The level of description in this book is quite amazing. The author is able to set the scene explicitly and competently. I prefer a faster paced story personally but I can see how this book coild easily become a favourite for those who prefer descriptive language.

I found myself enjoying this book far more than I thought I would. The authors writing style is almost poetic and paints such deliciously descriptive scenery in the readers imagination.

I don’t myself know much about this period in history, but war is war, no matter what century it takes place in. The way the author describes the emotions of Lacroix upon his return are ones I imagine anyone returning from the battlefield would feel.

The author builds Lacroix’s character marvellously throughout the book, taking the reader on Lacroix’s journey to recovery and the small steps he needs to take to make himself whole again. Lacroix’s difficulty in assimilating in to life after the war and finding himself on a remote island in the Hebrides I thought was a nice metaphorical touch illuminating how isolated Lacroix must have been feeling after his return.

There is a really interesting mix of characters and personalities throughout this book, yet for all their differences they all mesh and work well together to complete the narrative. Every character has a place and purpose in the storyline.

This is not necessarily a book I would usually gravitate towards but I am pleased I did so. The only reason this is a four star review is my opinion I felt it was a little bit slow moving in the beginning and the storyline didn’t really pick up properly until about half way through. However, this is a strong novel about war and the emotional after effects this can have on a person, also with some love, kindness and ultimately triumph thrown in. I think there is something in this book for most readers.

An unknown man is carried to a house in Somerset in a storm – a suitably moody opening for this historical novel by Andrew Miller. Set in 1809 the instigator of events is the Peninsular War (which, I have to admit, I knew little or nothing about so this was a good educational experience to go off and research this pretty bleak moment of British military history).

The man is John Lacroix, and he is a haunted man, a broken man. Tended by his old housekeeper he gains enough strength to move on, via his family, to Glasgow and the Scottish islands. But he is also a hunted man; two soldiers - one a British corporal named Calley, the other a Spanish officer named Medina – have been despatched to hunt him down and punish him for the events that took place in a village called Los Morales, a war crime perpetrated by rogue British soldiers. All 3 of these central characters are lost in their own way, and the figure if Calley in particular is revealed to be a violent, brutal thug hellbent on seeking vengeance. The reasons why become apparent as the novel progresses, for this is not a simple manhunt, and the reasons for the atrocity become muddied, as indeed events in war often are.

Miller is a wonderfully poetic write, and his prose is lyrical as he describes both people and landscapes: ‘As the embers of the fire died down so the light fell from their faces. Owl hoot, fox scream. A smear of stars.’ As the book progresses towards its inevitable climax the narrative takes pace, as Lacroix and the family with whom he finds shelter in the islands are hunted by Calley and Medina. The remoteness of the islands becomes a metaphor (‘the world’s scattered edge’) and violence is an intrusion on the community that Lacroix has found.

This is a novel about war, and about the suffering of those it affects. The characters are haunted, scarred, broken. There is resolution and, finally, there is hope of a better future, but it is a world shaped by war and this is what gives the novel its drive. I found myself still thinking about the book long after I finished, and that tells me all I need to know. A bruising, powerful and moving book about war, understanding, and ultimately love. For me, 4.5 stars.

(Thank you to the publisher and to NetGalley for an advance copy in return for an honest review.)

A wounded man is delivered to a house in Somerset; in Spain a British corporal and a Spanish soldier are despatched to symbolically avenge a wartime atrocity... The novel tracks with the inevitability of a drum-beat their journeys towards a meeting.
There is so much to enjoy in this novel - a taught thriller of hunter and prey, a love story, an immersive historical setting with a wonderful sense of place - from wartorn Spain, via Bristol to a Glasgow hospital, and Oban and the islands of the West coast. The characters are completely believable, and although Calley becomes increasingly monstrous, you are always aware of the humanity behind his actions.
This is the first novel I've read by this author, and I shall be sure to read more of his work.