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Strange Meeting
John Hilliard, a young subaltern returning to the Western Front after a brief period of sick leave back in an England blind to the horrors of the trenches, finds his battalion tragically altered. His commanding officer finds escape in alcohol, there is a new adjutant and even Hilliard's batman has been killed.
But there is David Barton. As yet untouched and unsullied by war, radiating charm and common sense, forever writing long letters to his family.
Theirs is a strange meeting and a strange relationship: the coming together of opposites in the summer lull before the inevitable storm.
But there is David Barton. As yet untouched and unsullied by war, radiating charm and common sense, forever writing long letters to his family.
Theirs is a strange meeting and a strange relationship: the coming together of opposites in the summer lull before the inevitable storm.
184 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1971
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2834 people want to read
About the author
Susan Hill
180 books2,265 followersSusan Hill was born in Scarborough, North Yorkshire in 1942. Her hometown was later referred to in her novel A Change for the Better (1969) and some short stories especially "Cockles and Mussels".
She attended Scarborough Convent School, where she became interested in theatre and literature. Her family left Scarborough in 1958 and moved to Coventry where her father worked in car and aircraft factories. Hill states that she attended a girls’ grammar school, Barr's Hill. Her fellow pupils included Jennifer Page, the first Chief Executive of the Millennium Dome. At Barrs Hill she took A levels in English, French, History and Latin, proceeding to an English degree at King's College London. By this time she had already written her first novel, The Enclosure which was published by Hutchinson in her first year at university. The novel was criticised by The Daily Mail for its sexual content, with the suggestion that writing in this style was unsuitable for a "schoolgirl".
Her next novel Gentleman and Ladies was published in 1968. This was followed in quick succession by A Change for the Better, I'm the King of the Castle, The Albatross and other stories, Strange Meeting, The Bird of Night, A Bit of Singing and Dancing and In the Springtime of Year, all written and published between 1968 and 1974.
In 1975 she married Shakespeare scholar Stanley Wells and they moved to Stratford upon Avon. Their first daughter, Jessica, was born in 1977 and their second daughter, Clemency, was born in 1985. Hill has recently founded her own publishing company, Long Barn Books, which has published one work of fiction per year.
Librarian's Note: There is more than one author by this name.
She attended Scarborough Convent School, where she became interested in theatre and literature. Her family left Scarborough in 1958 and moved to Coventry where her father worked in car and aircraft factories. Hill states that she attended a girls’ grammar school, Barr's Hill. Her fellow pupils included Jennifer Page, the first Chief Executive of the Millennium Dome. At Barrs Hill she took A levels in English, French, History and Latin, proceeding to an English degree at King's College London. By this time she had already written her first novel, The Enclosure which was published by Hutchinson in her first year at university. The novel was criticised by The Daily Mail for its sexual content, with the suggestion that writing in this style was unsuitable for a "schoolgirl".
Her next novel Gentleman and Ladies was published in 1968. This was followed in quick succession by A Change for the Better, I'm the King of the Castle, The Albatross and other stories, Strange Meeting, The Bird of Night, A Bit of Singing and Dancing and In the Springtime of Year, all written and published between 1968 and 1974.
In 1975 she married Shakespeare scholar Stanley Wells and they moved to Stratford upon Avon. Their first daughter, Jessica, was born in 1977 and their second daughter, Clemency, was born in 1985. Hill has recently founded her own publishing company, Long Barn Books, which has published one work of fiction per year.
Librarian's Note: There is more than one author by this name.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 237 reviews
July 15, 2015
I don't think this is a very well known or celebrated book, but with the exception of Barker's Regeneration Trilogy, I can't think of another World War I story that has moved me as deeply. While in many ways a subtle novel, missing a lot of the overblown, overwrought "movie-moments" found in other war novels, it seamlessly captures the agony and ugliness of a war that devoured a whole generation of young men. It in no way glorifies the war, and presents it as what it is: unadulterated, irrational horror, snuffing out promising lives without either meaning or grace. The beauty of the book is instead found in the rare, meaningful friendship that forms between two young soldiers in one tiny corner of the war. It's the kind of extraordinary, intrinsic friendship that even a lucky person might find only once in life, and the author rendered it (and both wonderful characters) brilliantly.
This is a quiet, painful, utterly beautiful book, and more than once it reminded me of a poem by A E Housman. Like this novel, it's simpler and more restrained than a lot of the famous war poems, and like this novel, I find it to be incredibly moving and true:
Here dead we lie
Because we did not choose
To live and shame the land
From which we sprung.
Life, to be sure,
Is nothing much to lose,
But young men think it is,
And we were young.
This is a quiet, painful, utterly beautiful book, and more than once it reminded me of a poem by A E Housman. Like this novel, it's simpler and more restrained than a lot of the famous war poems, and like this novel, I find it to be incredibly moving and true:
Here dead we lie
Because we did not choose
To live and shame the land
From which we sprung.
Life, to be sure,
Is nothing much to lose,
But young men think it is,
And we were young.
August 13, 2017
I had not read Susan Hill before, but when I've seen her titles I thought she veered toward ghost stories. As I chose to read this because it continues my exploration of WWI, I wasn't sure what to expect from her. It was nothing of what might have been and is a fine contribution to the sub-genre.
While reading, I came to finally recognize one of the primary differences between most WWI literature and WWII literature. Of course this is a somewhat of a generalization, but WWI literature is usually told from the point of view of the soldier, while WWII literature is told from the viewpoint of the civilian. Most of the novels I have encountered have been on the Western Front. I feel I have neglected the so many other parts of the world where battles were fought. It will probably continue to be so, but I'll try to find a few novels to broaden my horizons.
'...By the next war, the message will have got through.’This is but one of the conversations between the two main characters - John Hilliard and David Barton. One of the things I hear/read from men who have participated in war and/or any military experience is that they are able to form close relationships despite (or because of?) the stresses inflicted upon them. Strange Meeting is the story of such a relationship. In this way, it is different from other WWI novels I have read.
‘There will never be another war.’
‘There will always be wars.’
‘Men couldn’t be so stupid, John! After all this? Isn’t the only real purpose of our being here to teach them that lesson – how bloody useless and pointless the whole thing is?’
‘Men are naturally stupid and they do not learn from experience.’
While reading, I came to finally recognize one of the primary differences between most WWI literature and WWII literature. Of course this is a somewhat of a generalization, but WWI literature is usually told from the point of view of the soldier, while WWII literature is told from the viewpoint of the civilian. Most of the novels I have encountered have been on the Western Front. I feel I have neglected the so many other parts of the world where battles were fought. It will probably continue to be so, but I'll try to find a few novels to broaden my horizons.
November 12, 2016
--Strange Meeting
Afterword
Afterword
June 20, 2018
A deeply moving, and beautifully written story set during World War 1.
June 17, 2016
Set in the First World War. Beautifully written, it almost reads like a poem, if not exactly Wilfred Owen's poem of the same title. Trench horror contrasts with the unreality of life in Blighty experienced by one of the characters in the novel, home on leave; so unreal he can't wait to get back to France.
The' strange meeting' is that between two officers, John and David (David and Jonathan?) and the resulting bond between them. One of them writes as a poet might – Owen??
It brought the war, its horrors and ironies, home to me in an unforgettable way.
The' strange meeting' is that between two officers, John and David (David and Jonathan?) and the resulting bond between them. One of them writes as a poet might – Owen??
It brought the war, its horrors and ironies, home to me in an unforgettable way.
October 30, 2019
"Once I knew I was going to write Strange Meeting, it actually fell into place remarkably easily. I suppose there are two ways a writer can tackle such a subject. One way is to write a very long, panoramic historical novel, attempting to capture the whole sweep of the war. But there was no way I could have done that or wanted to: I have never been interested in that kind of book, neither as a writer nor as a reader.So says Susan Hill in the afterword to this novel - and it encapsulates the story in a nutshell. Because this is essentially the tale of two young men - one serious and reserved, the other jolly and outgoing - and their unlikely friendship. A friendship made possible only by war.
The alternative was to write a novel of the war in microcosm, to create a small world within the great one of the whole war. So the book is really about two young men and their meeting, their relationship, set in a few places, over a few short months in one particular small corner of the Great War."
The story is set during the First World War, on the war-front in France. Lieutenant John Hilliard belongs to a family of stiff-upper-lipped Britishers: his only close companion is his elder sister Beth. As John is temporarily invalided out of the army due to a leg injury, he finds that he can no longer empathise with them - not even his beloved sister. The fact that she is going to marry a widower many years her senior, just for security, does nothing for his peace of mind. John's sleep (what little he can get) is beset with nightmares, and he is actually relieved when he has to report back to the front.
But his unit has also changed irrevocably in his absence. Many of the oldies are either dead or maimed. The Commanding Officer, Garret, is disillusioned to the point of despair. Men who have been planning to finish the war and go home for Christmas is getting used to the fact they are in for a long haul in the trenches.
The only ray of sunshine in this atmosphere of gloom and doom is David Barton, John's roommate. A member of large and warm family that is the antithesis of the Hilliard family, Barton goes about spreading cheer. He does not have a negative word for anyone or anything. Though initially annoyed with this sunniness, Hilliard slowly comes to appreciate his roommate's persona, and what it means for the whole unit. Ironically, as the days go by and the war gets dirtier, Barton slowly loses his positivity - but by that time, John has been converted. He tells his friend that he is the most essential thing in the unit.
As the novel slowly proceeds to its inevitable tragic conclusion, John Hilliard realises that he has finally gained a real family through Barton's letters (in which he featured prominently) - a family which his own can never hope to emulate. The last sentence of the book says "John looked up, and ahead." In context, it is a simple statement - but if we look beyond the written word, it marks a profound transformation in a man who used to look only within, and backward.
***
Strange Meeting is a very simply written novel. There are no frills, no flowery metaphors, no colourful phrases... like the life of the soldier at the front, it is largely boringly humdrum. But as the story proceeds, the transformation from the beauty of the French landscape to the mud and sleet of the trenches in autumn is masterfully done. We feel the descent into doom and despair along with the protagonists - the last part of the book is rather painful to get through. Yet for all its darkness, this a story of light: the light of camaraderie and friendship.
November 30, 2016
Despite the inevitability of their being sad and depressing, I will persist in reading novels about the First World War. Maybe I’d stop if there wasn’t so much well-written fiction about the war, and indeed wars in general. In this case, 'Strange Meeting' is an account of the relationship between two officers over a relatively short period in training camps and trenches. Said relationship is ambiguously homoerotic, but I read it as an intense romantic friendship. It was very moving to see the two young men find comfort in each other’s company in appalling conditions. Their conversations about how to bear the pointless and cruel loss of life all around them were very powerful. Perhaps the most notable aspect of their relationship is that they are totally honest with each other - for Hillard, the older officer, this is something he has never experienced with another person. The two can admit to weakness in each other’s company in a way that they cannot to others. It is repeatedly noted in the text that there is particular pressure on officers, as they generally lack the supportive bonds of brotherhood that enlisted men have. Moreover, they have to enforce orders that they know are stupid, wrong, and will lead to more pointless deaths.
This monologue from Barton to Hilliard will stay with me:
Of course, the especial pain of reading WWI novels is that they never end happily and this one is no exception. It’s elegantly written and very moving, though. I also appreciated the author’s afterword. Hill comments very straightforwardly that the thing she is most often asked about it is whether the two main characters have a sexual relationship. She says she didn’t write them with that intention, but if they did it would not change anything about the narrative. Moreover, she doesn’t see either of them as entirely straight or gay. This refreshing response allows the reader to interpret as they prefer. As she says, though, it doesn’t really matter, as the point is that the two love each other and that helps them cope with the horrors of the trenches. Their sense of alienation from normal life clearly intensifies their relationship and it is this sense of estrangement from normality that is captured brilliantly by the narrative. 'Strange Meeting' is a miniature masterpiece.
This monologue from Barton to Hilliard will stay with me:
"That Private who was snipered - looking at him I could have wept and wept, he seemed to be all the men who had ever been killed, John. I remember everything about him, his face, his hair, his hands. I remember how pale his eyelashes were and I thought of how alive he’d been, how much there had been going on inside him - blood pumping round, muscles working, brain saying do this, do that, his eyes looking at me. I thought of it all, how he’d been born and had a family, I thought of everything that had gone into making him - and it wasn’t that I was afraid and putting myself in his place down there on the ground. I just wanted him alive again, it seemed the only important thing. I just wanted to stay there and look at him, I couldn’t take it in, that he’d been so alive, and then he just lay, spouting out blood and that was that, he was dead, nothing."
Of course, the especial pain of reading WWI novels is that they never end happily and this one is no exception. It’s elegantly written and very moving, though. I also appreciated the author’s afterword. Hill comments very straightforwardly that the thing she is most often asked about it is whether the two main characters have a sexual relationship. She says she didn’t write them with that intention, but if they did it would not change anything about the narrative. Moreover, she doesn’t see either of them as entirely straight or gay. This refreshing response allows the reader to interpret as they prefer. As she says, though, it doesn’t really matter, as the point is that the two love each other and that helps them cope with the horrors of the trenches. Their sense of alienation from normal life clearly intensifies their relationship and it is this sense of estrangement from normality that is captured brilliantly by the narrative. 'Strange Meeting' is a miniature masterpiece.
January 25, 2015
This sad and haunting tale of the deep friendship which evolves between two officers serving in the trenches during WW1 is so well written, and has such sensitivity, that it couldn't fail to be moving.
Of the two men, one is already emotionally scarred by his experiences, but the other is as yet untouched by this dreadful war, and has yet to discover what it meant to serve on the front line.
I've read many books about this conflict, but I felt this was a more personal look at how men tried to deal with the unspeakable horrors they had to confront, and yet stay sane....
Of the two men, one is already emotionally scarred by his experiences, but the other is as yet untouched by this dreadful war, and has yet to discover what it meant to serve on the front line.
I've read many books about this conflict, but I felt this was a more personal look at how men tried to deal with the unspeakable horrors they had to confront, and yet stay sane....
August 1, 2007
WWI officer John Hilliard returns to France after spending several months in England recovering from a serious wound. He is shocked to find that, of the officers he had previously served with, most are dead or disabled, and those few who are not suffer from severe mental and emotional wounds: rage, bitterness, despair, madness. He tries to isolate himself emotionally to avoid breaking down, but is brought out of his shell by David Barton, a friendly, warm-hearted officer who has not yet seen combat. The two quickly become close friends, and John suspects that the feeling between them may be more than friendship. But as the time approaches for them to go up to the front line, he is terrified that the war will destroy David, either through death or psychological trauma so deep David will never recover.
An unusual, memorable war story, neither about honor, courage and patriotic duty nor the senseless slaughter of combat, but about psychological, even spiritual, survival amid death and destruction and how strong bonds between people can help them endure unimaginable horror. The author avoids sentimentality with a clear, matter-of-fact tone and by not shying away from the ugly details of the war or the less pleasant aspects of her characters. The relationship between John and David, which is in a gray area between friendship and romantic love, is portrayed sensitively and develops believably despite their very different personalities. David helps John, who is aloof and intimidating, learn how to connect with others; and John helps David, who has been sheltered by his large, affectionate family, cope with his initial reactions to the carnage of the war.
An unusual, memorable war story, neither about honor, courage and patriotic duty nor the senseless slaughter of combat, but about psychological, even spiritual, survival amid death and destruction and how strong bonds between people can help them endure unimaginable horror. The author avoids sentimentality with a clear, matter-of-fact tone and by not shying away from the ugly details of the war or the less pleasant aspects of her characters. The relationship between John and David, which is in a gray area between friendship and romantic love, is portrayed sensitively and develops believably despite their very different personalities. David helps John, who is aloof and intimidating, learn how to connect with others; and John helps David, who has been sheltered by his large, affectionate family, cope with his initial reactions to the carnage of the war.
October 10, 2019
A short but beautiful book. It doesn't have the scope of All Quiet on the Western Front, or other war related books like For Whom the Bell Tolls. It's very focused on a short space of time, and only two real locations.
The first is England, the home of a recuperating John Hilliard, recently invalided out of the Trenches and on leave to recover. The second is the Trenches themselves and the surrounding French countryside. These two microcosms are emblems of the two opposing worlds where nothing can overlap. On one side is England, stalwart, Edwardian, stiff, uncomprehending, that is not to say cruel, but simply utterly ignorant of the lives of the soldiers it supports in France. An England held together by people futilely believing that they are doing their bit and a parcel from the Army and Navy will ameliorate all ills and sort our boys out.
And then there is life on the Front. Hilliard returns to France, almost desperately keen, echoes of this in Pat Barker's Regeneration and Sassoon's eagerness to get back to his men. The home he loved, the sister he loved, stand on the other side of the chasm, one of them no longer any comfort and the other far divided from him by a lack of understanding. He is already crushed, he has no further to fall, but into the bleak lives of the men waiting for the orders to move towards the Front, comes David Barton.
David is everything that Hilliard is not. He is fresh, exuberant, happy, he is popular, he has a natural friendliness that attracts people to him that the shy Hillard cannot fathom at first.
Because the book is so insular, it captures the claustrophobia of cooped up lives, living in semi-squalor amidst the received information of the chaos around them. We are with David and John, wishing against the knowledge of our contemporary hindsight, that their friendship has a future, that the gentleness with which it develops won't be touched by the violence and arbitrary destruction of war. But we all know, war spares and destroys according to no rhyme or reason.
Their friendship, romantic, sometimes latently homoerotic in appearance, protects them from the horror around them, but gradually Barton's decline into disillusionment and depression is dreadfully sad to behold because we wish, alongside Hilliard, that he could be untouched and left alone by the war. We suffer along with John in being desperately frightened for Barton, in wanting him not to be tainted. To be spared.
The book is beautifully written, it describes war's senseless destruction, of lives, of relationships, of minds, with precision and without sentimentality. Hill's describes the men's friendship, it's gradual build up, the gentle understanding between them, with beautiful prose, so that we are there every step, unwilling to know and accept the ending.
The first is England, the home of a recuperating John Hilliard, recently invalided out of the Trenches and on leave to recover. The second is the Trenches themselves and the surrounding French countryside. These two microcosms are emblems of the two opposing worlds where nothing can overlap. On one side is England, stalwart, Edwardian, stiff, uncomprehending, that is not to say cruel, but simply utterly ignorant of the lives of the soldiers it supports in France. An England held together by people futilely believing that they are doing their bit and a parcel from the Army and Navy will ameliorate all ills and sort our boys out.
And then there is life on the Front. Hilliard returns to France, almost desperately keen, echoes of this in Pat Barker's Regeneration and Sassoon's eagerness to get back to his men. The home he loved, the sister he loved, stand on the other side of the chasm, one of them no longer any comfort and the other far divided from him by a lack of understanding. He is already crushed, he has no further to fall, but into the bleak lives of the men waiting for the orders to move towards the Front, comes David Barton.
David is everything that Hilliard is not. He is fresh, exuberant, happy, he is popular, he has a natural friendliness that attracts people to him that the shy Hillard cannot fathom at first.
Because the book is so insular, it captures the claustrophobia of cooped up lives, living in semi-squalor amidst the received information of the chaos around them. We are with David and John, wishing against the knowledge of our contemporary hindsight, that their friendship has a future, that the gentleness with which it develops won't be touched by the violence and arbitrary destruction of war. But we all know, war spares and destroys according to no rhyme or reason.
Their friendship, romantic, sometimes latently homoerotic in appearance, protects them from the horror around them, but gradually Barton's decline into disillusionment and depression is dreadfully sad to behold because we wish, alongside Hilliard, that he could be untouched and left alone by the war. We suffer along with John in being desperately frightened for Barton, in wanting him not to be tainted. To be spared.
The book is beautifully written, it describes war's senseless destruction, of lives, of relationships, of minds, with precision and without sentimentality. Hill's describes the men's friendship, it's gradual build up, the gentle understanding between them, with beautiful prose, so that we are there every step, unwilling to know and accept the ending.
November 22, 2014
This is a very well researched and beautifully written book. It tells the story of two officers who forge a deep friendship during the first world war. It reflects the hopes of the army ahead of life in the trenches and the feelings of a just war. It speaks also of how the war is viewed on the home front and the disconnect of the soldiers on leave.
The discription of the futility of war, the randomness of death and the sense of wasted life.
It is a moving novel and worth reading to get a feel of this conflict and the impact it had on all combatants.
However, I wasn't fully engrossed and involved as much as other novels about this period and life on the western front.
The discription of the futility of war, the randomness of death and the sense of wasted life.
It is a moving novel and worth reading to get a feel of this conflict and the impact it had on all combatants.
However, I wasn't fully engrossed and involved as much as other novels about this period and life on the western front.
October 11, 2012
A blurb on the cover of All Quiet on the Western Front calls it "The greatest war novel ever written." Susan Hill's Strange Meeting makes for the perfect companion novel. Not only do both novels describe the horrors of war, they do so by exploring the human bonds made and broken amid the shelling and the gas and the rats in the trenches.
There are two aspects that stand out in this marvelously short novel. The first is the beautiful, opposites-attract relationship that develops between Hilliard and Barton. Hill masterfully contrasts their personalities. Hilliard receives the perfect Harrods gift baskets from his family, while Barton only receives letters overflowing with warmth and sense of family. Some readers on this site seem to be unable to move past the "but were they gay?" question. I am not sure it would make a difference.
The second noteworthy attribute is how the characters evolve in the 178 pages. Barton initially plays the role of uplifter, but as the experiences of the war gradually take their toll, it is Hilliard whose emotional intelligence has developed enough for him to take on that job in the friendship.
There are two aspects that stand out in this marvelously short novel. The first is the beautiful, opposites-attract relationship that develops between Hilliard and Barton. Hill masterfully contrasts their personalities. Hilliard receives the perfect Harrods gift baskets from his family, while Barton only receives letters overflowing with warmth and sense of family. Some readers on this site seem to be unable to move past the "but were they gay?" question. I am not sure it would make a difference.
The second noteworthy attribute is how the characters evolve in the 178 pages. Barton initially plays the role of uplifter, but as the experiences of the war gradually take their toll, it is Hilliard whose emotional intelligence has developed enough for him to take on that job in the friendship.
April 12, 2011
I think maybe by the end of the year I'll be changing my rating to 5 stars.
WWI as a literary setting is powerfully attractive to many people, as Hill says in her Afterword, and I am no exception. I have yet to read 'just another First World War' book and this is another 'not just another First World War novel'
I liked where the story started - a new beginning for John Hilliard in a way, but not *the* beginning of his war. Aspects of the 'Home Front' reminded me of Mrs Dalloway.
David Barton is an inspirational creation but Hill cleverly shows how even angels need others and John Hilliard is more than merely foil to Barton's charm and balance. The terrible setting brings a particularly stark relief to the relationship but the warm light of characters like Barton is needed in places more everyday and less obviously dark.
WWI as a literary setting is powerfully attractive to many people, as Hill says in her Afterword, and I am no exception. I have yet to read 'just another First World War' book and this is another 'not just another First World War novel'
I liked where the story started - a new beginning for John Hilliard in a way, but not *the* beginning of his war. Aspects of the 'Home Front' reminded me of Mrs Dalloway.
David Barton is an inspirational creation but Hill cleverly shows how even angels need others and John Hilliard is more than merely foil to Barton's charm and balance. The terrible setting brings a particularly stark relief to the relationship but the warm light of characters like Barton is needed in places more everyday and less obviously dark.
October 6, 2022
Beautifully written story about human love and the misery of war.
November 22, 2020
Poignant, but by the time the book ended I was left feeling I hadn't quite had my fill. It is one of those rare books that could have done with being a little lengthier. I wanted to see a little more of the relationship between Hilliard and Barton -- more dialogues, perhaps a little more of how the characters felt about and responded to the physical presence or absence of the other. By the latter point I don't mean I necessarily wanted to see the relationship to be overtly sexual; in point of fact, I especially loved how Hill, in the afterword to the 1989 edition, addresses the question of her characters' homosexuality: if 'Barton and Hilliard a physical relationship ... it would not greatly alter anything else that happens to or between them in the book'.
August 6, 2018
I have attempted this book twice and I can’t get anything from it. For me it’s dull, predictable, boring, badly written and has some small errors. A shame because I love her ghost story books.
June 6, 2025
On the cover of the edition of this novel which I read (2018 one from Profile Books) there is strap line across the front of the cover with a quote from Christopher Isherwood saying, 'This novel moved me to tears, real tears' and in a sense everything worth saying about this novel is encompassed in that statement or maybe it can also be found in the Wilfred Owen poem which provides the title:
'Yet also there encumbered sleepers groaned,
Too fast in thought or death to be bestirred.
Then, as I probed them, one sprang up, and stared
With piteous recognition in fixed eyes,
Lifting distressful hands, as if to bless.
And by his smile, I knew that sullen hall,—
By his dead smile I knew we stood in Hell.'
(If you do not know the poem I seriously recommend reading it - what else is the internet for?)
So this is a great, beautiful novel of exceptional delicacy and sureness of touch. I couldn't help contrasting it with so many of the novels that appeared around the time of the centenary of the outbreak of WWI. It is not that the novels of Pat Barker or Sebastian Faulkes were wrong, and they were certainly not bad, but they were written not so much to let readers understand the past as to recast the past for contemporary readers.
This novel was published in 1971, when I was 13 years old, and it is almost impossible to convey now how different the world was and, extraordinary as it may seem, that the conventions, shibboleths and prejudices of the WWI were still with us. It is within that context of still living understanding of the ways of men in WWI so that when she wrote (from page 146 of my edition):
'But Hilliard had never known this kind of fear, not even on his own behalf...and this agony of feeling on behalf of someone else was entirely new to him, he could not cope with it at all. All that morning he had scarcely looked at Barton, and yet when he had looked, had not wanted to take his eyes away. For he was there, now, across the tiny, dark space of the dugout, everything of him was there, his skin and flesh and bone, whole and unblemished...Hilliard could still reach out a hand and touch him if he chose. Later he would not be there...and in a second of absolute clarity, he saw that nothing mattered except Barton and what he felt for him: that he loved him, as he had loved no other person in his life. The reason for this and the consequences were irrelevant, the war was irrelevant...Nothing else could be truly important again. Nothing else.'
But it is also an utterly modern proclamation for the world of 1971 - clear and unequivocal but possible to ignore/elide/pass over if a reader did not want to see or understand.
In an afterward to the 1989 edition of this novel Susan Hill addressed the question of her characters' homosexuality: if 'Barton and Hilliard had a physical relationship ... it would not greatly alter anything else that happens to or between them in the book'.
Because she wasn't writing a novel about 'homosexuality' but a novel about love and though love does not preclude the physical it is not a precondition or essential element for love to be fulfilled. Sex between men is not wrong, even in WWI it was largely ignored unless it was a question of discipline, but love? Love was, is, the most dangerous emotion of all.
I have barely touched on this novel's magnificence, I beg you to discover fot yourself.
'Yet also there encumbered sleepers groaned,
Too fast in thought or death to be bestirred.
Then, as I probed them, one sprang up, and stared
With piteous recognition in fixed eyes,
Lifting distressful hands, as if to bless.
And by his smile, I knew that sullen hall,—
By his dead smile I knew we stood in Hell.'
(If you do not know the poem I seriously recommend reading it - what else is the internet for?)
So this is a great, beautiful novel of exceptional delicacy and sureness of touch. I couldn't help contrasting it with so many of the novels that appeared around the time of the centenary of the outbreak of WWI. It is not that the novels of Pat Barker or Sebastian Faulkes were wrong, and they were certainly not bad, but they were written not so much to let readers understand the past as to recast the past for contemporary readers.
This novel was published in 1971, when I was 13 years old, and it is almost impossible to convey now how different the world was and, extraordinary as it may seem, that the conventions, shibboleths and prejudices of the WWI were still with us. It is within that context of still living understanding of the ways of men in WWI so that when she wrote (from page 146 of my edition):
'But Hilliard had never known this kind of fear, not even on his own behalf...and this agony of feeling on behalf of someone else was entirely new to him, he could not cope with it at all. All that morning he had scarcely looked at Barton, and yet when he had looked, had not wanted to take his eyes away. For he was there, now, across the tiny, dark space of the dugout, everything of him was there, his skin and flesh and bone, whole and unblemished...Hilliard could still reach out a hand and touch him if he chose. Later he would not be there...and in a second of absolute clarity, he saw that nothing mattered except Barton and what he felt for him: that he loved him, as he had loved no other person in his life. The reason for this and the consequences were irrelevant, the war was irrelevant...Nothing else could be truly important again. Nothing else.'
But it is also an utterly modern proclamation for the world of 1971 - clear and unequivocal but possible to ignore/elide/pass over if a reader did not want to see or understand.
In an afterward to the 1989 edition of this novel Susan Hill addressed the question of her characters' homosexuality: if 'Barton and Hilliard had a physical relationship ... it would not greatly alter anything else that happens to or between them in the book'.
Because she wasn't writing a novel about 'homosexuality' but a novel about love and though love does not preclude the physical it is not a precondition or essential element for love to be fulfilled. Sex between men is not wrong, even in WWI it was largely ignored unless it was a question of discipline, but love? Love was, is, the most dangerous emotion of all.
I have barely touched on this novel's magnificence, I beg you to discover fot yourself.
September 12, 2013
A very pleasing short early novel from Susan Hill. John Hilliard has been injured in France during the summer of 1915. Having recovered at home he returns to the war, and meets David Barton, a young officer with no front-line experience. Expecting not to get on with Barton, Hilliard finds himself warming to the big-hearted, entertaining man and their friendship takes on a deeper meaning for at least one of the men.
August 16, 2017
Short but hauntingly captivating and deeply moving, Strange Meeting is set in the trenches of the First World War and tells of the deep love and friendship developing between two officers at the front amidst the horrors of the battlefield. The writing is as beautiful as the emotions portrayed, making this a wonderful little gem among novels set in the period.
June 25, 2024
Did anyone else think this was a little gay
September 28, 2021
This was a hidden gem. So vibrantly written that it's impossible not to be moved by its pages.
I read the afterword by the author, who claims that completing the novel was a catharsis; an exorcism; a tribute they needed to write for every young man who suffered in WW1. It is not a panorama of the whole war, but a peek into a microcosm (which it performs very well). Clearly this was written with love and care. So many thoughtfully-placed moments and so much poignant dialogue.
I do feel that the writing overindulges in the horrors of the war, and although it's not without purpose, it is what generally puts me off of novels set in this era. The elaborate descriptions, in efforts to be evocative, sometimes throw the pacing off. The plot was quite predictable.
Still, 4 stars? The real merit comes from the relationship between the two main characters, and whether/how they are changed by their friendship. Side note: I thought this was an LGBT novel (which is what actually provoked me to read it) but it's quite discreet and could be read as entirely platonic. Nevertheless, I felt myself becoming invested, and turning the pages desperately for a hopeful ending.
Content warnings:
I read the afterword by the author, who claims that completing the novel was a catharsis; an exorcism; a tribute they needed to write for every young man who suffered in WW1. It is not a panorama of the whole war, but a peek into a microcosm (which it performs very well). Clearly this was written with love and care. So many thoughtfully-placed moments and so much poignant dialogue.
I do feel that the writing overindulges in the horrors of the war, and although it's not without purpose, it is what generally puts me off of novels set in this era. The elaborate descriptions, in efforts to be evocative, sometimes throw the pacing off. The plot was quite predictable.
Still, 4 stars? The real merit comes from the relationship between the two main characters, and whether/how they are changed by their friendship. Side note: I thought this was an LGBT novel (which is what actually provoked me to read it) but it's quite discreet and could be read as entirely platonic. Nevertheless, I felt myself becoming invested, and turning the pages desperately for a hopeful ending.
Content warnings:
August 13, 2017
I would recommend this book to those who read WW1 literature or those who want to try this genre.
Hill's detailed yet downplayed descriptions of war (mimicking the modernist writing era) really allows you to feel as though this was written during the time.
It's a lovely tale of friendship on the front line (something that rarely occurred) and also of two characters personal developments due to said friendship and the war around them.
The emotions are a slight rollercoaster of events and this whilst having to read this several times, due to having to study this for my lit exam, has very few dull moments.
Hill's detailed yet downplayed descriptions of war (mimicking the modernist writing era) really allows you to feel as though this was written during the time.
It's a lovely tale of friendship on the front line (something that rarely occurred) and also of two characters personal developments due to said friendship and the war around them.
The emotions are a slight rollercoaster of events and this whilst having to read this several times, due to having to study this for my lit exam, has very few dull moments.
September 28, 2015
Over forty years on from its first publication, this is still an exceptional novel. It deals with the effects on two young men of serving in the First World War, and is remarkably evocative of trench life in all its aspects and of the utter futility of much of the action the men were called to take part in. It is written with Susan Hill's usual precision and directness, painting vivid and unforgettable pictures of people and events.
What makes this truly exceptional, though, is its subtle and penetrating study of character. The two main protagonists are beautifully portrayed, as is the growth of the love between them. Their contrasting relationships with their families are very believable, too, and every minor character is utterly convincing. It is a book which has important things to say about all of these people and their relationships, and of the redemptive power of simple human kindness and love. I found it very haunting and deeply moving.
In short, this is a very fine novel which conveys far more in its brief 180 pages than many books of twice the length and more have done. Very, very warmly recommended.
What makes this truly exceptional, though, is its subtle and penetrating study of character. The two main protagonists are beautifully portrayed, as is the growth of the love between them. Their contrasting relationships with their families are very believable, too, and every minor character is utterly convincing. It is a book which has important things to say about all of these people and their relationships, and of the redemptive power of simple human kindness and love. I found it very haunting and deeply moving.
In short, this is a very fine novel which conveys far more in its brief 180 pages than many books of twice the length and more have done. Very, very warmly recommended.
June 19, 2017
Rating: 2.5 ★s (rounded down to 2 because of the layout/typos).
I'm not sure how to rate this.
I liked everyone. I liked the style of the story, the language used. The prose. The tone of it.
But... I'm just not sure.
It was just flat. Not finished. Like there was much more to say, but not enough time to say it. This was the plan to be fleshed out, not the final tale. It just... ended. Nothing was explained. This was this, that was that, and now here's the end. The skeleton without the meat.
Having said that, I removed a star because the stupid layout (one huge stream of text, so I had to seriously focus to figure out where one part ended for the next part to start), and how many grammar/spelling/etc. mistakes there were, were incredibly off-putting. Incredibly. How was this published in such a state?!
I'm not sure how to rate this.
I liked everyone. I liked the style of the story, the language used. The prose. The tone of it.
But... I'm just not sure.
It was just flat. Not finished. Like there was much more to say, but not enough time to say it. This was the plan to be fleshed out, not the final tale. It just... ended. Nothing was explained. This was this, that was that, and now here's the end. The skeleton without the meat.
Having said that, I removed a star because the stupid layout (one huge stream of text, so I had to seriously focus to figure out where one part ended for the next part to start), and how many grammar/spelling/etc. mistakes there were, were incredibly off-putting. Incredibly. How was this published in such a state?!
March 7, 2020
A quietly moving story, akin to Pat Barker's
The Regeneration Trilogy
. Me-so-sad-now.
March 6, 2014
I read this book in a day. It was dull and predictable and not as fantastic as everyone claims. I did not enjoy it at all.
July 6, 2021
Not for me.
November 19, 2019
One of those unexpected gems that just sit there begging you to pick them up, Strange Meeting turns out one of the most beautiful WWI love stories and certainly one of its most unique.
Astonishing in its rendition of the horrors of life in the trenches, the novel balances it by finding absolute beauty in the relationship that blossoms between its two main characters. Veteran Hilliard is as worn out, cynical and emotionally repressed as new recruit Barton is lively, open and friendly. Where Hill deviates from the old tried-and-true formula is how the first reacts to the second. What ensues is a genuine friendship that goes beyond any expectation one might have when reading Hilliard and Barton. Theirs is a relationship fueled by the deepest affection and attachment, in its purest form. Hilliard and Barton balance each other well, one the perfect contrast to the other. Though for a time it is not clear who benefits more of this partnership than the other - really, who loves the other more - it becomes quite evident as the novel progresses. Hilliard rediscovers what it means to feel, to care for someone and he needs Barton for that. Barton on the other hand, comes to need Hilliard's experience and stability when the inevitable war-induced shocks come crashing down on him. The two of them give as much as they receive and that is what makes their story so compelling and such beautiful, yet so mundane moments as name exchangings very poignant.
The other aspect, of course, is this sweet and subtle dancing around the main subject without ever naming it. Hilliard and Barton love each other - that is clearly stated; out loud by Barton and acknowledged to himself by Hilliard. Both know how deep and unusual their relationship is, how rare and precious it is, especially (or is it because of, as one of them ponders) in hard times like the ones they go through. What remains is how to define their love. The most likely answer is a platonic one, the form of love that runs through emotional connection. In that way, Hilliard and Barton share a mutual friendship that is probably not that uncommon between brothers-in-arms. In any case, the two of them could not openly declare feelings of "love" as what was commonly defined as "love" then. Where Hill finds grace is that Hilliard and Barton acknowledge mutual love and the reader knows that it is real, that there is absolutely no doubt the two characters love each other but not exactly as two lovebirds would love each other in any romantic story. There is no real attraction here, not in a physical way anyway. Barton and Hilliard are drawn to the other because of their personalities; they find that this other person completes them perfectly. The relationship remains shrouded in a bit of mystery because of this; love is indeed present, in one form but we can't exactly define which one.
Hints are there though; neither Hilliard nor Barton ever mention any sweetheart waiting at home or any kind of past relationship. And there is a recurring, underlining theme of Hilliard refraining from touching Barton a few times. While this can probably be brushed off easily - and is likely a device to emphasize the change Barton instils in the emotionally-repressed Hilliard - it is still interesting that in the several instances Hilliard considers it, he never is able to touch Barton. But the love that is established between the two of them is one that is devoid of any form of physical attraction; it's love in its most elevated, its strongest, purest form. This is a story about the bond that forms between two human beings, regardless of gender, regardless of the time allowed to the relationship, regardless of the circumstances that enabled it; it's about two people recognizing the emotional connection between them and acknowledging that yes, this is the person that completes them, the soulmate that balances them in a way no other person can.
Hilliard still remains at the heart of the story and it's a touching way to bring the character from one place he cannot consider 'home' anymore to one he comes to accept as one, solely because he has become familiar with it thanks to Barton. A formidable contrast is made between the families, spitting mirrors of the two main characters. Hilliard's is as reserved as Barton's is welcoming; the novel then establishes a very compelling development for Hilliard who starts out as broken and eager to leave home to return to the war (which he ironically considers more home than his actual home) and in the process, finds a (potential) soulmate and is so easily accepted by its new family - to what extent remains unclear; the Barton family couldn't be so oblivious but again, perhaps such a bond was not so unusal at the time. In any case, that contrast is made apparent through several clever ways; in the story, of course, with Hilliard's family sending out parcels containing the rarest sweets and food but ultimately very formal and stiff letters conveying nothing but the false belief - shared by everyone else - that it'll all end soon, Barton's providing much more personal furnitures (books, a gramophone...) and long letters that help them understand the harsh reality and not lose a deep relationship they enjoy with their son; in the prose, then, the beginning of the novel much more difficult to grasp as a reflection of Hilliard's state of mind - isolated and frustrated, he does not have anyone left to confide in and thus his thoughts crowd his mind which results in a very dense prose, sentences overstepping one another as if thoughts were added on top of one another. That becomes much less pronounced once Barton enters the picture, emphasizing how clearer Hilliard becomes in his presence and makes a slight return towards the end of the story but even then, Hilliard is a changed man and he indeed moves towards a somehow hopeful future, no matter how bittersweet as well - and finally, in the names as well, the very serious John, Beth and Constance on one side, the more casual David or Miriam on the other.
The end comes swiftly; of course, it's a WWI novel so there is only bittersweet awaiting in the end but like all great love stories, there's a sense of melancholy and tragedy and that's what makes it so beautiful, so touching. Hilliard and Barton are definitely changed both by their times but also and above all, by the other. It is incredibly hopeful and sad at the same time that at some point, they start planning the future without even realizing that they take their survival for granted. This story is as much a reflection on the power of love as it is about the tragedy that comes with war, the pointlessness of it - as pondered by a despondent Barton. The character development that the two enjoy is remarkable in that by the end of the novel the two of them enjoy some kind of reversal, with Hilliard acting as the hope and counterbalancing a much more realistic Barton. Yet they manage to retain their characteristics; it really is a wonder that Hill conveys so much power with so few words. As products of their time, both men say little, especially Hilliard who is perhaps the first to recognize what the feelings between them may mean. There is no more beautiful moment that the closing lines of the second part of the novel, an exchange that perfectly reflects the two characters, a soaring juxtaposition of said and unsaid - a simple 'Yes' to an 'I love you'.
Astonishing in its rendition of the horrors of life in the trenches, the novel balances it by finding absolute beauty in the relationship that blossoms between its two main characters. Veteran Hilliard is as worn out, cynical and emotionally repressed as new recruit Barton is lively, open and friendly. Where Hill deviates from the old tried-and-true formula is how the first reacts to the second. What ensues is a genuine friendship that goes beyond any expectation one might have when reading Hilliard and Barton. Theirs is a relationship fueled by the deepest affection and attachment, in its purest form. Hilliard and Barton balance each other well, one the perfect contrast to the other. Though for a time it is not clear who benefits more of this partnership than the other - really, who loves the other more - it becomes quite evident as the novel progresses. Hilliard rediscovers what it means to feel, to care for someone and he needs Barton for that. Barton on the other hand, comes to need Hilliard's experience and stability when the inevitable war-induced shocks come crashing down on him. The two of them give as much as they receive and that is what makes their story so compelling and such beautiful, yet so mundane moments as name exchangings very poignant.
The other aspect, of course, is this sweet and subtle dancing around the main subject without ever naming it. Hilliard and Barton love each other - that is clearly stated; out loud by Barton and acknowledged to himself by Hilliard. Both know how deep and unusual their relationship is, how rare and precious it is, especially (or is it because of, as one of them ponders) in hard times like the ones they go through. What remains is how to define their love. The most likely answer is a platonic one, the form of love that runs through emotional connection. In that way, Hilliard and Barton share a mutual friendship that is probably not that uncommon between brothers-in-arms. In any case, the two of them could not openly declare feelings of "love" as what was commonly defined as "love" then. Where Hill finds grace is that Hilliard and Barton acknowledge mutual love and the reader knows that it is real, that there is absolutely no doubt the two characters love each other but not exactly as two lovebirds would love each other in any romantic story. There is no real attraction here, not in a physical way anyway. Barton and Hilliard are drawn to the other because of their personalities; they find that this other person completes them perfectly. The relationship remains shrouded in a bit of mystery because of this; love is indeed present, in one form but we can't exactly define which one.
Hints are there though; neither Hilliard nor Barton ever mention any sweetheart waiting at home or any kind of past relationship. And there is a recurring, underlining theme of Hilliard refraining from touching Barton a few times. While this can probably be brushed off easily - and is likely a device to emphasize the change Barton instils in the emotionally-repressed Hilliard - it is still interesting that in the several instances Hilliard considers it, he never is able to touch Barton. But the love that is established between the two of them is one that is devoid of any form of physical attraction; it's love in its most elevated, its strongest, purest form. This is a story about the bond that forms between two human beings, regardless of gender, regardless of the time allowed to the relationship, regardless of the circumstances that enabled it; it's about two people recognizing the emotional connection between them and acknowledging that yes, this is the person that completes them, the soulmate that balances them in a way no other person can.
Hilliard still remains at the heart of the story and it's a touching way to bring the character from one place he cannot consider 'home' anymore to one he comes to accept as one, solely because he has become familiar with it thanks to Barton. A formidable contrast is made between the families, spitting mirrors of the two main characters. Hilliard's is as reserved as Barton's is welcoming; the novel then establishes a very compelling development for Hilliard who starts out as broken and eager to leave home to return to the war (which he ironically considers more home than his actual home) and in the process, finds a (potential) soulmate and is so easily accepted by its new family - to what extent remains unclear; the Barton family couldn't be so oblivious but again, perhaps such a bond was not so unusal at the time. In any case, that contrast is made apparent through several clever ways; in the story, of course, with Hilliard's family sending out parcels containing the rarest sweets and food but ultimately very formal and stiff letters conveying nothing but the false belief - shared by everyone else - that it'll all end soon, Barton's providing much more personal furnitures (books, a gramophone...) and long letters that help them understand the harsh reality and not lose a deep relationship they enjoy with their son; in the prose, then, the beginning of the novel much more difficult to grasp as a reflection of Hilliard's state of mind - isolated and frustrated, he does not have anyone left to confide in and thus his thoughts crowd his mind which results in a very dense prose, sentences overstepping one another as if thoughts were added on top of one another. That becomes much less pronounced once Barton enters the picture, emphasizing how clearer Hilliard becomes in his presence and makes a slight return towards the end of the story but even then, Hilliard is a changed man and he indeed moves towards a somehow hopeful future, no matter how bittersweet as well - and finally, in the names as well, the very serious John, Beth and Constance on one side, the more casual David or Miriam on the other.
The end comes swiftly; of course, it's a WWI novel so there is only bittersweet awaiting in the end but like all great love stories, there's a sense of melancholy and tragedy and that's what makes it so beautiful, so touching. Hilliard and Barton are definitely changed both by their times but also and above all, by the other. It is incredibly hopeful and sad at the same time that at some point, they start planning the future without even realizing that they take their survival for granted. This story is as much a reflection on the power of love as it is about the tragedy that comes with war, the pointlessness of it - as pondered by a despondent Barton. The character development that the two enjoy is remarkable in that by the end of the novel the two of them enjoy some kind of reversal, with Hilliard acting as the hope and counterbalancing a much more realistic Barton. Yet they manage to retain their characteristics; it really is a wonder that Hill conveys so much power with so few words. As products of their time, both men say little, especially Hilliard who is perhaps the first to recognize what the feelings between them may mean. There is no more beautiful moment that the closing lines of the second part of the novel, an exchange that perfectly reflects the two characters, a soaring juxtaposition of said and unsaid - a simple 'Yes' to an 'I love you'.
August 2, 2018
John Hilliard is an officer in the British army recently fighting in the trenches of northern France against the Germans in the horror of the First World War. Taking stock of his life in England, John knows his life has been forever changed by the scars of war, he makes his farewells to his distant family and returns to his battalion in France, never knowing if this is the final time he’ll see England.
On returning to France John meets a new officer David Barton, who he shares a billet with. David is New and untouched by the trenches, he loves Literature and poetry and beguiles John with his stories of home. Very quickly their relationship deepens and strengthens. David mentions John in his letters home and quickly finds his family welcome John and his friendship.
The final part of the novel sees John and David along with their battalion go over the top of the trench and make their push towards the Germans at Barmelle Wood, what follows is a horrific vision of mans inhumanity and the total waste of war.
A beautifully written novel which takes you into the mind of a First World War officer, the beauty in amongst the horror of the trenches. I believe the relationship between John and David is a gay one but this is not mentioned in the book, I think just as of the time, people reluctantly talked about gay relationships despite them going on in secret. The vividness of the descriptions and portrayal of the soldiers is rich and connecting, you really feel as if you are there and I can honestly say the final part of the book literally brought me to tears. A wonderful read. Highly recommended.
On returning to France John meets a new officer David Barton, who he shares a billet with. David is New and untouched by the trenches, he loves Literature and poetry and beguiles John with his stories of home. Very quickly their relationship deepens and strengthens. David mentions John in his letters home and quickly finds his family welcome John and his friendship.
The final part of the novel sees John and David along with their battalion go over the top of the trench and make their push towards the Germans at Barmelle Wood, what follows is a horrific vision of mans inhumanity and the total waste of war.
A beautifully written novel which takes you into the mind of a First World War officer, the beauty in amongst the horror of the trenches. I believe the relationship between John and David is a gay one but this is not mentioned in the book, I think just as of the time, people reluctantly talked about gay relationships despite them going on in secret. The vividness of the descriptions and portrayal of the soldiers is rich and connecting, you really feel as if you are there and I can honestly say the final part of the book literally brought me to tears. A wonderful read. Highly recommended.
August 12, 2025
At the start of this beautiful short novel we meet John Hilliard, home in England, on leave from World War One France. He is unable to feel any pleasure in being away from the front as what he has seen and experienced there haunts him and no one in England has the faintest idea about how things on the battlefield actually are.
When he returns to France, he finds that most of the people he knew there before he left for leave have been killed. He discovers that he will be sharing his quarters with a new recruit called David Barton. He is at first a little put out by this development. However, Barton it turns out has the gift of lightening everyone's spirits. Furthermore, he and John form an extraordinarily warm and loving friendship, despite being very different in upbringing and personality.
Susan Hill creates these characters and all the others around them skilfully and provides a vivid and gripping picture of life in the trenches. She makes it very clear thanks to her brilliant descriptive power, that the war both young men are caught up in is little more than a meat grinder for the youth of Europe.
The book is very moving indeed. Hill's imagination is extraordinary and her skill as a writer is superb
When he returns to France, he finds that most of the people he knew there before he left for leave have been killed. He discovers that he will be sharing his quarters with a new recruit called David Barton. He is at first a little put out by this development. However, Barton it turns out has the gift of lightening everyone's spirits. Furthermore, he and John form an extraordinarily warm and loving friendship, despite being very different in upbringing and personality.
Susan Hill creates these characters and all the others around them skilfully and provides a vivid and gripping picture of life in the trenches. She makes it very clear thanks to her brilliant descriptive power, that the war both young men are caught up in is little more than a meat grinder for the youth of Europe.
The book is very moving indeed. Hill's imagination is extraordinary and her skill as a writer is superb
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