one. It's a gem.