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Dead Man's Embers (2012)

by Mari Strachan(Favorite Author)

3.64 of 5 Votes: 1

languge

English

genre

Fiction

publisher

Canongate UK

review 1: Full of feeling.I loved The Earth Hums in B Flat and could see the resemblance in this book, with the emotional descriptions of Davey's fearful episodes after his return from WWI. Mari Strachan seems to be particularly good at this type of writing.Again set in Wales, the story centres around Non (Rhiannon) Davies and her husband Davey. He has two children from a previous marriage and a younger son, Osian, who he mysteriously turns up with, as a baby, one day. Osian shows signs of autism, though at that time such disabilities would not have been recognised. Soon after their marriage, Davey goes off to war and although he is one of the few that came back apparently uninjured, his mental turmoil is just as damaging.Non is an endearing character who is always ready to help her... more friends and neighbours, yet she seems unable to help her husband. Then a letter turns up in Davey's pocket and Non ventures to London in the hope of some answers.This was every bit as good as Ms Strachan's first book, full of feeling and emotion - hopefully there will be many more to come.
review 2: This is a book to immerse yourself in, and I did it a grave disservice by reading it 50 pages a night. That said though, I loved it - very different in tone and content from The Earth Hums... but the characters and setting leap off the page in just the same way. Much darker though, dealing with post-traumatic stress and buried secrets. The overall "feel" is that nothing much happens, but that isn't true - it's just an impression created by the character driven narrative and the oppressive heat of the summer over which its set. Fascinating detail about the changes on their way - medicine, politics, technology - in the wake of the Great War, and a superb sense of time and place. A wonderful absorbing read - highly recommended. less

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