Show Me the Sky

by Nicholas Hogg

Missing adj. 1. not present; absent or lost. 2. not able to be traced and not known to be dead. go missing to become lost or disappear Time is running out for James Dent. On the trail of missing singer Billy K, his team has exhausted every lead. The investigation has cost Dent his marriage, his home and possibly his job. All he has left is his instinct, and a copy of `Show Me the Sky' - the book Billy was reading when he vanished. With only the clothes on his back and £5,000 in his wallet, Dent himself disappears. He believes he can solve this case alone. He can have little idea where this journey will take him. Mystery, adventure, historical voyage, coming-of-age - Show Me the Sky is all this and more. It is a dazzling novel about the power of books to change lives, which will keep you guessing until the final page.

Genres: Fiction

309 pages, Paperback

First published June 5, 2008

About the author

Nicholas Hogg was nominated for the IMPAC literary award for his début novel, Show Me the Sky. Winner of numerous short story contests, his work has also been broadcast by the BBC. His latest novel, TOKYO, is out now. www.nicholashogg.com

Reviews

[Sarah · Rating 2 out of 5]

CAN'T COMPREHEND TO WHAT I AM READING ZzzzZ

[J.T. Boehm · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read it.

[sisterimapoet · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was mildly curious when I heard about this book, as I have a passing interest in missing rock stars, but I really only took a chance with it because it was published by Canongate and I often enjoy their books.

And I'm very glad I did. The novel far exceeded the hopes raised by the cover blurb, which really didn't do justice to the scope of the novel.

The magic in this novel is the way in which Hogg interweaves four separate narratives. Each feels authentic and gripping. Each gives subtle nods to the others. And the missing rockstar makes mere cameo appearances, and yet still binds the other threads together.

The ending feel like a slight anti-climax, but did not detract from what had gone before. A great read, and I can't wait to see what Hogg does next. We could well have another David Mitchell in the making.

[Rhys · Rating 5 out of 5]

'show me the sky' is a beautifuly wellspun exploration of personal identity with a cast of exotic memorables who endevour to locate the essence of who they are and why. What twins them is the Fijian stowaway missionary Naqarase and his psyche.His ancient scribe plays ghost and reason to the mystery dissapearences;a global song god,And a man inspired to find him.
Nicholas Hogg writes with velvet ephemeral poeticality,woven gracefully into the cleverly crafted plotlines of this brilliant book.

[Jh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved how the different stories came together.. How the missing rock star and Fijian missionary were linked. Would probably appeal to fans of Cloud Atlas. Great read.

[Christine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tying together numerous plot lines is something few writers can do with much success, yet Hogg masterfully accomplishes this and more. Great read. Can't wait for more from this writer.

[Geraldine · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was a bit confused at the beginning but then I got lost in the story...loved it so much didn't want it to end.

[Mew · Rating 4 out of 5]

Someone told me that this made them think of Cloud Atlas. I wondered how anything could compare to that - it wasn't as beautifully written as Cloud Atlas, but it would take a lot to make me think anything was. However, this was an amazing book. Each narrative would have been enough to grip and to intrigue the reader. Having these storylines and characters weave in and out felt indulgent. But also brilliant.

[Paul · Rating 3 out of 5]

A powerfully written mystery of a disappearance of a rock singer. The man sent to find him also vanishes from the radar to trace him. Intertwined with this is the account of a Fijian man who has found Christianity, and is returning home to convert his people.

The story is quite complex and deals with corruption and vested interests as much as a man’s desire to no longer be in the spotlight. Couldn’t always see the links, but the writing is exquisite.

[Ruth · Rating 4 out of 5]

The blurb notes "A Journey of Redemption" would normally have stayed my hand immediately, but I picked this up in the library as one of the 'outside the comfort zone' books I try to make myself take along with the 'usual suspects', and am glad I did. It weaves together the differing narrative threads deftly enough and blends ripping yarn and more thoughtful elements with reasonable success.

[Wilde Sky · Rating 2 out of 5]

A policeman searches for a missing rock star.

I thought this book had some good sections, but it tried to be too clever and ended up being confusing / dull.