Reviewed by Chris
Longmuir
This book was completely out of my comfort zone, but I found
it unusual, intriguing, interesting and readable. It is a literary novel, well
written with language that is not only beautiful but which also has a lilting
poetic quality.
Paul is an archaeologist who is undergoing an identity
crisis. He is a questioning, unfulfilled man who is struggling to find meaning
to his life, and is looking for answers to questions which are unanswerable. Disappointed
by his philosophical and historical education he seeks to pursue a career in
archaeology, and hopes to find answers to the past, the present and the future
through this occupation. The reader first meets him when he is knee deep in
muddy water on an archaeological dig in Galloway .
He becomes involved with Diane, ten years older and a senior
archaologist. They embark on a tempestuous affair which has to be kept secret.
Diane, however, is scheming against the senior archaologist who is her boss, and
there is a feeling at this stage that she might be using Paul for her own
ulterior purposes.
The story takes a turn to the strange and mystical after
Paul discovers a bog-body. A man who has lain preserved in the peat of the bog
for centuries. The theme of the bog-body has several strands. There is the link
Paul feels between himself and this ancient man, but this is all mixed up with
the use of the body to discredit the senior archaeologist’s theories. It is at
this stage that Paul’s affair with Diane intensifies, and his dreams start.
It is not clear whether the dreams Paul is experiencing are
simply dreams or whether this is a timeslip novel. However, the dreams which
transport him back in time to live the bog-body’s life have an uncanny knack of
being geographically accurate, and lead to many new archaeological finds.
Paul becomes split between his present day life and the past
life he is experiencing. He develops a love for the bog-body’s wife Maedbh, and
thinks her child is his own. This creates conflict within him because he also
loves Diane, and it became an interesting, if somewhat unusual, love triangle.
I felt at this point that Paul’s mind was disintegrating, and I worried about
his mental health. But, as he sinks deeper into the life of his dreams, it
generates questions about which life he will choose if given the choice. And
does he have any choice?
I won’t discuss anything further about the plot because I
would not want to spoil the story for other readers. It is sufficient to say I
found this book so interesting I had to know what happened at the end.
You can buy the ebook here:
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