Run to the Western Shore

by Tim Pears

A powerful novel about destiny, home and surviving in a world in flux

Set in Britain in AD 72, Run to the Western Shore tells the story of a young Roman slave, Quintus, and Olwen, daughter of the chief of a local tribe. Quintus, long exiled from his people, has travelled great odysseys in the retinue of a powerful man, and although a citizen of nowhere, is a man of reason, fluent in many languages. Olwen, imperious tribal royalty, is rooted in her native land – a volatile warrior, fiercely attached to the natural world.

Promised to a powerful Roman by her father as part of a peace treaty, Olwen flees during the night, taking Quintus with her. Hunted by an army, the two make their way across the country, living off the land, heading for the western shore…

Written in spare but evocative language, Run to the Western Shore is a tale of quest and struggle, but also an ode to the land and a love story about the reconciliation of opposites in times of need.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Historical, Audiobook, Nature

208 pages, Hardcover

Published November 2, 2023

About the author

Born in 1956, Tim Pears grew up in Devon and left school at sixteen. He worked in a wide variety of unskilled jobs: trainee welder, assistant librarian, trainee reporter, archaeological worker, fruit picker, nursing assistant in a psychiatric ward, groundsman in a hotel & caravan park, fencer, driver, sorter of mail, builder, painter & decorator, night porter, community video maker and art gallery manager in Devon, Wales, France, Norfolk and Oxford.

Always he was writing, and in time making short films. He took the Directing course at the National Film and Television School, graduating in the same month that his first novel, In the Place of Fallen Leaves, was published, in 1993.

Reviews

[Cathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although set in 1st century Britain, this story of two young people who form an instant bond despite being from different backgrounds, of different social status and from different warring sides, and who are forced to flee in order to be together is timeless. That's not to say there's no sense of the period because this is a Britain occupied by multiple tribes, some nomadic like Olwen's own tribe, who follow old ways that have been handed down through the generations.

Initially Olwen, with her knowledge of the wild countryside they pass through as they attempt to outrun their pursuers, takes the lead. She is in tune with nature in a way Quintus, born in the city of Ephesus, is not. She educates him in the ways of birds and animals. "I did not know there was so much to see in this world", he said. "Where my eyes would have passed over and noticed nothing. You have shown me, my love.'

As they shelter for the night, they share stories. Olwen recounts the legends associated with her ancestors whilst Quintus describes his life in Ephesus before he was enslaved. In a way, they are both enslaved because their value is weighed in terms of their use to others.

Gradually Quintus becomes less of a passenger, using the negotiation skills learned from his merchant father to get them out of a dangerous situation and introducing Olwen to things she's never encountered before, such as the notion that hundreds of thousands of people could live crowded together in a place and not kill one another.

There are wonderful descriptions of the Welsh landscape through which Olwen and Quintus travel. 'They climbed again above the treeline, where here and there dotted on the hillside odd trees grew like lonely sentinels sent out to survey the harsh landscape above.' And I loved this description of the dawning of a new day. 'The darkness drained upwards, off the horizon, and it was followed by colour, fierce pink paint daubed across the horizon by some hot impatient hand.'

Increasingly they become aware that such is the relentlessness and ruthlessness of their pursuers they risk bringing danger to those who seek to help them. This is demonstrated all too clearly in one particularly tragic episode.

Can you run forever? Like all great love stories, a happy ending is not guaranteed.

I loved Tim Pears' West Country trilogy - The Horseman, The Wanderers and The Redeemed - which were all either longlisted or shortlisted for the Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction. Run to the Western Shore is another supremely well-crafted story that as well as being a moving tale about two young people is a love letter to the natural world.

[mel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Format: audiobook ~ Narrator: Ciaran Saward
Content: 5 stars ~ Narration: 5 stars
Complete audiobook review

Run to the Western Shore is a beautifully narrated story about Olwen and Quintus.

Britain, AD 75. Olwen is a fierce warrior. Her father gave her away for marriage as part of a peace treaty. Quintus is a Roman slave, far from home. Olwen decides to run away and takes Quintus with her. A tense story about a young couple that, at first glance, don’t have anything in common. On the journey, they see many wonders of nature. Especially Quintus observes them with fascination. Along the way, they visit a druid and his apprentice. They also meet an unusual couple who live in the forest.

I didn’t know what to expect, but was drawn to the beautiful cover. Now I’m glad I gave this audiobook a chance because this historical fiction novel charmed me with its beautiful prose and narration.

Thanks to Bolinda Audio for the advance copy and this opportunity! This is a voluntary review and all opinions are my own.

[Kate O'Shea · Rating 5 out of 5]

A short but perfectly formed novella.

Tim Pears beautiful prose tells the story of Olwen and Quintus, a chief's daughter given in marriage to a Roman and the slave that she escapes her fate with. The tale follows their flight from the Roman encampment to the ocean. During their travels they meet other people and Olwen tells Quintus stories of her ancestors.

I gave this story 5 stars because it was so beautifully formed. I love historical fiction when it is told simply. This story is more about the survival of those who lived in the harsh times around the times the Romans arrived on British shores. The descriptions of the different people and tribes along with the landscape and animals are what make this short book such a treat.

Highly recommended short read.

[Joey]

"We live in the time we are given, this moment, but our ancestors are here with us always... And those who will come after, they are here too."

This book grew on me, slowly, like moss covering a tree.

At first, I was underwhelmed by the sparse prose and thin characters. But as I got deeper into the novella, I realized that this is the point. We can't truly know the full hearts and minds of two people who might have lived in first-century Wales, but through their actions and what insights we do glean from them, the author slowly reveals a story that's both intimate and epic.

I also loved the beautiful, deliberate language used to depict the British landscape from two millennia ago. Bears, beavers, and lynx roam free, dense forests run uninterrupted for miles, rivers and creeks meander to their own wild paths, and the people live in cooperation with the land. Pagan culture also features, and it was moving to see British characters immersed in the animism of the natural world, not yet molded by Christianity and, eventually, capitalism. I didn't realize how much I was longing for a depiction of a nature-loving, spiritual Britain.

Overall, a beautiful book and an easy read that reveals itself at its own pace.

[Katrina Clarke · Rating 3 out of 5]

Turned out to be a cute little love/survival story. Didnt have much of the historical context really that I was hoping for. The charatcers all felt unbelievable, as did Olwen's and Quintus' escape. However I quite enjoyed their exchanges of family stories, references to the Mabinogion. The landsccape, seasonal nature writing waa lovely.

[Paul · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was drawn to this book as it was set in Wales in 72 AD. I enjoyed the first 25% of the book, it gave a real feel of tension between the Romans and the local tribes. The relationship between the two main characters is well done and the initial adrenaline of their escape. However after the setup I became less engaged and skimmed to the inevitable end.

[Matty van Hoof · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you NetGalley for providing me with a free copy in exchange for a fair review!

I'd give it a 2.5 but I'll round it up to three because this book wasn't bad just not my cup of tea. It's a beautifully written book but not a writing style that I enjoy. It's mainly focused on the surroundings and nature. But, I felt like the characters were pretty one dimensional and I couldn't connect to them because the writer never really conveys their emotions that deeply. The story itself starts off very fast and is a bit unbelievable to me but it is not a bad story. I think a lot of people do enjoy this kind of fast-paced love story. I just need a little more depth and a little more establishment for a romantic relationship to work.

[Sara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bro needed to do a little bit more extensive research beyond Wikipedia to write this book but it was chill.

[Ian · Rating 3 out of 5]

I absolutely loved all three novels in The West Country Trilogy so this was a bit of a disappointment. I raced through it, but ultimately it was little more than a slight romance with little real historical resonance and very little point or resolution. Beautiful writing but lacking substance.

[Rachel Stimson · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really wanted to like this book, but alas it was not to be. The story is set in the period when Rome has invaded Britannia and is steadily pushing west bringing more tribes to heel by force or diplomacy. It follows a celtic princess who is married off to the Roman governor as part of a peace deal, she however has other ideas. Instead on her wedding night she flees the camp taking with her a slave translator. We then follow their journey across country to the river Severn and across into Wales. And that is pretty much it. There are a few nice descriptions of landscape but otherwise the journey is rather pointless and by the time we reached the end I was very glad to see the back of the two fugitives.

There is a reason why I am always nervous of historical-fiction, the somewhat flagrant disregard for basic facts, this book was no exception. Take for example our meeting with a lone druid and his apprentice who have a Totem pole! So we have imported indigenous North American practices into Gloucestershire where there is not a shred of evidence the native Britons has anything even equivalent. The town our interpreting slave came from didn't get subsumed into the Roman Empire until the following century and were hostile to Rome at the time, and the Roman governor never visited being too busy playing politics in Europe. Basic fact checking would have resolved these and many other issues.

An interesting premise poorly executed.

[Lady Fancifull · Rating 4 out of 5]

Romans and Celts : love and savage pursuit through the mists of time.

Though beautifully written, with tender observations of the natural world, and interwoven stories from the Mabinogion, Pears’ imagined story about a Celtic chieftain’s daughter, and a young man from Ephesus, captured and enslaved by the Roman army, does not quite work as a narrative novel.

Set during the Roman occupation, during the time that Frontinus was the Roman governor of Britain, (AD 74 to 77) the two central figures connect and flee from Roman domination. Frontinus, insulted by the challenge to his dominion over the conquered Silures, one of the tribal confederations of ancient Britain, sends vengeance battalions in pursuit.

Inevitably, given the tenor of our present days, I found myself thinking of Putin, and of Wagner.

There is much in this short novel to really admire, the landscape and the ancient world, its social and religious setting, are beautifully done. The two central characters regale each other with stories of their past, and, in Olwen, Celtic princess’s case, her history and tradition are bound up with myth, legend and magic. She claims ancestry from characters whose tales come from The Mabinogion. This book, though a medieval text, traditionally came from 11 tales of love and treachery, which had been passed down, by oral tradition from Welsh bards.

The challenge, not fully overcome, is that somehow the two central characters, particularly Olwen, are not completely credible or defined. Sometimes (not often, but sometimes) the language itself seems a little jarring and modern. The interweaving of the tales told and the urgency of flight and pursuit, and the challenge of survival in an isolated landscape, somewhat war with each other

[Zara Harper · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was such a beautifully poetic book with the most wonderful descriptions of animals, plants and scenery throughout. The plot line itself is very basic but it’s still such a compelling read. Some of the people they meet along the way are wonderful. I never got a true sense of time as we went along but I loved that the changes in season were encountered. I found the writing style was moving and flowed like one of the many rivers in the book. Both of the main characters were from such different backgrounds and I loved the way they told their histories as we went along. This is my first read by this author and I shall be picking up others for sure.

[SwedishBrute · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5/5 ⭐️

[E A · Rating 5 out of 5]

:(

[Maeve]

really lovely little novella!

[Lily April · Rating 3 out of 5]

Took me an age to finish despite being very short and simple - only due to essays not letting me focus on books😔
Nice, simple, appreciating the beauty of nature, with a very melancholic ending. Nothing groundbreaking for me, but very meditative, which I think is intended.

[Michael Fuller · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not sure I really enjoy any English-written book about Celts.

[Mark Redman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Run to the Western Shore by Tim Pears. Is a beautifully told story of two people from different parts of the world who find themselves fated to be together through an opportunistic and serendipitous moment. The story is told in a very simple way. It feels like a road trip through ancient Britain with some lush descriptions of their journey. It begins with Olwen, a chief's
daughter given in marriage to a Roman. Olwen manages to escape with a slave called Quintus and their fates are in that moment entwined. The love tale follows their flight from the Roman encampment to the ocean. During their travels, they meet other people and Olwen tells Quintus stories of her ancestors and their attempted escape to a new life.

What stuck with me was the beautiful prose and the simple story told in a captivating way. Both characters are well-conceived and feel believable. The landscape and the wildlife also become a part of the story as well. All this together transports you to another place and time. A very absorbing reading experience.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher Swift Press for a free e-arc and an honest opinion.

[Marco Cazarès · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved how the story is beautifully detailed. For a non-native speaker it was a real challenge but I learnt so many new words. I had to google some trees, flowers or birds to be able to put an image to the phrases.
If you love nature, this is the book for you.

[Susan Tate · Rating 3 out of 5]

Liked the story and the ending but didn't connect with the characters that much and felt like it was a bit jumpy and too quick!

[Carys Guest · Rating 4 out of 5]

I listened to this audio book whilst falling asleep as it was available on borrow box and I really loved the way life and nature in Celtic wales was explored. Admittedly some bits of it were not the best to fall asleep to and I stayed up late to hear if Olwyn and Quintus would escape their pursuers but overall I enjoyed being taken to a historical place, time and adventure

[A.M. Swink · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was very silly. Ostensibly set in AD 72 (was it, though?), this novel reads more like a modern British wildlife guide to Wales, interspersed with retellings of tales from the Mabinogion, which are highly incongruous for this novel's setting. The origins of the Mabinogion are in the 6th century AD, which makes sense given the highly medieval nature/culture coloring the tales. They may be adapted from oral histories told earlier, but surely not exactly like the stories eventually transcribed. The emphasis on lynx existing in Roman Britain is overemphasized - yes, they were hunted to extinction in the middle ages, but the fossil record doesn't indicate that lynx had a very widespread/prevalent presence in Britain prior to their disappearance. You know what was flourishing all over Roman Britain? The sea eagle, a bird which doesn't seem to make the massive list of birds encountered and painstakingly described by the protagonists. Must not have been listed in the guidebook.

The in media res opening and brief nature of the story combine to make the characters very one-dimensional. The protagonists embark on a romantic relationship very early on in the narrative, when they've only traded a handful of remarks to each other prior to this. Nothing about their escape from the Roman camp leads the reader to believe they are even attracted to each other. The narrative doesn't make this clear until the female protagonist is just about to have sex with the male protagonist for the first time. It is jarringly abrupt and the failure to show this relationship on the page makes the characters even harder to understand. The Druids have no seeming connection to archaeological evidence, the Roman legionaries are one-dimensional villains who use bows/arrows and ride with stirrups (any Romanophile will be rolling their eyes at that), and there are several incongruities within the tale. Julius Frontinus has NO characterization to speak of. None. Just amorphous 'bad guy.' His runaway slave can't even articulate WHY he hates the guy. The characters eat blackberries multiple times throughout the narrative, despite the fact that ingesting blackberries was considered taboo among early Britons. Also: Castles? Coronations? Hermits? Lances? Are you SURE you didn't mean to set this story in the middle ages, because it sure isn't screaming 1st century AD to me.

Also, I'm still scratching my head over the beaver people chapter. Why, in a 10-chapter book, was an entire TENTH of the narrative devoted to describing this beaver-obsessed old couple who trap and eat beaver, describing how they butcher the beaver in excruciating detail? The obsession with eating raw beaver liver was giving me weird liver king vibes. They served no purpose to the story and I'm not sure why the reader was forced to spend so much time with them.

ETA: I audibly groaned when the landscape/area was actually described by characters vocally as 'Welsh/Wales.' The country was NOT known as Wales in AD 72. That was a name given by the Angles and Saxons, who are still about 500 years away from invading Britain's eastern shores at this point in history.

ETFA: The native Britons living in the first century AD were most definitely NOT monotheistic. Yes, they believed in a mother goddess (or triplicate mother goddess) and each tribe had a different 'patron' deity that reigned supreme over the others in the pantheon, but the evidence we have from this time indicates that they very, very much worshipped a large pantheon of gods and goddesses. Portraying them as monotheistic with a spiritual connection to nature and who carved wooden totems (!) is a bunch of New Age-y bull that tries to impress some kind of primitive Christianity on the Britons, ostensibly in order to differentiate them from the inferior Roman baddies. Silly, silly, silly.

[Sian · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really wanted to love this book: it is historical fiction set in Roman occupied Britain so well outside the normal overdone periods; it features a feisty green-eyed redhead; anything that brings the stories of the Mabinogion to a new audience must be a good thing, and there was some beautiful imagery about the landscape.
The story just didn’t quite work for me though, either in terms of the relationship between Olwen & Quintus or their flight from the Romans. Why did she chose to run away with him? The lack of clarity of the time period and the distances travelled annoyed me too.

[Christine · Rating 4 out of 5]

A beautiful story of love in a time of upheaval.

A young Celtic warrior flees an unwanted marriage with a Roman governor and in tow follows a young slave who acted as interpreter for the legion. Together they cross a country in turbulence, relying on the kindness of strangers yet with a constant undercurrent of threat.

The writing is beautiful and paints a stunning portrayal of ancient Welsh landscape and animals. Nature plays a significant role, almost a character in itself as it offers up opportunities and challenges to the fleeing couple. The young couple are more passive but the myths and legends of their people woven throughout the book adds depth.

The intricate details made for a vivid setting and it felt like I was there following the couple through Roman Britain. This is a short book of less than 200 pages so I did feel that if it was longer, I would have loved to have got to know Olwen and Quintus in more depth.  

This book is a journey – the characters fleeing, a country in turmoil but nature taking its course regardless, always resilient. Would highly recommend if you like ancient history or mythical retellings.

[Sandra Vdplaats · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hiraeth

(In liet fan lyts ferset)

I am definitely not new to Pears' novels, as I have been a fan from the beginning. I admire his wonderful writing style. I purchased my first novel of his, In the Land of Plenty, in hardcover at Waterstones eons ago, and have since been purchasing all of his publications without hesitation.

This text tells the quest for freedom of a young Celtic woman Owlen and the young Roman slave Quintus, providing insight into the clash of the two worlds during Roman Britain, exploring the differences between the 'barbarian' pagan tribes and the Romans.
The text examines the process of Romanisation among 'barbarian' tribes, including the gradual transition from pre-Christian paganism to other belief systems. It also considers the impact of this transition on their myths, rituals, and perceptions of the natural world.
A skilled linguistic expert, Pears also shows how Romanisation influenced language use as well; and how tales of love, war, plague or heroic battle that were sung by bards and passed on orally for centuries would later form the basis for the Mabinogion and Arthurian legends.
He traces the past of this ancient land, and its prominent landmarks, its unimaginable richness of stories of dragons, shapeshifters, and selkies, thus creating a deeply moving and rich tapestry of unimaginable richness in prose, language, heritage and identity.
I understand Welsh sentiment all too well - they even have a non-translatable word for it: hiraeth. We have a similar word in Frisian (I am bilingual, Frisian is also my mother tongue) with more or less the same meaning: ‘langstme’
Although I have lived and worked abroad, including in busy London and other parts of the UK, I am happy to be back in the place I feel more home than anywhere else in the world: the coastal region of the North Sea. It gives me a sense of place, of belonging.

With a Run to the Western Shore - Tim Pears has written a truly rich and in depth narrative about longing, love, kin, identity, and heritage.

Captivating!
5 stars.

[Sandra · Rating 5 out of 5]

‘Run to the Western Shore’ by Tim Pears is the mesmeric story of Olwen and Quintus as they run together across Wales, living off the land, heading westwards to the sea. Britain AD72. Given by her father in marriage to the Roman governor Frontinus as part of a peace treaty, Olwen flees in the night. She awakens a slave boy and together they run. Both are nineteen years old.
Quintus is a translator, he has lived in many foreign lands but has no real home. He serves his Roman masters as they conquer one country after another. Olwen is part of tribal royalty. She leads Quintus through the countryside and seems at one with nature, wildlife, the land, the soil and its legends. The Welsh woodland, valleys, peaks and streams are beautifully described as they follow a meandering path designed to defeat their Roman pursuers. As they lope across the countryside they share stories of their lives, families and cultures. Quintus is unsure whether Olwen’s story are true, myth or a moment of fanciful imagination.
The writing style is simple and elegant. When a dark purple sky heralds a snow blizzard, ‘It was as if they were bottled inside some receptacle not much larger than themselves and a whimsical god was shaking it. Perhaps two such gods were tossing it to the other.’ Another day they near the River Wye, ‘Below them lay a wide green mead, its grass covered in white lace.’ Made by ‘the little people,’ Olwen says, a funeral shroud or a bridal veil. In fact they are cobwebs, white in the morning dew. The further they travel, Quintus becomes more aware of the ground beneath his feet, the birds that soar above, the joy of feeling free.
Only 152 pages, this is a memorable novella which is effortless to read as the pair day by day approach the western shore and their destiny. It is part history, part road trip, part nature essay, part love story. Beautifully written, it stayed with me for many days afterwards. Enchanting.
Read more of my book reviews at http://www.sandradanby.com/book-revie...

[James Cooper · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was alright in my opinion. In it we follow the Roman slave Quintus and the daughter of a Chief Olwen who are very different but end up running away together after Olwen is promised to a Roman by her father in a peace treaty. The two seem very unalike but over their journey through the British countryside and route to the coast, a friendship then love blossoms. Quintus is a knowledgeable young man of logic and reason, he knows many languages after following his master across the empire, he’s very much used to and accustomed to city life. Whereas Olwen… she’s lived a very different life, one knowledgeable in the way of the world, she understands the culture of the different tribes, values nature above all else and most importantly is destined to be a fierce warrior. But despite this, the couple actually share a lovely bond and Pears does a great job at showing how those held captive lived and survived in first century Britain. What I liked was how the two begin to share stories, Quintus of his time in Ephesus and family before his enslavement, and Olwen retells myths and stories of her native land among others. As they move across the Welsh landscape to the shore, the nature writing is very nice and the couple meet lots of weird but also friendly people. I did like them but I personally hate to read about animal death and there’s a large part detailing this which was a very unpleasant read for me. I also thought they had an attraction and things moved too quickly which I didn’t really get. I’m not 100% on how I felt about the ending, I see how Pears stays true to the setting and time but I would’ve preferred something else.

Overall, it was decent enough read (well listen and I did like the narration) and would recommend it. I found what I liked and didn’t kinda added up to an average 3.5 star rating but I’ll round up.

[B · Rating 3 out of 5]

Notes:
● curious about Olwen but aside from that I found the first chapter had to get through with no reward
● the ending wasn't what I expected but I feel that the ending fit the story

Positives:
● The writing is beautiful
● The characters shared stories of their past to each other
● the story transports you to a different time
● the side characters were thought out and had as much detail as they needed

Negatives:
● it took a long
● sometimes the story drags

Favourite Quotes:
●  " Quintus said, ‘I thought that you had no plan. That
you were prepared to be the wife of your father’s enemy.’
‘This,’ she said, opening her arms to take in the items
around them. ‘This was more like a funeral. A burial of
weapons. Farewell to who I was.’ "
- chapter 3
● " ‘I know every hill,’ she told him. ‘Every stream. I have known them all my life.' " - chapter 3
● "He saw grotesque creatures. Horrible beasts. Until he slipped back into sleep and they appeared no more." - chapter 3
●"she could be so gentle, and so fierce." - chapter 5
●"There have always been women who preferred the hunt to the garden. Iron weapons to sewing needles." -chapter 6 ●"this aftermath, is like the trail left by a shooting star in the night sky." - chapter 7
●"Go forth and meet your destiny, child. It awaits you." - chapter 7 
●"‘What is wrong, my love?’ she said. ‘Why do you weep?’
Quintus shook his head. ‘I did not know there was so much to see in this world,’ he said. ‘Where my eyes would have passed over and noticed nothing. You have shown me, my love.’" - chapter 10

[Brian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Set in first century Britain, Run to the Western Shore is the story of two young people seeking to escape the Roman occupation. I encountered the story as a Bolinda audiobook, sympathetically read by Ciaran Saward.

Unlike a lot of fiction set in Roman Britain, it’s not action-packed. When Olwen, the daughter of a British chieftain, is given in marriage to Frontinus, the Roman governor of Britannia, she runs off with Quintus, a Greek slave in the governor’s entourage – and that’s pretty much a summary of the plot.

That’s by no means a criticism, however, because the focus of the novel is less on action and more on relationships: the relationship between Olwen and Quintus, the relationship between each of them and the landscape through which they flee, and the relationship between the Roman imperial machine and the society it seeks to conquer and subdue.

Olwen and Quintus come from very different worlds but are thrown together by immediate mutual attraction. In making a bid for freedom, they know the odds against success, and the terrible fate that awaits them if caught. With this knowledge and with the constant necessity of spending each day running through the countryside trying to cover their tracks, they must get to know each other. That process of understanding is carefully and movingly conveyed by Tim Pears and takes place against a backdrop of detailed observation of nature.

I found the story completely gripping and was sorry when it was over.

[Cheryl M-M · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s interesting how the author creates this juxtaposition of identity both culturally, socio-economically and even when it comes to gender roles. Quintus is completely enveloped in his status as a slave, which also serves as his identity. He has been trained to never query, to think beyond the boundaries set for him, to act without thought. This is particularly evident when Owen questions his knowledge of possible pursuit, routines and standard reactions expected in response to their flight or excursion.

Owen, both in identity and action, is a physical and visual representation of her country, people, the tribal nature of the times. What is law unto them is perhaps unlawful to the oppressor, ergo never the twain shall meet on grounds of common understanding. What both Owen and Quintus come to realise is that despite the huge differences between them, they have the commonality of useful commodity that links the two of them.

It’s a tale written with the hand of prose, but never forgetting the reality of the historical setting. It’s a story of connection, of footsteps that leave barely a reminder, and yet the importance of the two sets the tone for future removal of barriers. A stark reminder of sameness, regardless of the differences the world, the structure, and the variety of societal norms and cultural rules we think must keep us apart.