Blackmoor
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Product Description
Product Description
Beth is an albino, half blind, and given to looking at the world out of the corner of her eye. Her neighbours in the Derbyshire town of Blackmoor have always thought she was 'touched', and when a series of bizarre happenings shake the very foundations of the village, they are confirmed in their opinion that Beth is an ill omen. The neighbours say that Beth eats dirt from the flowerbeds, and that smoke rises from her lawn. By the end of the year, she is dead. A decade later her son, Vincent, treated like a bad omen by his father George is living in a pleasant suburb miles from Blackmoor. There the bird-watching teenager stumbles towards the buried secrets of his mother's life and death in the abandoned village. It's the story of a community that fell apart, a young woman whose face didn't fit, and a past that refuses to go away.
About the Author
Edward Hogan is 26 years old and a graduate of the MA creative writing course at UEA and a recipient of the David Higham Award. BLACKMOOR is his first novel. He is a teacher and lives in London.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A mining village with a tale to tell.,
By
This review is from: Blackmoor (Paperback)
For a first novel this isn't half-bad. Beth's world is one I was immediately interested in and, despite her albinism and nystagmus, a world in which she coped well - for a while. It is her inevitable breakdown that causes her husband, George, to alienate himself from her and their young son, Vincent. Growing up, Vincent tries his best to find out as much as he can about his mother, but his father holds everything close to his chest. To even think of her breaks his heart. However, there is more to this than meets the eye.
Blackmoor is a mining village: a close-knit community at the beck and call of the mine owners. When they are let down by the big bosses they turn to Michael Jenkins, a politician who may have an agenda of his own. The book moves from past to present effortlessly, telling Vincent's story and that of his parents with a simplicity not found in many new books. However, sometimes this simplicity left me yearning for things to get a little more complex. This is a story where the characters are the key, occasionally in need of a little more plot, though. I can't wait to see more from this promising author.
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A Brilliant Debut Novel,
By
This review is from: Blackmoor (Hardcover)
An excellent debut novel from this 26 year old author, although when reading it you would never guess this is his first book.
The subject and title of the book - Blackmoor - is a old, decaying pit village on the borders of Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire. Blackmoor pit was closed completely after the miner's strike and the village is slowly subsiding and in danger from gases that are building up in the disused pit. Eventually,British Coal decided to demolish Blackmoor and move the residents to a ready made new village just up the road. Beth, her husband and their small son Vincent will never actually live in the new village - this is the story of the disintegration of their little family. Beth is a little different to the usual mining wives - and suffers with mental health problems. The story of how her husband and son cope is the basis of the book. This is a beautiful read in places - it is quite stark, the language is spare and to the point, but very poignant in places. I really enjoyed this and look forward to more from this author
20 of 21 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Best novel I've read this year,
By
This review is from: Blackmoor (Hardcover)
The language is beautiful and yet it's also page-turning. I read this book in a few sittings, staying up late into the night to finish it. The characters are engagingly complex, their situations intriguing. The setting is as absorbing as the characters. I spent the last week immersed in Hogan's world of disused mines and quarries, teenage-hideouts and barren bedrooms. Remarkable that this is the author's début.
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