An extremely moving story of a young soldier who experiences the horror of being in Northern Ireland in the 80s. Told in a letter to his daughter it certainly made me think what soldiers went through and the effects it had on them long term. Grim but enjoyable.

I love Miller's writing. Whip smart and brilliantly paced, it combines outstanding writing with a thriller’s pace. I loved it.

We meet alcoholic ex squaddie Stephen who narrates the book. It's coming up for a "hearing" about an incident that happened when he was serving in Northern Ireland during "the Troubles".
Stephen is already suffering from some symptoms of PTSD and his mental health is fragile. He works part time in a garden centre in Somerset and is trying to keep "dry" and have a relationship with his daughter, but is unsure of how to go about this.

Everything is through the lens of Stephen so the Belfast scenes are skewed totally to that of a patrolling squaddie.
Can the trauma he experienced ever be processed ? How can you carry guilt without it eating you up? Stephen's alcoholism also makes him a manipulative in certain situations. This is him trying to tell Maggie what happened and how it is for him ,whilst simultaneously processing his trauma as he writes.
Miller is a beautiful introspective writer who is able to convey psychological truths. I read his book "Now We Shall Be Entirely Free" which touches on some of the same themes but is much more dynamic in its pace and plotting. This remains true to the character who is psychologically "stuck" , drowning in pain, guilt and trauma and unable to find a way through. The depiction of mental health difficulties is poignant.

Quietly brilliant with great integrity.

I have previously enjoyed several of Andre Miller's books, as he is a gifted writer and fine story teller and this book was well up to standard.

He tells a grim tale of someone ravaged with guilt and self-doubt for the time he spent serving in Northern Ireland and trying to come to terms with his past as well as restore his relationship with his daughter which fell set when he also suffered deeply from his time in Northern Ireland.

The story develops when he is required to account for his actions at a hearing convened for that purpose and Miller decscribes beautifully the contrasts between a soldier's life at the front line and the humdrum boredom of normal civilian life.

A long and sometimes difficult read, but a worthwhile one.

This is the story of a man tormented by guilt and regret. He served in Northern Ireland during the Troubles and something happened that profoundly disturbed him. He became an alcoholic, his marriage failed and he was estranged from his daughter and thus missed out on her growing up.

The tale opens as he is trying to rebuild his relationship with his adult daughter via confessional letter. At the same time, a summons (of sorts) arrives inviting him to attend an inquiry relating to the event in Ireland. A time, perhaps, for facing up the past and maybe some kind of redemption.

Miller is an exquisite writer who has the command of language and he has the ability to confront the depths of humanity. There are parts that are routinely mundane, intricate, reflective and touching. There is a stark contrast to the life in Ireland, the rituals of being a soldier, and his later job at a garden centre. I particularly enjoyed the parts where he is in the orchard, often during his alcoholic episodes, but there is something of an almost romantic and comforting tranquillity encased in it.

​Evocative and brilliant.

A big thank-you to Andrew Miller, Hodder & Stoughton, and NetGalley for arc in exchange for my honest review.*
This is not an easy read, and it must not be ... In a letter to his daughter, Maggie, with whom relations have been rather cold and shaky, Stephen Rose attempts to come to terms with a tragic event from the time when he served in Ireland at the beginning of the 1980s. His whole life was shattered by one reaction in the circumstances which overwhelmed him. He paid a high price for his will to escape home and isolate himself from Quaker community, and for his inexperience in a place where experience was everything.
I did not relate to Stephen, however, I could not not feel empathy for a broken man who for thirty years has been trying unsuccessfully to rid himself of guilt and pity.
A sad novel but written equisitely and Mr Miller's fans will not be disappointed. I was not ......

Stephen Rose grew up on the Somerset Levels as part of a Quaker community. At 16 he rebelled against this and joined the army. Now, 40 years later, he is a recovering alcoholic living from day to day in his former family home. When Stephen receives a letter from a Commission into the Troubles he knows that he needs to confront his past but doing so may end with him losing his daughter, the only positive in his life.
This book is amazing. It manages to run the full gamut of emotions and the reader is wanting Stephen to survive and move forward despite all that has happened. It is not a flamboyantly written tale, the prose is tight and yet the description is so vivid. I was floored by how much I loved this book!

The Slow Worm's Song - Andrew Miller I should have been warned by the title , this was so slow. A recovering alcoholic, ex Quaker, former squaddie gets an official letter requesting he answer questions about an incident in Northern Ireland where he was stationed in 1982. His story unfolds as if he is telling or writing to his daughter about his life history (with lots of meandering and inconsequential detail and jumping around). Grr... it got so that I didn't care what might eventually be revealed to have happened in 1982.

Rather beautiful novel taking the form of an extended letter from an alcoholic father to his daughter, written over weeks and telling not only his life story but describing his life and his (sadly limited) interactions with her.

Wasn’t quite sure what to expect as I started and I was a little apprehensive (surely it can’t all be this damn letter‽). But I quickly got lost in stephen’s life, his lack of comprehension of certain events and perspectives, his relationships, and his struggles with alcohol. Some of these sections drew a tear to me eye as they rang just a wee bit too close to home…

Oh MyGosh this book was everything I expected and much much more. It was well written with a good storyline and a brutal compelling honesty interwoven throughout it. Both the protagonists's experiences in Northern Ireland and specifically belfast and his latter struggles as an alchoholic were so poignantly heartfelt and beautifully written. I find myself still thinking about this book long after I have finished it and I think I will be thinking about it for a very long time. This is a very special book.

Surprisingly gentle book dealing with the major traumas of Northern Ireland and alcoholism. Not sure if Andrew Miller is a Quaker but the quiet, tolerant approach to life shown by the Society of Friends is reflected in the characters and their actions.

There are two levels of story - current relationships as well as the horror of a Belfast tour, both come together in a satisfying conclusion. I very much enjoyed the people, their lives and their struggles to do the right thing.

This book was sent to me by Netgalley in return for an honest review.

This book was so heartfelt and is a definite five star. Stephen Rose is a recovering alcoholic and is trying to get back the relationship with his daughter, Maggie, that he lost when she decided, aged 13, that she didn't want a father. Now, aged 51, he is taking baby steps towards her. However, he fears that these fragile threads will be snapped because he has now received a letter asking him to give evidence at a Commission in Belfast.

As a youth, Stephen left home to join the army and after training was sent to Belfast during The Troubles where an incident occurred and he was sent home, an incident that has coloured his life ever since and is the reason why he drinks. Maggie knows nothing of this incident and Stephen is afraid that once she knows the truth, she will turn her back on him - this time for good. Therefore Stephen decides to write to her, to explain everything on paper as he is unable to tell her face to face.

This 'letter' is what we read and the writing is so beautiful and poignant. This is a letter full of guilt, and a request for forgiveness. He spreads his life out for his daughter to see. Although we might be angry with Stephen for ruining his life by drinking, when you read this missive to Maggie, you are on his side. His pain is so raw, you feel for him, you really do.

This was such a wonderful read. Thank you, Netgalley, for giving me the chance to read this.