I am wondering if I’ve lost my marbles.  Completely.  I’ve just reviewed a clutch of books read and loved during 2011, written by people I know.  And I forgot one of my utter favourites!  How could I have?  This book haunted me for weeks!!

THE HUNGER TRACE: (Simon and Schuster 2011)   Edward Hogan’s book utterly blew me away.  Set in a Derbyshire village, it explores how the  sudden death of David Bryant, the  owner of a rambling Derbyshire wildlife park affects his young widow Maggie, his old friend Louisa (a falconer who lives on the grounds) and Christopher, David’s eccentric teenage son.   They are complex and fascinating characters, unbelievably beautifully drawn, and compassionately depicted.

In some ways, this book is rather like the birds of prey which feature in it – it’s spare, hard, tough, impressive and fundamentally beautiful. Hogan’s prose is deceptively simple – he makes first class writing look easy. His powers of observation are astonishing and engaging, and his characters are complex, three dimensional and never predictable. I think, in fact, this is some of the most impressive writing I’ve come across in years – here’s one tiny quote to give you a taste of the brilliance.   ”The walls of the gritstone gorge rose high above Detton Village.  In the soft light, the cliff-face looked tooth-marked and bruised, like half a discarded apple.”

A wonderful, exquisitely crafted book – I loved it.

HAPPY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR TO EVERYONE – here’s to a healthy, happy, successful 2012 for all of us. xx