Detailed and human lives stretched out to operate on a cataclysmic scale.

'The Catchers' is great little piece of historical fiction about song catchers in the 1927 Mississippi flood - we follow the stories of John Coughlin (catcher) and Moss Evans (caught) and their unlikely path towards each other against the backdrop of the dangerously swollen Mississippi.

Coughlin's dogged perseverance and belief in music is tested the further and further he travels perilously down south with his recording kit in search of 'the one'. His travels lead him inadvertently towards Moss Evans, a hooch boy, guitar and glasses to his name, who serves the workers right up close at the flood defence of the Mississippi - Moss' music is transfixing, original, alive.

Brooks' writing is at its best when it's discussing music, landscapes, and the eerie, meandering side characters that edge their way into 'The Catcher's plot. The final third of this was pacy, it gears up to a brilliant finish and I couldn't put the final 50 pages down!

Set in the transformative spring of 1927, The Catchers takes readers on a captivating journey through the birth of popular music, vividly portraying a world on the cusp of change. Xan Brooks weaves a tale that follows John Coughlin, a New York song-catcher driven by ambition, as he searches for the tune—or the talent—that will cement his legacy.

The story begins in small-town Tennessee, where Coughlin’s meticulous efforts to document the music of hill-country musicians build his reputation. But his true pursuit lies further south, where he learns of Moss Evans, a black teenage guitarist and bootlegger of remarkable skill. Set against the dramatic backdrop of the Mississippi Delta during one of the most devastating floods in American history, their fateful meeting is rife with tension, opportunity, and moral complexity.

Their journey north is both a physical and symbolic passage, as Coughlin and Moss traverse the ruins of the Old South and venture into the mountains. Coughlin sees himself as a saviour, while others view him as a thief and exploiter, a conflict that adds depth to the narrative. Brooks masterfully explores the fraught dynamics between the "catcher" and his "catch," examining the cost of ambition and the power imbalance between creator and muse.

With evocative prose and richly drawn characters, The Catchers brings to life the unstable landscapes of 1920s America—from the flooded Delta to the frenetic streets of New York. The novel delves deeply into themes of race, class, art, and exploitation, offering a gripping exploration of a world where music becomes both a currency and a battleground.

The Catchers is a compelling and thought-provoking historical novel that will resonate with lovers of music and literature alike. Xan Brooks has crafted a haunting and unforgettable story of ambition, survival, and the uneasy harmony between creativity and power.

3.5/5.

A wonderful, breath-taking novel set in 1927 and follows the travels of the song-catchers from New York in search of new authentic songs that will hopefully prove be popular in New York and takes the reader, firstly to Appalachia but then further afield as song catching can become a dangerous obsession.

John Coughlin travels South to find new undiscovered music and finds himself on a quest in search of Moss Evans who just may be the answer to his prayers.

Set against the Great Mississippi Flood of 1927, where refugee camps were set up for displaced persons, the question posed is the song catcher saving Moss Evans, a young black guitarist or are his motives purely driven by greed.

A tour de force examining an era where opportunity is set against despair and an obsessive quest enters into a nightmare world with the backdrop of the destruction wreaked by the Great Mississippi Flood.

'The Catchers' is set in 1920s USA, where 'song catchers' travelled from the cities of the north to rural areas looking for new folk music to record for the expanding music industry. The musicians who produced said songs were paid a pittance and sent on their way, regardless of how successful the recording became. John Coughlin is new to 'catching' and plans to go further south than anyone has before. He travels deep into the southern states, where the Mississippi river has recently catastrophically flooded. There he finds a young Black musician, Moss Evans, who has survived the flood by a narrow margin. Being caught by Coughlin seems like a good opportunity to escape his unenviable existence - but he might end up wishing he'd stayed in the Delta.

The story took a while to really get going, but it was compelling in the second half once it did so. The descriptions of the apocalyptic flood are frightening and vivid, as is the disturbing nature of the people's behaviour in the aftermath of the flood. Brooks creates an atmosphere of unease and tension, where friends might turn into foes with no warning, and the usual rules don't apply - except for the ones that you wish didn't apply in the first place. The ingrained racism is just awful, and the aftermath of hurricane Katrina shows that can't be considered a thing of the past by any means.

It's an intelligent story that would make a good book group choice as there is plenty to discuss about the ethics of song catching. The Great Mississippi flood of 1927 was a true event, one that I hadn't been aware of. The appalling racial inequality and way Black people were treated before, during and after the flood is all too real. The destructive power of nature is enough to send a shudder through anyone reading, no matter how modern the era, as is the reminder of how awfully people are capable of behaving.

If you enjoy literary fiction, or have an interest in the era or region, this is a worthwhile read.

The Catchers, by Xan Brooks, takes us to 1920s America, to Appalachia, and the birth of a new music. Brooks captures the spirit of the era beautifully, and the story is engaging, well written and evocative. I could smell those Appalachians mountains. His characterisation is equally well done, from the song hunter John Coughlin to the teenage guitarist Moss Evans: their adventures across a changing America make for a recommended read.