This book, for me, had the touch of a Somerset Maughan novel about it. Hilary Byrd a deeply troubled quintessential Englishman escapes the heat of the plains to rediscover himself in Ooty, Tamil Nadu. Fortunately for him he is taken in by a local Padre in this hill station community. Gradually as his mind settles, he starts to experience joy in his life, that he has been lacking due to becoming disillusioned with his current employment as a librarian. He forms an unlikely friendship with the local taxi driver Jamshed who runs him around each day. Jamshed starts to build a relationship with Hilary and interprets his daily mood. Priscilla another rescued soul of the Padre also forms an attachment with Hilary though a pupil teacher relationship and not perhaps the romantic one he wishes for. Ravi, Jamshed’s erstwhile nephew also is a prominent character, as aspiring Country western singer with his old pony.

A worthwhile read, a little sad and melancholy in parts. Thank you to the publisher and to Netgalley for a copy of the novel in exchange for this honest review.

At the start of The Mission House, Carys Davies throws us into an Indian hilltown, as an Englishman, Byrd, arrives to meet with a small array of characters who we gradually come to work out in relation to each other. There is Byrd himself, fleeing his difficulties in England, the Padre and Priscilla his foster daughter, long-suffering rickshaw driver Jamshed and his nephew Ravi. All the characters are looking for some personal happiness but in ways that might inadvertently conflict with the happiness of others.

This book is really a joy it is so beautifully written conveying a powerful sense of place through vivid and careful detail. The characters are all incredibly poignant in their different ways, Byrd particularly., is such a tragic and believable figure. I loved it.

This is a beautiful book, which perfectly encapsulates the town of Ooty, Tamil Nadu. I would still have enjoyed the tale of the sad librarian if I hadn’t travelled to Ooty, the gentle characters are wonderfully drawn. I will look out for further books by Carys Davies.

This is a marvellous book. The colour, the noise, the chaos and the dialogue transport me directly to south India right from the first page. 'Incomprehensible, foreign and strange' are the author's words, echoing my first impressions of India, a place that cast its spell over me just as it does the main character of the book. There are so many little details that bring the scene vividly to life, whether in the bustling streets of the town or the quiet of the Mission House.

From the start I asked myself why Byrd was there, and what the mystery is that involves the police. All is revealed gently and steadily throughout the narrative.

The characters are all interesting and believable: Byrd the depressive ex-librarian learning to fend for himself; Jamshed the auto rickshaw driver who is an ever-open ear for Byrd's thoughts which find their way into his journal; the Padre with his sad life; orphan Priscilla who is the subject of so many people's schemes but who has plans of her own; Ravi the hairdresser with his dreams of greatness.

The book has an old'-fashioned feel, but is right up-to-date with the tensions in India on the one hand, and Byrd's discomfort with the modern world of libraries stripped of dictionaries to make way for technology on the other. There are so many subtle comments about today's society which are never blatant but always sit comfortably in the narrative.

Until now I was not aware of Carys Davies, but thanks to NetGalley I will certainly be reading more of her work.

I was attracted to "The Mission House" by a description which categorised the novel as post-colonial literature which I enjoy, especially when it is set in India.
In the afterword author Carys Davies explains that the setting is based on the former British hill station, Ootacamund in Tamil Nadu and, having looked at the map of "Ooty", I can see many of the places described so vividly in the novel which is fascinating. The novel's characters are sympathetically depicted and I think that most readers will recognise one or two who remind them of people they know. Also worth a mention is the weather, which is a character in itself and must have baffled many old colonial types. This pleasant setting and the (mainly) gentle community seem light years away from any religiously motivated unrest which is going on in the rest of this vast country ...
This is India at a time of immense change. Some people are clinging to the old colonial ways and culture, others are discovering the culture of the USA, others are living each day as it comes, and some want to forge a new - and nationalist - Hindu India. The reader experiences this mainly through the eyes and exploits of a socially inept English depressive travelling alone.
I really enjoyed this read until I neared the end which I think is a bit abrupt; I need to know what happened next on that final day. Thank you to the publisher and to Netgalley for giving me a copy of the novel in exchange for this honest review. 4.75 stars.

Oh this was such a beautifully written story. The characters were so vividly drawn, than I really didn’t want the story to end.
Librarian Hilary Byrd, has come to India to escape the anxieties of the modern world. A chance meeting on a train leads him to the Mission House in a small hill town, where he is offered a cheap room, space to heal and the freedom to explore his surroundings guided by a local auto rickshaw driver Jamshed. By day he visits the botanical gardens, shops for food, eats lunch at a local hotel, spends time reading at the library, before returning home, and eating with the Padre and his adopted daughter Priscilla.

Such a cast of characters... from Hilary who was forced to leave his job after many years because he didn’t like how ‘modern’ libraries were becoming, with rude people, noisy customers, and declining poetry sections.

Then we have Jamshed, who keeps a diary of the events of his day so that he can practice his English and whose nephew Ravi the hairdresser dreams of becoming a country and western singer Padre who has lost his wife, and dreams that one day his church and he will be attached by religious extremists.

And finally Priscilla, the girl who was abandoned by her mother, brought up in an orphanage and who discovers the music of Patsy Cline.

Ultimately Hilary finds confidence, and a sense of purpose, perhaps even love, and is able to sacrifice himself to ensure the happiness of someone else.