Book Review: The Western Wind by Samantha Harvey

This is going to be a short review by necessity, since I can't say too much about this book. Make no mistake, it's a good read - seven out of ten hot dogs - but it's hard to describe without giving the story away.

The key points are as follows:

- The book follows a priest in a British hamlet in 1491

- The plot is set in motion by the leading citizen of the town drowning in the river

- The story is told over four days - backwards!

- There is A LOT of confession (Note: As I do with most fiction, I imagined this as a movie. I had Matt Smith playing the priest, Sylvestor McCoy as the deacon, and Karl Urban as the leading citizen. Suffice it to say, unless you find watching two people talking through a partition captivating, this would definitely NOT work as a movie!)

The writing is crisp, although it could do with a few more 15th-century accents (the time period didn't seem all that important to the story). The main characters worked, which is critical for a book that's mostly dialogue. And the surprises that I'm writing around mostly worked - some fell a bit flat, but some were jaw-dropping.

And that's about all I can say. Read it and DM me!