Sarah Moss' Ghost Wall: When archaeology goes bad! October saw the group tackle Sarah Moss' Ghost Wall - a fictional account of some experiential archaeology in Northumberland that takes a dark turn.
Ghost Wall is a slim volume. It's 150 pages at least ensured that reading it didn't prove too big a challenge.
For some the length - or lack of it - was a problem - a sense that it fell between the stools of short story and novel. But for others Moss had packed in a lot into a small space, exploring themes of class, toxic masculinityand our links with the landscape and the past.
There was general agreement that the writing was of a high standard - with evocative descriptions of the countryside and a good building of atmosphere. For some its lack of complete geographical faithfulness to Northumberland was a problem, while others saw it as justifiable artistic licence.
For some, not enough happened in the novel, and the build-up of tension was dissipated in a slightly rushed conclusion. There were members who wanted the book to go even darker. Some felt the depiction of class was problematic, with the violence stemming mainly from a working class character. Some members found the author didn't do enough to justify the changes in behaviour and reactions of some characters.
But for other members, there was emotional depth to the book's highlighting of abuse and the impact on its victims, and how the appeal of a cultish past bled into more modern toxic masculinity. There was contemporary resonance in the danger of harking back to a British past that didn't really exist, with hints of what's currently going on in our politics. There was menace and tension, but also relief that there were also signs of a path out of the darkness.
Ghost Wall is a slim volume. It's 150 pages at least ensured that reading it didn't prove too big a challenge.
For some the length - or lack of it - was a problem - a sense that it fell between the stools of short story and novel. But for others Moss had packed in a lot into a small space, exploring themes of class, toxic masculinityand our links with the landscape and the past.
There was general agreement that the writing was of a high standard - with evocative descriptions of the countryside and a good building of atmosphere. For some its lack of complete geographical faithfulness to Northumberland was a problem, while others saw it as justifiable artistic licence.
For some, not enough happened in the novel, and the build-up of tension was dissipated in a slightly rushed conclusion. There were members who wanted the book to go even darker. Some felt the depiction of class was problematic, with the violence stemming mainly from a working class character. Some members found the author didn't do enough to justify the changes in behaviour and reactions of some characters.
But for other members, there was emotional depth to the book's highlighting of abuse and the impact on its victims, and how the appeal of a cultish past bled into more modern toxic masculinity. There was contemporary resonance in the danger of harking back to a British past that didn't really exist, with hints of what's currently going on in our politics. There was menace and tension, but also relief that there were also signs of a path out of the darkness.
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