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4.5

It’s early evening in November 2020, Kate should be self isolating for fourteen days but she’s feeling claustrophobic and the lure of the Peak District Fells is proving hard to resist. Her elderly neighbour Alice sees her leave her property but it takes a while for her teenage son Matt to realise that she’s broken the quarantine rules. The story is told from several perspectives.

I love the way that Sarah Moss writes and have been very impressed with her all novels and this one is equally impressive. Yes, it’s a pandemic novel but it’s unlike others I’ve read as it deals with the reality of lockdowns, the impact on personalities of isolation and the different way that people experience and react to it. It’s beautifully written, it’s extremely reflective making you think. Matt’s teenage sections are so well constructed as his random thoughts flit from one thing to another, especially food (well he is a teen) but this changes to a feeling of powerlessness which is overwhelming. Alice's thoughts, her vulnerabilities, the irritations, her ways of keeping deeper musings and concerns at bay, her care, concerns and kindness are very well done too. You do feel as if you are inside their thoughts and it seems almost natural that you are. Kate’s claustrophobia, her reflections on life before and in the now come across powerfully as she attempts to distract herself with household tasks and worthless items but she becomes more and more unsettled and imprisoned. You feel her relief at being outdoors but then witness a change which becomes incredibly tense and suspenseful. Her painful experience elicits deep reflection, it’s very powerful especially as the storytelling takes an almost supernatural turn with some very clever symbolism. Throughout it all the brooding Derbyshire Peak District landscape allures with its beautiful wildness but flatters to deceive as it’s reveals its potential danger to the unwary.

Overall, this is without question one of the best pandemic inspired novellas. It’s immersive reading and very thought provoking and written in a visually stunning way so scenes come alive. This is one to savour and remember

With thanks to NetGalley and especially to Pan McMillan, Picador for the much appreciated arc in return for an honest review.