This is a book that is more about the passing of time after a tragedy, than the tragedy itself
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The blurb
Midwinter in an English village. A teenage girl has gone missing. Everyone is called upon to join the search. The villagers fan out across the moors as the police set up roadblocks and a crowd of news reporters descends on what is usually a place of peace. Meanwhile, there is work that must still be done: cows milked, fences repaired, stone cut, pints poured, beds made, sermons written, a pantomime rehearsed. As the seasons unfold and the search for the missing girl goes on, there are those who leave the village and those who are pulled back; those who come together and those who break apart. There are births and deaths; secrets kept and exposed; livelihoods made and lost; small kindnesses and unanticipated betrayals. An extraordinary novel of cumulative power and grace, Reservoir 13 explores the rhythms of the natural world and the repeated human gift for violence, unfolding over thirteen years as the aftershocks of a tragedy refuse to subside.
The Review
You would be forgiven for assuming that this is a mystery or thriller, after reading the blurb. Yes, a teenage girl does go missing in the wilderness, but its as little about that as it could possibly be. That just provides the anchoring point for the passing of time in a small village where life must carry on despite this unresolved disappearance.
I can totally see why so many people love this book and why it has won and been shortlisted for other awards. It's expertly crafted, thoughtful and poetic. But I am, and always will be, a sucker for a good plot, for a story that pulls you in and you want to follow to its conclusion. And this book just isn't plot driven enough (or at all) to engage me.
Throughout the passing of time you follow so many characters. But you only ever see tiny snippets of their lives, along with repetitive descriptions of how the natural surroundings, flora and fauna are changing throughout the seasons. And because of this it can be quite hard to remember who the characters are and what their relationships to each other are. That made it too much like hard work at times.
Plus, if you like a book that provides some sort of resolution, than this is really not for you. Not a single thread is tied up, and although sometimes an open-ending can be a book's strength, in this case it just added to the frustration that despite the time traveled, we really hadn't learnt anything.
There were real flashes of brilliance amongst some of the villager's stories, and some wonderful moments of humour, but as soon as I began to feel like I was getting interested it would abruptly stop and we would be off again - so frustrating.
Each chapter marks another year passing since the disappearance of the teenage girl so you cover the years faster than you would expect. This is a book that is more about the passing of time after a tragedy, than the tragedy itself, or how it affects those impacted by it. This is a book that I really do admire but I didn't ever manage to fully capture my attention.