Magical realism is something I've always struggled with in books. It might be because the first time I learnt about it I was reading an Ian McEwan novel (and I really don't get on with those), or it might be because I can't stand the clash between fantasy and reality. It's probably a bit of both.
The main premise of this book is that strange things start happening when Grace, our protagonist, goes to an archaeological camp site. Somehow she's seen people that no one else can spy, and everything feels a little bit off. Thankfully, although at first I found it hard to merge the realistic sodden camp life with these passages where Grace loses herself, the book was genuinely very well written and it meant that you could easily flit from one time to another.
Grace became a widow two years before the narrative commences, and she's still impacted by her loss every single day. Desperate to get Grace to start to reconnect with herself, her best friend takes her away to a very muddy camp site to take part in a dig. Grace is beyond reluctant at first, especially as staying in a tent in the middle of nowhere isn't exactly her idea of fun, but she eventually caves in.
Things get a little more heated when Grace starts to spend time with the head of the dig, Duncan. Moody, reclusive and a little bit mysterious, Duncan finds he can open up to Grace, and together they discover exactly what was going on at the site back when humans first lived on it.
I really did enjoy this once I'd got into it. I found it started off a little slow in the first few chapters, but it was definitely worth sticking with! The author created wholly believable characters, and explored the impact of grief well without making Grace shrug it off when she found a new spark (this happens WAY too often). I loved reading about a male character with flaws and anxiety. This book was refreshing, easy to read and ended at just the right point.
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