Blackmoor

by Edward Hogan

Beth is an albino, half blind, and given to looking at the world out of the corner of her eye. Her neighbours in the Derbyshire town of Blackmoor have always thought she was 'touched', and when a series of bizarre happenings shake the very foundations of the village, they are confirmed in their opinion that Beth is an ill omen. The neighbours say that Beth eats dirt from the flowerbeds, and that smoke rises from her lawn. By the end of the year, she is dead.

A decade later her son, Vincent, treated like a bad omen by his father, George, is living in a pleasant suburb miles from Blackmoor. There, the bird-watching teenager stumbles towards the buried secrets of his mother's life and death in the abandoned village. It's the story of a community that fell apart, a young woman whose face didn't fit, and a past that refuses to go away.

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary, Historical Fiction, British Literature

288 pages, Paperback

First published July 1, 2009

About the author

Edward Hogan’s first adult novel, Blackmoor, was short-listed for the London Sunday Times Young Writer of the Year Award and the Dylan Thomas prize. Daylight Saving is his first young adult novel. He lives in the U.K.

Reviews

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent debut novel from this 26 year old author, although when reading it you would never guess this is his first book.

The subject and title of the book - Blackmoor - is a old, decaying pit village on the borders of Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire. Blackmoor pit was closed completely after the miner's strike and the village is slowly subsiding and in danger from gases that are building up in the disused pit. Eventually,British Coal decided to demolish Blackmoor and move the residents to a ready made new village just up the road. Beth, her husband and their small son Vincent will never actually live in the new village - this is the story of the disintegration of their little family. Beth is a little different to the usual mining wives - and suffers with mental health problems. The story of how her husband and son cope is the basis of the book.

This is a beautiful read in places - it is quite stark, the language is spare and to the point, but very poignant in places.

I really enjoyed this and look forward to more from this author

[Orlando · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautifully written and utterly gripping this book has restored my faith in reading after a dry period. My only criticism is that like other writers out of the MA creative writing course at UEA Edward Hogan reads as if he's writing by numbers. The end result is a book set in the real world but not of this world. However that might be professional jealousy on my part. The writing is wonderful; there are delights in every paragraph. He has that knack of saying things that you have always thought but couldn't put into such simple yet hardworking sentences. I shall certainly look out for anything else Hogan writes.

[Sharon Louise · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book from the first to the last word. Sad but quite beautiful in a quiet tragic way. Blackmoor is kind of back to front, you know from the start what the main tragedy is but slowly it explains exactly what happened and why. The story jumps between past and present but doesn't confuse, the writing flows wonderfully and I just loved it. Not a very big book, weighs in at just over 270 pages, but each page for me was a delight.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book even though the tone throughout was quite desolate and haunting. It was beautifully written and you cannot help but love Vincent, the main character. The book is about Blackmoor, a small mining village where everybody knows everybody else and their business. It is about Beth, Vincent's mother, deemed strange from birth by means of the albino colouring that sets her apart. It's about Vincent, a lost boy, living a lonely life with his father since the death of his mother when he was a toddler.

Beth doesn't fit in in Blackmoor because she is albino and because of her strange clothes and, when pregnant with Vincent she is given to strange cravings and behaviours and things start to happen in the village, people come to believe that Beth has something to do with the strange goings-ons...

Flitting back and forth between Beth's story and Vincent's story, of him discovering the truth about his birth and roots we draw out a sad story of a small place with small minded people who cannot see the truth of things; of big companies using superstition and naivety to cover up more serious issues; of loss and love and hurt and eventually truth.

It makes a very interesting read, almost a modern day witch hunt and certainly a valuable lesson in acceptance, tolerance and honesty.

[Suzanne (winterscribbler) Cole · Rating 5 out of 5]

SPOILERS!!!!

In the heart of the moors lies a village with a secret ...

I first picked up this book, and read the blurb, in 2008. I thought it sounded like something I would definitely love, and then for some reason it's just sat on my to read list for seven years, which meant it built and built in my expectations so that I knew when I did read it, it was either going to completely deliver everything I expected from it, or I was going to be bitterly disappointed.
For me it was a one day read, just got totally swept up and there was no interrupting me. The reason it was so perfect for me is firstly the voice of the author, and secondly the sheer unusual-ness of the story. It feels as though he took a lot of elements that we've already experienced before, small town attitudes, persecution, class identities, the miners' strike (all of which I enjoy), and put them together, told it in a fresh way, and made a story the like of which I don't think I've ever encountered before. It was completely unexpected, despite my long cultivated expectations.
The only other book I'd actually compare it closely to would be Embers by Sandor Marai, which I do consider to be a marmite book; if you love it, then you really love but plenty of people hate it and I can understand why even if it's an opinion I don't share. The two aren't similar in terms of the story, but they both share a distinctive quality of voice, and it was these respective voices that made both books one day reads for me. In both instances the voice just carried me and that was a day a book gone.
In the case of Blackmoor it's a voice that has enough detachment in terms of character, and richness of imagery to fulfill the role of storyteller, and still allow the characters a sense of autonomy. I'm not always a fan of the omniscient narrator, or the amount of author told back story that is employed here, but I think the reason this works is because it's the voice of the village. It helps to solidify the identity of Blackmoor, makes it the main character and narrator in one, it also helps to create the sense of alienation in regards to the characters who don't fit in with that identity. The imagery is really strong both in the Blackmoor part of the story, and the Church Eaton. I especially love the quarry, and the mines, there's a vivid contrast between these and the domestic settings, but the tension from the natural environment spills into the man-made.
I think the theme of abandoned villages is a truly fascinating one, and with Blackmoor there's the added interest in that it was only destroyed in the early 1990's, whereas I tend to associate the idea with early history. But there are so may in U.k alone, where for whatever reason the people had to leave and the town was completely lost, and with it whole stories, a whole community or way of life.
I love Beth, and genuinely felt for her throughout the book. Even though your told early on that she's going to die, and how, and that's what we know the story is working towards, it's utterly heartbreaking when it does happen, and there's still an element of surprise because the plot is largely internal in relation to Beth, so the climax isn't so much the fact that she kills herself but the exact state of her mind in that moment. It's also believable and understandable given the journey we've shared with her. We've seen what's brought her to this, and how gradually and imperceptibly she got there. I also love that although she is an outcast, she is not just a victim for the sake of there being one. The depiction of her mental illness is baffling and shocking from an outside perspective, and touching but not tragic when we experience the aftermath of her illness through her own. I actually forgot about her albinism, her eye trouble, was deftly employed at key moments. As a character, she isn't defined by them.
I believed in Beth and George's relationship. I can see what they saw in each other, why George, who is a self imposed outcast was drawn to her. There's a contrast between them in that although Beth was physically marked out she was actually more able to fit in, to weather the estrangement from the rest of the town, and give them the benefit of the doubt and rise above it, George who physically is a normal fit, ideologically can't fit in and in many ways is a victim of his own personality. You feel like he hates the town and everything it stands for, yet he won't leave when he does have opportunity to. He enjoys his outsider position in such a perverse way, and of course the real tragedy is that the moment he does manage to get over himself is the exact moment everything comes down on Beth, and if he could have come to this realization just one day sooner she wouldn't have died, and then of course it's her death that destroys him and leads him into the kind of half life we experience with him and his son in the Church Eaton part of the story. I liked that we weren't launched straight into the tragedy and we get to see them in their happier loving selves before we see it all slide out of control.
George is the perfect character who is not at all likable. His personal demise, and the demise of his relationship with Beth, is a reflection of the greater demise around them of the village and of the mining community and way of life.
I also really liked Vincent's detachment in the Church Eaton story where he is the main character. I like that the bullying was realistic but that it didn't dominate the story or him as a character. It was refreshing that it did naturally diminish, although it doesn't just magically go away. I liked that he playing football at the end and that he was still himself but he was growing, challenging his father. He is not a victim of his situation in the same way that Beth wasn't a victim of her condition. He's his mother's son and it provides a nice continuity between the two time settings.
I preferred the Blackmoor story, the past setting, which is where as reader you spend most of the book. This is where there is where the action really happens, whereas the Church Eaton part is more static though the character of Leila gives it an injection of spark. Although it is a history, it also has a slice of life feel, especially in the Church Eaton strand.
Some negative points in the spirit of balanced arguments; The direct addressing of the audience starts off very effectively, and helps to draw the reader in, but as the story continues he uses it less and less, so that when he does it's quite jarring. Also the switching between tenses is a little random, although I do think his voice lends itself to the present tense.
Some of the explanation of back story I thought was unnecessary, in regards to Michael Jenkins, and Leila's parents. Mainly it's because the characters and their interactions stand up well without it, I think a lot of it were things the author needed to know but didn't necessarily have to share with the reader.
For the same reason the flashback with Wagstaff wasn't needed, and I don't like the fact of him being sterile, just because I think it's quite a lazy way of giving the antagonist a motivation. Wagstaff is an interesting character though, in that he represents the male heart of Blackmoor (the female being Mrs Hargreaves), and both of these are the complete antithesis of George and Beth. I liked how we were introduced to him mainly through George's father and so saw two very different portrayals of him.
There are some strange events that, although they do fit, I was a little unsure about; the kiss in the car, Vincent's singing, and the bathroom scene (if you read it you'll know).
The negatives are really just preferences of mine, other people may or may not agree, I don't feel like they detract from the overall accomplishment.
This is definitely a book for people who enjoy a high level of internal conflict and drama, there isn't really an antagonist, it's more about George's nature, Beth's illness, and how time and change effect communities, and really just how people let the worst of their natures get the better of them. There is a sense of resolution but it's not monumental, so it's really about personal journeys, small changes. Also, I think, to like it you need to enjoy stories that have a very strong sense of time and place, this is definitely not 'anytown in anytime'. So I can see this being a love it/hate it, and it's partly to do with taste, because it's so specific in what it does and how it does it. This really is it's strength but I don't think it gives it that broad of an appeal, but I may be wrong.
Seven years wait.. not disappointed.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

Found in the Auckland YHA hostel. Decent and good read! Not hugely profound, but characters are well-written and even though you know the story's climax from the first page (/cover art), it doesn't make it any less enjoyable. Structure of 2 converging timelines is well used here and not disruptive, and I always like a good dialect book. I wouldn't run out and buy it, but if you come across it, worth the read!

[sisterimapoet · Rating 3 out of 5]

An unusual take on the pit-closure storyline, and plenty of striking images and skilled prose throughout. But it felt like it lacked emotional intensity in places - the characters were all a little stiff and false - as if the madness was escaping and polluting the whole.

Perhaps if we had stuck more closely to one character's perspective we might have connected better? Good for a first novel, but clearly a first novel to me - but I'd been keen to see what Hogan does next.

[Dee Weaver · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thoroughly enjoyed this book for the most part. The characters are well rounded, if a little unusual. Would have been five stars but for the author intrusion, which I only noticed towards the end, where he deliberately pulls the reader out of the story. Phrases such as, "Watch as she..." is unnecessarily intrusive.
But don't let that put you off. It's an unusual and entertaining read.

[Tracey]

Beautiful, tragic and compelling.

[Amber · Rating 5 out of 5]

I LOVED this book ! Hard to believe this is Hogan's debut novel. Such beautiful sensitive writing without any pretension .Multi -layered and intriguing ! BRAVO !

[Laura Parsons · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very enjoyable read from Edward Hogan. Set in the dying mining village of Blackmoor, there is a sense of foreboding hanging over the inhabitants. The characters are quirky and well defined.
The story centres around Vincent and his parents, George and Beth. Beth, an albino and considered by many to bring bad luck, died when he was very young and he gradually learns about the circumstances of her death.
Mercilessly bullied by his peers, Vincent retreats into his own world and becomes more and more estranged from his father. He spends time with Leila, who shares his passion for birdwatching.
After the closure of the last pit, the men of the village lose their previous identity and tensions in the village build when dangerous firedamp gases are detected seeping up from below ground. Eventually, the whole village is relocated. George and Vincent are the last to leave. I can imagine this being made into a TV series or movie. Definitely an author to watch.

[S.P. Oldham · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is beautifully written, with lots of descriptive language, vivid imagery and laden with the dreary, yearning atmosphere of the town and the people in it. I so wanted to love it, but truthfully it felt like a lot of build up to a bit of an anticlimax at the end. It becomes reasonably obvious early on what might have happened to mother and child. Nevertheless, this is a well observed, sad tale, portraying the sense of pointlessness and despair that plagued the early '80's in the UK. Sad that we seem to be going back that way now.

A deeply descriptive read with some quite stunning metaphors and similes throughout. A slow but in-depth examination of the town, its inhabitants, their attitudes and stubborness. Ultimately, the tale of a young boy, how he lost his mother and what happens to him in the years after her death. How he discovers exactly what happened and why his father is so resentful of him.

[Madison · Rating 2 out of 5]

I liked the start of this book and got really into it, but then I felt like I had to force myself to get through to the end. It was well written but the story line was not my cup of tea. I felt like it dragged on a lot more than necessary

[Staci]

http://fleurfisher.wordpress.com/2009...

[Aleesha · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was different to what I normally read and a bit confusing at times, but it was well written and a good first novel.

[Sarah Tun · Rating 3 out of 5]

The protagonist was fascinating but the story had little hope. Very dark and so it is not something I would higly recommend.

[Kylie · Rating 2 out of 5]

A long winded story. I kept thinking there must be some kind of big twist in the tale but nope unfortunately I was a little over it by the end.

[Simon newson · Rating 2 out of 5]

wrote a review but then lost it -which, as the review commented on the loss of several hours of my life spent reading the book seems apt.

[Nicole · Rating 2 out of 5]

Unfin. Albino wife commits suicide

[Gail · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lyrical and moving.

[Jessica]

|| gave up on chapter 11? ||

[Andrew · Rating 3 out of 5]

'...loss far exhausts blame.'