The sudden death of David Bryant, the charismatic owner of a rambling Derbyshire wildlife park, leaves an indelible mark on three very different people. David's young widow, Maggie, struggles to preserve the park and to forge friendships untainted by the suspicions of others. His old friend Louisa, a falconer who lives on the grounds, just wants to be left alone with her hawks and the dark secret she has shared with David since their youth. Meanwhile, Christopher, David's eccentric teenage son from an earlier marriage, strives for a life beyond the park and trawls the internet for a woman who shares his family values. With the arrival of a stranger, and unforeseen disaster amid the worst rains for a hundred years, the loyalties of Maggie, Louisa and Christopher will be stretched to breaking point, and each must face the decisions which will define them...
The Hunger Trace
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Review
'Powerful and original... An impressive work, grimly bawdy, tense and moving' --Sunday Times
`The shocking revelation of a childhood secret and the poignant search for human warmth...make this a rich and moving second novel' --Waterstone's Books Quarterly, March issue
`Cleverly constructed plots, well-drawn settings and slick sentences'
--Review, Daily Telegraph 26/3
`Hogan is only 30, but had the look of a writer of whom more will be heard.... He has taken a situation and developed it with real psychological acuity' --Mail on Sunday
`Dreamy mix of the banal and the numinous infuses a book in which the real star of the show is the place being written about... It's a persuasive central message in an elegant, compelling story...a gripping book'
--Sarah Crown, Guardian
'Hogan excels at tracing unspoken drama between characters, catching the shifts in temperature... In an unshowy way he fills the novel with rich descriptions... The pleasure of The Hunger Trace lies in its precision. Even as the pace quickens Hogan doesn't lose sight of accuracy. Like the falcons whose flight he catches so crisply, the prose is lean and strict, with movements of surprising beauty' --Ed Behrens, Literary Review
'...delicately written, with a subtle plot and some lovely comic touches'
--'Ross Raisin's Cultural Highlights,' Observer, 10 July 2011
`Ross Raisin and Edward Hogan's second novels dealt, as in each of their previous works, with the role of the outsider... The Hunger Trace, Hogan's mysterious, searing story of a Derbyshire falconer. Either would have been strong choices for the much-maligned Man Booker' --Sunday Telegraph
`The shocking revelation of a childhood secret and the poignant search for human warmth...make this a rich and moving second novel' --Waterstone's Books Quarterly, March issue
`Cleverly constructed plots, well-drawn settings and slick sentences'
--Review, Daily Telegraph 26/3
`Hogan is only 30, but had the look of a writer of whom more will be heard.... He has taken a situation and developed it with real psychological acuity' --Mail on Sunday
`Dreamy mix of the banal and the numinous infuses a book in which the real star of the show is the place being written about... It's a persuasive central message in an elegant, compelling story...a gripping book'
--Sarah Crown, Guardian
'Hogan excels at tracing unspoken drama between characters, catching the shifts in temperature... In an unshowy way he fills the novel with rich descriptions... The pleasure of The Hunger Trace lies in its precision. Even as the pace quickens Hogan doesn't lose sight of accuracy. Like the falcons whose flight he catches so crisply, the prose is lean and strict, with movements of surprising beauty' --Ed Behrens, Literary Review
'...delicately written, with a subtle plot and some lovely comic touches'
--'Ross Raisin's Cultural Highlights,' Observer, 10 July 2011
`Ross Raisin and Edward Hogan's second novels dealt, as in each of their previous works, with the role of the outsider... The Hunger Trace, Hogan's mysterious, searing story of a Derbyshire falconer. Either would have been strong choices for the much-maligned Man Booker' --Sunday Telegraph
About the Author
Edward Hogan was born in Derby in 1980 and now lives in Brighton. He is a graduate of the MA creative writing course at UEA and a recipient of the David Higham Award. His first novel, Blackmoor, was shortlisted for the Sunday Times Young Writer of the Year Award, the Dylan Thomas Prize and won the Desmond Elliot Prize.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
6 of 8 people found the following review helpful
By Mrs. C. Colbert
VINE™ VOICE
Format:Hardcover
A wildlife park in the middle of England is the unusual backdrop to this novel which mostly features three characters all dealing with the aftermath of the owner's death two years before.
Maggie, the widow of David, is left to cope with the running of the park, while her only `friend' is the hostile Louisa who has been in love with David since they were teenagers, and who is jealous of and resents Maggie.
Louisa lives in a cottage across the field from 'the big house' where Maggie and Christopher live and constantly spies on her.
Christopher, David's teenage son from his first marriage, lives with Maggie, he is unpredictable, slightly psychotic, has a habit of speaking the truth, is obsessed with Robin Hood and knows that Louisa watches them in their `big house'.
As life goes on in the park Maggie and Louisa start to let their barriers down and gradually become close friends, confiding in each other, Louisa helping in the park as well as looking after her beloved hawks and for a while they both start looking forward.....then Adam (a man with an unusual adult occupation!) enters their life and their friendship is tested.
Louisa's romance with Adam formed quite a large part of the story ......... I really liked Adam but my main doubt was that I just couldn't see what he saw in the unfriendly, unpopular 47 yr old Louisa who lived for her hawks. It seemed an unlikely friendship to me and I found it difficult to believe.
The character I liked the most was Christopher, though I probably shouldn't as he was so weird, but he did make me laugh with his honesty. He once refused to eat meat for a while as he feared retribution from the animals in the park. Maggie took him to the cinema (from page 231) .....
""She watched Christopher bite into a nacho loaded with various mush. He closed his eyes while he chewed, and sighed with pleasure, as if he'd just taken some life-saving antidote. Crisp shards fell into his hand, which he had readied below his chin for that purpose. He pushed the crumbs in, too. Against all odds, it was fun to watch. When had Maggie last enjoyed food to such an extent? She laughed, and Christopher laughed too, unable to contain his pleasure.""
I enjoyed the writing, it was easy and simple and flowed quickly. The idea of having a wildlife park in the background was very original and his observations of the falcons and the hawks was a joy to read.
Maggie, the widow of David, is left to cope with the running of the park, while her only `friend' is the hostile Louisa who has been in love with David since they were teenagers, and who is jealous of and resents Maggie.
Louisa lives in a cottage across the field from 'the big house' where Maggie and Christopher live and constantly spies on her.
Christopher, David's teenage son from his first marriage, lives with Maggie, he is unpredictable, slightly psychotic, has a habit of speaking the truth, is obsessed with Robin Hood and knows that Louisa watches them in their `big house'.
As life goes on in the park Maggie and Louisa start to let their barriers down and gradually become close friends, confiding in each other, Louisa helping in the park as well as looking after her beloved hawks and for a while they both start looking forward.....then Adam (a man with an unusual adult occupation!) enters their life and their friendship is tested.
Louisa's romance with Adam formed quite a large part of the story ......... I really liked Adam but my main doubt was that I just couldn't see what he saw in the unfriendly, unpopular 47 yr old Louisa who lived for her hawks. It seemed an unlikely friendship to me and I found it difficult to believe.
The character I liked the most was Christopher, though I probably shouldn't as he was so weird, but he did make me laugh with his honesty. He once refused to eat meat for a while as he feared retribution from the animals in the park. Maggie took him to the cinema (from page 231) .....
""She watched Christopher bite into a nacho loaded with various mush. He closed his eyes while he chewed, and sighed with pleasure, as if he'd just taken some life-saving antidote. Crisp shards fell into his hand, which he had readied below his chin for that purpose. He pushed the crumbs in, too. Against all odds, it was fun to watch. When had Maggie last enjoyed food to such an extent? She laughed, and Christopher laughed too, unable to contain his pleasure.""
I enjoyed the writing, it was easy and simple and flowed quickly. The idea of having a wildlife park in the background was very original and his observations of the falcons and the hawks was a joy to read.
By K. Clarke
Format:Paperback
I've just listened to the audio book of this and it blew me away. I found it hard to believe the author is a twenty-something male - he explores the female psyche so well, and they're not young females either.
The character of Christopher - who is somewhere on the autistic spectrum - was brilliantly depicted, and maybe it helped that the narrator brought the writing so vividly to life - a lot can depend on the quality of the narrating with an audio-book.
I wouldn't have imagined being so gripped by descriptions of falconry, or flooding, or the day-to-day running of an animal farm, but despite the almost lyrical style of writing the story is primarily driven by the complex characters of Louisa Smedley - in particular - Maggie, Chrisptopher and Adam, with the backstory of Maggie and Lousia's relationship with David Bryant skillfully woven in. I grew to care about them all, and was sorry when I'd finished.
I've already started listening to Hogan's earlier novel, Blackmoor, and it's shaping up to be every bit as good.
The character of Christopher - who is somewhere on the autistic spectrum - was brilliantly depicted, and maybe it helped that the narrator brought the writing so vividly to life - a lot can depend on the quality of the narrating with an audio-book.
I wouldn't have imagined being so gripped by descriptions of falconry, or flooding, or the day-to-day running of an animal farm, but despite the almost lyrical style of writing the story is primarily driven by the complex characters of Louisa Smedley - in particular - Maggie, Chrisptopher and Adam, with the backstory of Maggie and Lousia's relationship with David Bryant skillfully woven in. I grew to care about them all, and was sorry when I'd finished.
I've already started listening to Hogan's earlier novel, Blackmoor, and it's shaping up to be every bit as good.
By Alison McVey
Format:Paperback
The 'hunger trace' of the title is an interruption in the growth of the feathers in a bird of prey as a result of starvation. We don't learn this until well over half way through the book, and made me wonder why it was chosen for the title.
The story centres on three main characters: Maggie is the young widow of David and owner of the Derbyshire estate which is being run as a wildlife estate; Christopher is David's son, a teenager and not quite normal and Louisa, an old friend of David's who lives on the estate and whose passion is falconry.
As the story opens, the relationship between Maggie and Louisa is strained and cool. Louisa is a loner, Maggie is lonely. Maggie, with a high degree of determination, decides on making friends with Louisa. Louisa has built barricades around herself, and as they fall away and life begins to happen, her ability to cope is undermined.
In my opinion, the blurb on the back cover leans a bit towards hyperbole, gving the impression that there is more plot than there actually is. Overall I would say this novel is more of a character study of loneliness and isolation than a plot driven novel. I enjoy slow stories that treat dysfunction with compassion, so this was a good read for me, however some readers might find it a bit dragging.
There is a lot about falconry, which adds an interesting element, but the backdrop of the wildlife park, which might attract some readers, is in fact peripheral to the story.
This might sit on my bookshelf alongside The Cold Eye of Heaven or Italian Shoes both of which are similarly melancholic studies of isolation.
The story centres on three main characters: Maggie is the young widow of David and owner of the Derbyshire estate which is being run as a wildlife estate; Christopher is David's son, a teenager and not quite normal and Louisa, an old friend of David's who lives on the estate and whose passion is falconry.
As the story opens, the relationship between Maggie and Louisa is strained and cool. Louisa is a loner, Maggie is lonely. Maggie, with a high degree of determination, decides on making friends with Louisa. Louisa has built barricades around herself, and as they fall away and life begins to happen, her ability to cope is undermined.
In my opinion, the blurb on the back cover leans a bit towards hyperbole, gving the impression that there is more plot than there actually is. Overall I would say this novel is more of a character study of loneliness and isolation than a plot driven novel. I enjoy slow stories that treat dysfunction with compassion, so this was a good read for me, however some readers might find it a bit dragging.
There is a lot about falconry, which adds an interesting element, but the backdrop of the wildlife park, which might attract some readers, is in fact peripheral to the story.
This might sit on my bookshelf alongside The Cold Eye of Heaven or Italian Shoes both of which are similarly melancholic studies of isolation.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars
Falconic Novel
Let's face it, the real stars are the raptors and the insight into falconry is a bonus in this novel. Read more
Published 8 months ago by puddleglum
5.0 out of 5 stars
Christopher had finished the first section (Hooded Man/Psycho...
Maggie is trying to continue the work of her late husband, David Bryant's wildlife centre. She isn't afraid of hard work and she has reliable staff. Read more
Published 10 months ago by Eileen Shaw
3.0 out of 5 stars
Just misses the mark
This could have been a witty, tightly-spun and inventive book - and there is much to like about it, notably the spotlight on unrequited love (and the un-put-downable build-up of... Read more
Published 10 months ago by charlie
5.0 out of 5 stars
Riveting, character driven novel.
After the death of her husband, David, Maggie struggles to run his wildlife park in Derbyshire with little emotional support. Read more
Published 14 months ago by Curiosity Killed The Bookworm
4.0 out of 5 stars
A beautifully written novel with wonderful characters
The Hunger Trace is set in a small English village where three very different people are all trying to cope with the death of wildlife park owner David Bryant. Read more
Published 14 months ago by Helen
5.0 out of 5 stars
Stayed with me for long time after I read it
I read The Hunger Trace and it stayed for me for weeks afterwards. The story uncurls over the pages and the tension and action ramps up. Read more
Published 14 months ago by InquisitiveOwl
5.0 out of 5 stars
Stunning Second Novel...
From the very start of `The Hunger Trace' I had an early inkling that this would be a book for me. It opens with two women, who clearly don't like each other for reasons we don't... Read more
Published 14 months ago by Simon Savidge Reads
5.0 out of 5 stars
A beautifully written drama in rural Derbyshire
In The Hunger Trace Edward Hogan has produced a characteristically English novel set among the hills of Derbyshire. Read more
Published 17 months ago by A Common Reader
5.0 out of 5 stars
An awesome read
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. Read more
Published on 28 Mar 2011 by Bookworm
4.0 out of 5 stars
'nothing is forgotten'
The death of David Bryant, owner of a wildlife park in Derbyshire leaves the park with an uncertain future and turmoil in the lives of those closest to him: his younger wife... Read more
Published on 3 Mar 2011 by William Rycroft
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