A new discovery for me, Trevor won the Whitbread three times and was shortlisted for the Booker prize five times, so I am clearly late to the game! He comes from County Cork (and even passed through Skibbereen, which I recently visited), finally settling in England in the 1950s. This book from 1994 is from the height of his powers as a storyteller.
This book is a wonderful, layered, taut thriller, as well as an intriguing character study of two opposite characters.
Felicia: a young Irish Catholic girl in trouble who travels to the Midlands to find her lover. She’s scared and determined, but she’s got very little to go on. She doesn’t want to be here like this, but she’s making the most of it. She’s plucky and independent, but also out on her own. She’s holding fast to her positive image of her lover despite the constant setbacks and her inability to locate him.
Then there’s Mr Hilditch: the rotund and precise catering manager at a local factory. He lives alone in a big house, filled with items he’s scavenged to paint a respectable picture. He seems oddly empty.
Their paths cross, and very quickly you’re in his head. Why does he seek out vulnerable women? Why is he lying? Who is he really? Is Felicia going to figure out who he really is before it’s too late?
This book is great at building tension. You have some sinister ideas that start to swirl pretty early on, but nothing is revealed too quickly. It’s also a brilliantly balanced book where you get to exist in unexpected places.
Read when you’re in the mood for a thrilling novel with a dark and twisty underbelly.
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