The Mission House

by Carys Davies

In The Mission House, Hilary Byrd flees his demons and the dark undercurrents of contemporary life in England for a former British hill station in south India. Charmed by the foreignness of his new surroundings and by the familiarity of everything the British have left behind, he finds solace in life’s simple pleasures, travelling by rickshaw around the small town with his driver Jamshed and staying in a mission house beside the local presbytery where, after a chance meeting, the Padre and his adoptive daughter Priscilla take Hilary under their wing.

The Padre is concerned for Priscilla’s future, and as Hilary’s friendship with the young woman grows, he begins to wonder whether his purpose lies in this new relationship. But religious tensions are brewing and the mission house may not be the safe haven it seems.

Genres: Fiction, India, Contemporary, Historical Fiction, Literary Fiction, Book Club, Travel

272 pages, Hardcover

First published August 6, 2020

About the author

Carys Davies's debut novel, West, was shortlisted for the Rathbones Folio Prize, runner-up for the McKitterick Prize, and winner of the Wales Book of the Year for Fiction. Her second novel, The Mission House, was first published in the UK in 2020 where it was The Sunday Times Novel of the Year.

She is also the author of two collections of short stories, Some New Ambush and The Redemption of Galen Pike, which won the 2015 Frank O'Connor International Short Story Award and the 2015 Jerwood Fiction Uncovered Prize. She is the recipient of the Royal Society of Literature's V.S. Pritchett Prize, the Society of Authors' Olive Cook Short Story Award, a Cullman Fellowship at the New York Public Library, and is a member of the Folio Academy. Her fiction has been translated into nine languages.

Born in Wales, she grew up there and in the Midlands, lived and worked for twelve years in New York and Chicago, and now lives in Edinburgh.

Reviews

[Angela M · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars.

Hilary Byrd, seeking a haven, a place away from the noise and business of city life in England, from the “bad days” he has . He is hoping that he’ll find it in a place in the hills of India, staying in a little bungalow rented to him by the Padre. It easy to feel for Hilary; he’s depressed and as the Padre describes him - “ He seems lost.” Besides Hilary, there are other characters dealing with their issues. The Padre wants to insure for the future well being of his adopted daughter, Priscilla, a young girl with physical disabilities, when he is no longer around by finding her a husband. Jamshed, the rickshaw driver who wants to make enough money to buy his country music loving, self proclaimed cowboy nephew a horse. Priscilla has her own ideas about shaping her own future.

There are some lovely moments as their lives connect, and if only for a few moments, Byrd finds a bit of respite, and in his misplaced hopes, the possibility of a bit of happiness. There are political and religious undertones through this novel, which for the most part for me, felt more subtle than is borne out by the ending, which unnerved me. At the end, I thought - wait, what just happened? I couldn’t help but feel that something was lacking, at least for me, in not fully grasping how the story got to this end. Having said that, I felt for these characters, and I enjoyed the writing as I did in Davies’ last novel West. An extra half star for that.

I received an advanced copy of this book from Scribner (Simon & Schuster) through Edelweiss.

[Cheri · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 Stars

'Here's to the ones who dream
Foolish as they may seem'
--- Songwriters: Justin Hurwitz / Benj Pasek / Justin Noble Paul


This is a quiet, little novel that is situated away from the hustle and bustle of the cities, set in Ooty, a remote hill station in India where the influence of England and America can be felt, especially as it pertains to music. There is an essence of nostalgia that permeates this story, a penchant for the Old Wild West, Cowboy hats, horses and Country Music, and although this is set in the present, it feels like another time altogether. There is a romanticized atmosphere of India being a place where life is somewhat simpler, bordering on an idyllic dream and a reverence for a simpler life with meaning.

Hilary Byrd has come to this place seeking a break from the endless noise of modern living, and finds refuge in a missionary’s small bungalow courtesy of the Padre. Living there in the shadow of the spire, he finds a sense of peace in the setting, the garden, even the arrangement of his books on the windowsills...The mist and the clouds and the rain. High up here by himself, on the slope of this other hill, it was like being in an ark that had come to rest, happily, in this precise spot.He frequently sets off with Jamshed and his rickshaw to take him places, and he comes to appreciate these simpler days, and the simple joys he finds living among these people, and, eventually, the giving of himself in the process. He finds a sense of peace here, a purpose in life here that he could never find in England. He befriends Priscilla at the behest of the Padre, whose life story is heartbreaking, and teaches her how to sew, bake, giving her tools to help her find more independence, their bond growing over time.

Lives that appear destined to continue on one path may see new, possible futures as this story continues, with occasional subtle sprinklings of lightly comical moments, but overall this is a story that may take time to completely absorb all of the subtle nuances. Still I find that I am already missing the lovely and gentle touch with which this story is shared.



Published: 16 Feb 2021


Many thanks for the ARC provided by Scribner

[Faith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hilary Byrd (probably not coincidentally the names of two explorers) is a 51 year old librarian from Petts Wood, UK who goes to South India to escape from his life and winds up in a former British hill station. Padre Andrew rents him the mission house while the Canadian missionary who normally lives there is away. Because of the continuing influences of British colonization, the town feels familiar to Byrd, but India is also strange to him. As he forms relationships with his driver Jamshed, the Padre and the Padre’s adopted daughter Priscilla, Byrd loosens up in ways that he found impossible in England. Byrd’s existence is mostly idyllic, but there are a few ominous hints about illness, religious unrest and a police investigation.

I liked this book primarily due to the writing style which I found beautiful, but I think that some of the darker aspects of the story should have been explored more, even an unrequited love interest didn’t have much bite. It’s all very polite and conflict-free. This is the second book I’ve read by this author and I’m willing to give her a third try based on her writing style, not her plots. 3.5 stars

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher.

[Jenny (Reading Envy) · Rating 4 out of 5]

My first book by Carys Davies was her story collection, The Redemption of Galen Pike, which I loved. Every book I've read from her since has been good but for whatever reason I'm just not super interested in the setting, although I end up invested in the characters.

Hilary Byrd stays with a priest in a former British hill station in south India during a time of conflict. He seems to be escaping his own reality back home, but has made wrong assumptions about India - the weather, his wardrobe, etc. Then he starts to get to know his driver and the teen who was rescued by the priest. I won't spoil how it ends but it is a Davies ending for sure.

I received a copy of this from the publisher through NetGalley, and it came out February 16, 2021 in the USA (sometime in 2020 in the UK.)

[Gumble's Yard - Golden Reviewer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sunday Times Best Novel of 2020.

What was it, exactly, that he liked so much? Was it because it had an aura of home, or because it felt completely strange and new? The fact was, home by itself depressed him. Home made him ill. Home, since leaving the library, had become intolerable. ….. In the last few weeks here in the hills, he’d come to enjoy the hectic excitement of the place, the noise and the relentless activity, the colour and sparkle and the glittering untidiness of the streets which every day turned up something surprising …… And yet he wasn’t sure if he’d like it as much as he did if it wasn’t for the things that were like home and therefore made him feel at home – the calm orderliness of the Botanical Gardens, for instance ………….. and the piles of Penguin paperback books in Higginbotham’s, all in English, most of which he knew like the back of his hand. Perhaps – he found himself saying to the old man, Jamshed, as they drove through the town and Byrd sat on the floor of the clattering auto just behind him – it was the combination of the strange and familiar that suited him. Perhaps there was a balance that was just right for his personality. Perhaps it provided him with a sort of perfect equilibrium.

The book tells the story of Hilary Byrd – a middle-aged, virginal Englishman whose relationship with the world was intermediated by his sister Wyn, with even she proving powerless to prevent some form of nervous breakdown bought on by the increasing encroachment of the 21st Century on the previous safe haven of the library where he works.

In desperation, and against his sister’s wishes, he decides to travel abroad to find himself and picks India. However this is not someone going to India to avoid the constrictions of England (as it’s the increasing disappearance of those constrictions that has unmoored him). Neither is it someone going to discover Eastern religion and mysticism as Byrd is very much an atheist with a very Western liberal view of faith and a non-practicing CofE head-knowledge of the bible (albeit with little understanding as shown by a complete lack of comprehension of the Cain and Abel story).

Early on he struggles with the noise and chaos of India and above all the heat – but (at the book’s start) he has found his place in the hill station of Ooty, where he stays in a temporarily empty mission house (the much younger missionary having returned temporarily to his home country of Canada), living next to the Padre and the latter’s housekeeper Priscilla (the last member of an orphanage who the Padre was persuaded to take in). The other main characters are Jamshed (a rather unsuccessful elderly auto-rickshaw driver who sees in Byrd his chance of a full-time customer, and shares Byrd’s views on religion) and Jamshed’s nephew Ravi (working as a hairdresser while he begs and borrows for his dream of becoming a fully-equipped – even with a horse - country and western singer).

The book is told in a series of short third party point of view sections varying across each of the main characters (plus a small number of others) and we get a sense of their different aims: the widowed Padre worried about the increasing religious violence in India, a worry encouraged by his daughter in America, but determined to find a husband for Priscilla before he goes; Byrd trying to restore his mental health, completely unaware of the religious undertones around him (despite staying in a Mission House and – I think symbolically – orientating himself by the church steeple), but getting stressed that the Padre is trying to set him up with Priscilla and then even more stressed when he realises he isn’t; Kamshed enjoying his new found regular income but distressed that Byrd will not engage with him as more of an equal; and Priscilla who shares Ravi’s dreams).

At the book’s end Byrd finds that the ways in which the town picks up something of an older England has a rather darker element.

For much of the time this is I felt a rather old fashioned and gentle novel; but it has a much more contemporary and violent side – latent for much of the novel but very apparent in its ending. In that respect of course the mix of “calm orderliness” and “hectic excitement” hectic excitement very deliberately matches Byrd’s impressions of the hill town (as in the opening quote of my review) although I would say that (continuing with that quote) the balance/equilibrium is perhaps not quite right for my reading tastes. Nevertheless this was an enjoyable read.

My thanks to Granta for an ARC via NetGalley

[Tom Mooney · Rating 2 out of 5]

Carys Davies has a brilliant book in her. You can feel it. But this, her second novel, is another disappointment.

The writing is beautiful, just as it was in West. But the story doesn't hold the attention at all. In fact, I've just finished and still can't really say what it was about or what the point of it was.

It opens with intrigue, as an Englishman arrives in the Indian Hill town of Ooty, a heavenly place steeped in British colonial history. He stays at the Christian mission house on the hill, with the old padre and his crippled adopted daughter. He mills about town, guided by an old rickshaw driver.

But the novel just meanders along, much like our protagonist, never achieving anything, never stepping out of its comfort zone.

This was a disappointing read but I will stick with Davies because she's going to produce something great one day.

[Deborah · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m eager to read anything by Carys Davies, who tells powerful stories in masterful, deceptively simple prose. (Her story collection The Redemption of Galen Pike is a marvel.) This slender new novel did not disappoint! It takes place in the present day, in a southern hill town in India established by the Brits during the colonial period. Hilary Byrd is a middle-aged English bachelor who had experienced a crisis at home, growing more and more disenchanted with his job as a librarian, unable to cope with the changes ushered in by the changing times. He seems to suffer from anxiety and depression (though Davies is far too skilful to use such blunt and clinical language). He’s fled England, hoping a new perspective will help him make a fresh start and shed his malaise. He rents a temporarily vacant little house from an Indian reverend (Christian), who had years earlier adopted Priscilla, a crippled orphan, now a young woman. Hilary spends his days seeing the sights and puttering around with Jamshed, an auto-rickshaw driver, and his evenings with the Padre and Priscilla, giving her English lessons and teaching her to sew and bake (!) The relationships that develop between and among these characters are intriguing but sad; there’s so much hope, but no one truly understands anyone else—in fact, misunderstandings abound. Stir in the growing tensions created by rising nationalist fervour, and all the ingredients are in place for a profound denouement. The reader sees it coming in its bare outlines, but Davies adds some piquant irony and emotional surprises that raise this into the sublime. Highly recommended.

[Leo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not feeling completely well atm. Don't know if I will make a rewiev or not. But it was an okay read

[Anna · Rating 3 out of 5]

A middle-aged English librarian Hilary Byrd arives in the mountainous regions of southern India. It is a coincidence that he is here. He happened to overhear a conversation between tourists about a slow train to former British hill station, where the weather is cool. So he took it and it is such a relief after the insufferable heat on the planes. Then also by chance he met Padre on the train, who has kindly offered him an effordable accomodation.
So here he is. Living in the temporary vacant quarters of a missionary who has recently gone home to Canada. Spending his time on sightseeing in the auto-rickshaw with Jamshed as a driver, or relaxing in the Mission house in the company of the Padre and his houskeeper/adopted daughter, Priscillia.

Hilary is single. His family in England consists only of his sister Wyn, whom he seems to be very close to. But with time a thought arises, wouldn’t it be nice to have a family of his own? Does Priscilla care for him? What if Padre could see him as a suitable party for Priscilia?
But fate may have other plans.

It is a strange book. I am not sure what to think of it. I enjoyed it but also I have a feeling that maybe I am missing something… if that makes sense?

[Holly R W · Rating 2 out of 5]

"The Mission House" is the story of a 51 year old British man (Hilary Byrd) who travels to India in the hope of reviving himself. He has led a timid life, living with his sister in their childhood home. Ordinary things scare him and are seemingly too hard for him to handle. His job as a librarian has become too difficult for him.

Once in India, Byrd settles into a daily routine which soothes him. He lives in a small bungalow attached to a presbytery. The padre there and his adopted daughter Priscilla take an interest in Byrd and show him kindness. They have dinner together several times throughout the week. Priscilla is in her twenties and has some physical disabilities.

The other person whom Byrd sees is his hired driver, Jamshed. He and Jamshed take daily trips to the town's attractions, such as the botanical gardens and the Savoy Hotel for tea. Byrd finds his new routine to be peaceful. What stirs him up a bit is growing attraction to Priscilla.

Sorry to say, I found the book to be dull and sad with too little action to keep me interested. I would not recommend the book to other readers.

[Louise Savidge · Rating 5 out of 5]

Simply stunning!

[Andrea · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mr Hilary Byrd of Petts Wood, UK, is travelling around southern India while avoiding the unpleasantness at home that will soon result in the final severance of his employment at a local library. Down on the plains he'd found the constant sweltering heat didn't agree with his mental health, and there were days he would simply stay in his hotel room, lying on top of the bed he can ill-afford, waiting for time to pass. But as the story begins, he's overheard some German travellers talking about the blue train that takes you up into the hills, and off he goes for a change of scenery. By chance he shares a compartment with Padre Andrew, and by the time the train arrives at the former British hill station of Ooty (never named, but identified in the Acknowledgements) he's secured an invitation to stay in a cosy little self-contained bungalow next to the presbytery. It's much more suited to Byrd's budget, and the town's climate is very agreeable to his disposition, so he settles in for a long stay.

Byrd spends his days exploring the town, walking in the Botanical Gardens, rowing on the lake and reading at the library. He emails his sister back in the UK to reassure her that he's well - in fact, he's feeling better than he has in a long time. Then a nasty fall at the local market upsets his equilibrium, and he finds he has to rely on others more. Primarily, there's the rickshaw driver Jamshed, who rescues him after the fall and from then onwards becomes his exclusive driver and confidante. But there's also Padre Andrew and Priscilla, who invite him to dinner a few times each week. The Padre is trying to find a husband for Priscilla, and enlists Byrd's help in 'improving' her - firstly by working on her English, then teaching her to sew (Byrd was raised in a household of women) and to bake. Gradually Byrd regains his figurative balance and feels at home in Ooty, even wondering if there could be a permanent place for him.

This is a lovely, gentle story of a person who is trying to find his place. Although I couldn't directly relate to Byrd, I could certainly empathise with aspects of his situation. Davies draws the main characters so clearly that they are easy to care for, and she obviously knows the location well, as it inhabits the story as if it was a character in its own right. I feel like I could disembark that blue train and make my way to Modern Stores or the chocolate shop to buy my own supplies!

I was reading this during a heatwave, and really appreciated the hours of escape to cool, rainy Ooty. Highly recommended.

[Ief Stuyvaert · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Mijn beste zinnen, las hij, zijn de zinnen waaraan ik begin zonder te weten hoe ze eindigen".

Is het een citaat van Flaubert? Van Stendhal? Feit is dat Hilary Byrd het opduikelt in één van de boeken die hij half India door met zich meezeult. Een e-reader is niet aan hem besteed. Aan mij ook niet. India trouwens evenmin.

En toch slaagt Carys Davies er, net als in haar prachtige debuut 'West', wéér in om mij mee te slepen naar een bevreemdende plek die ik fysiek voor geen geld zou willen bezoeken. Daar dienen boeken dus voor: ze openen een wereld die anders voor altijd gesloten zou blijven.

Waar Davies ook in slaagt: van weinig veel maken. Personages zachtjes inkleuren. Subtiele spanning opbouwen. Je verrassen met een weldoordachte, onvoorspelbare wending. Alweer: net als in 'West'.

De beste boeken, vind ik, zijn de boeken waaraan ik begin zonder te weten hoe ze eindigen.

Maar toch vooral: je laten genieten van de weg ernaartoe.

[Amy Brandon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Set in the hill country of Southern India, The Mission House by Carys Davies is the story of Englishman Hilary Byrd's convalescence after a mid-life crisis breakdown. This is my second Carys Davies novel, and she is quickly becoming one of my favorite newly discovered authors.

Hilary Byrd has spent his life as a librarian. As an introvert who seems to fall somewhere on the autism spectrum, he needs calm and quiet in his life, hence his choice of profession as librarian. Unfortunately for him, over the past decade or so, the library where he works has become less a quiet sanctuary and more a community gathering space. Byrd is unable to cope with all of these changes and has to retire and spend some months recovering from this disruption in his life. Eventually, he embarks on a journey to India to attempt to recover his equilibrium.

When the heat of lowland Southern India drives him to seek refuge in a small hill town, he lucks upon a cottage attached to a church that happens to be empty for a brief period of time. He settles into the "Mission House," befriends the church minister and his young charge/housekeeper, and is finally able to make progress on his recovery. He also is befriended by a local driver who ferries him around town every day by rickshaw and whom Byrd uses to verbalize all of his troubles to so that these daily rides become like informal therapy sessions for Byrd.

There is an unhappy plot twist at the end, but this is a lovely, well-written, gentle, and poignant exploration of one man's psyche as he faces the end of his career.

[Nancy · Rating 5 out of 5]

"What was it, exactly, that he liked so much? Was it because it had an aura of home, or because it felt completely strange and new?"~from The Mission House by Carys Davies


I enjoyed Carys Davies last novel West so immediately requested his new novel The Mission House.

Hillary Byrd was no longer comfortable in a changed England and sought escape by traveling to India. He was still miserable until he learned about the beautiful climate of the hills. He rents the house of a missionary on leave and discovers the village has all the comforts he requires, the legacy of the British army. For the first time in years he was content.

His host, a padre, has taken in a young woman, Priscilla, and asks Byrd to help polish her education to fit her for marriage. While teaching her English and sewing and baking, Byrd is drawn to her. The padre despairs for her future after he is gone and seeks a husband. Byrd is jealous.

Priscilla may be deformed and dependent, but she has dreams and is determined to make her own future.

Byrd can't escape the tribalism running rampant in the world, people "wanting to be surrounded only by people who were the same as they were," seeking an imaginary ideal past. He left it behind in England only to fatally discover it alive in India.

Byrd is condescending toward the natives; even his love for Priscilla is a parable of colonialism. Byrd uses his dedicated native driver thoughtlessly, spilling out his thoughts and grievances on their daily jaunts, but he never sees the man as a person. The ending is both ironic and tragic, Byrd's last action misguided but noble.

The novel wields a big impact in 272 pages. The writing is quiet and introspective, but there is a powerful story here.

I received a free galley from the publisher through NetGalley. My review is fair and unbiased.

[Alice · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m a huge fan of Davies’ work and this didn’t disappoint. I finished it in the first days of lockdown; like her other work it’s both transporting and yet strangely familiar. This book feels much more political - balancing the violent brutality of Hindu nationalism, the dark legacy of British imperialism, the painful hope and sacrifice of love. Her spare and elegant prose navigates this beautifully - and as with her other books and stories.. there are moments where it’s unexpectedly very funny. It’s a perfect quarantine read.

[Lucia Jane · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quote:

Christian, Buddhist, Muslim, Hindu, Mormon, Zoroastrian, they were all the same as far as she could see. They all thought they were the best, and that God loved their lot more than any other lot. When she was making her slow, laborious way through Mr. Byrd's stories and their lessons, it often struck her how much the tales of frogs and princesses, of dark woods and talking mirrors, of spells and wishes and considerable suffering and occasional joy and people doing all kinds of ugly things to each other resembled the ones in the Bible.

[Andrea · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyed the author’s book Clear much more. Read on recommendation of friends who v much liked this. 3.5
Maybe bin was not in a receptive mood for this one.

[Text Publishing]

The following reviews have been shared by Text Publishing - publisher of The Mission House

‘A novel about the pitfalls of human connection in contemporary India…An interesting take on a familiar trope...The Mission House truthfully reveals that the new realities of India will increasingly have their revenge on these tired old romances.’ Guardian

‘[An] effortlessly readable novel about vulnerable private lives being tossed around by the wild currents of history.’ Age

‘Superb.’
The Times

‘A stunning, understated novel...Told from alternating perspectives, this captivating, nuanced tale balances a pervading sense of melancholy with pockets of wry humor. Davies’s masterly elegy is not to be missed.'
Publishers Weekly (starred review)

‘Carys Davies is unlike anyone else I have ever read. She can say in one sublime sentence what most of us struggle to come up with in a page. And The Mission House is another triumph.’
Rachel Joyce

‘Precise and wonderful…An entrancing read…The Mission House feels at once historic and contemporary, old and new, known and unknown, and in its unobtrusive way it invites its reader—as the very best writing always does—to ask questions about the world we live in and the part we play in it.’
Nation.Cymru

‘Beautifully done, with the same resonant concision of Carys Davies’s fine first novel, West, it’s a haunting picture of colonialism’s long legacy.’
The Sunday Times

‘Davies creates a world that is magical yet daubed with menace. Nuanced characters, lush descriptions of South India, and an incisive look at class and religion make for a rich and layered novel.’
Booklist (starred review)

‘Lightly yet deftly crafted, hovering in tone somewhere between comedy, tragedy and fable, Welsh author Davies’ understated second novel considers isolated characters and their yearnings against the historical long view and looming political violence.’
Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

‘[A] skillful drama of well-meant misunderstandings and cultural divisions. The interactions are polite and repressed, but the story is galvanised by the “passion simmering under the surface of things. Always, every once in a while, the lid blowing off, and nothing, it seemed, that anyone could do to stop it happening.”’
Wall Street Journal

‘A whiff of E. M. Forster hangs over the luminous new novel from an O’Connor Prize winner. Hilary Byrd, a dissolute British man, escapes the coop of his native country on his own passage to India, where he basks in the rhythms and textures of his adventure, renting a guest house in a presbytery and forging bonds with his rickshaw driver and the Padre’s daughter. And yet religious tensions stalk his safehouse in an elegant tale that probes the jagged shadows of colonialism. Davies is a writer to watch—and to savour.’
O, The Oprah Magazine

‘[A] singular voice...Davies’ writing is sublime...saying something about life’s trajectory in a few lines...Prose to disappear into.'
Toronto Star

[Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fascinating read. A thoroughly original story with so much to it. The Indian highland setting, the middle aged British man trying to find himself and the host of other interesting characters. It didn't blow me away as much as her novel "West" but it's a thoroughly good story that is well written and I'll read anything that this author writes.

[Marjorie · Rating 5 out of 5]

As soon as I put this book down, I ran over to the library to take out this author's first book, "West". "The Mission House" was like a fairy tale, with both tragedy and comedy. The wonderful cast of misfits found a lasting place in my heart. The low-key atmosphere with the hints of what was to come was completely addictive. Will long remember this one.

Most highly recommended.

[Ann · Rating 5 out of 5]

She is SUCH a good writer! The first novel I have loved in 2021.

[~☆~Autumn · Rating 4 out of 5]

There is quite an unexpected twist at the end.

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I decided to read this book after I read and enjoyed Clear by the same author. This short novel, like Clear, has an exotic setting, vivid characters, and packs a powerful punch. It's surprising how well the author moves the story along with very short chapters, sometimes just one or two pages.

[Beth · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.75. Gently flowing writing gives a strong compelling story of characters you come to love and feel. Each character broke my heart with the writer’s tender descriptions and storyline.

[Holly · Rating 4 out of 5]

i would read carys davies' shopping list at this point

[Beverly · Rating 3 out of 5]

this was a 3.5 read for me

thoughts coming shortly

[Paula · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved Clear, so I wanted to read more by Davies. This is an earlier work. Exquisitely drawn characters,the author´s soaring,beautiful prose.A gem.

[Tripfiction · Rating 4 out of 5]

Novel set in OOTY / UDAGHAMANDALAM

Our You Tube Review: https://youtu.be/dkiRgWX9r00



The Sunday Times cites The Mission House as their “Novel of the Year 2020“. And if that isn’t an accolade, then I don’t know what is!

Hilary Byrd, from Petts Wood UK, arrives on the Niligir slow train from Mettupalayam via Coonoor into Ooty Station, after a 29 mile journey that, going uphill takes around 5 hours and back down only 3.5. The cog railway took 16 years to build the track and in colonial times brought the Raj grandees up to cooler climes, where they could spend more comfortable months than if they remained ‘in the plains’. The city still has remnants of the period, to wit Higginbotham’s Book Shop, Charring Cross (a junction on one of the main roads) and yes it does have the extra ‘r’, St Stephen’s Church, which presumably is the inspiration for St Peter’s in the novel.

Back to Mr Byrd, who is in his mid 50s. He has left his home and sister behind and is looking for some spiritual and psychological rejuvenation and healing, and thus stays in the mission house of the local presbytery for minimal rent, where the Padre and his adoptive daughter Priscilla take him under their wing.

He enjoys the simple pleasures of being high in the hills, being taken around – day after day – by his regular driver Jamshed, who ferries him wherever he wants in his auto-rickshaw. Hilary looks, observes and imbibes the city sights, and then returns of an evening to his basic quarters. This is a simple fable of our times.

The Padre is concerned for Priscilla’s future, she has disabilities and he wants to ensure that she is taken care of when his time on earth is done. Hilary and Priscilla spend a lot of time together, he teaches her English and sewing on a very old sewing machine, and together with the Padre, they cook English cakes and scones. Hilary, of course, feels a growing sense of responsibility towards her. We know fairly early on, however, that this low key life cannot endure.

What makes this an enjoyable novel? Well, for me in particular a revisit to Ooty. I was there exactly one year ago and it took me right back, to the rose garden, the wonderful train and the botanical gardens (which were repurposed and initially designed as a place to grow vegetables). Soon the British were importing plants and trees from home, and indeed the cooler climes must have felt so familiar for the British stationed in the oppressive heat of India. There is also a market, to which Hilary often goes and at one point tumbles down some steps.

The author dabbles with the impact of colonialism and religion, race, disability and mental health issues and takes her time to develop the story, which might feel quite slow and ponderous for some readers. The ending – after the painstaking and leisurely journeying to the tea plantations, the lake and around the city roads in Jamshed’s company – feels quite abrupt, it’s as though the auto-rickshaw journey has come to a halt at a dead end.

Interestingly the author chooses to use the old Raj name of Ooty, instead of Udhagamandalam, which may be for the simplest of reasons that the current name is rather a mouthful for English speakers. And yet, I wonder about her motives, as this is very much the story of a white man who comes to this hill station to salve his soul and he is doing it on his terms.

I relished being taken back to the city, vividly imagining the story against a setting that felt familiar and also proved to be a wonderful trip for me. This is perfect literary tourism and, of course, if you are heading to the town, then this is a great read for a 4-d experience!

[Jacki (Julia Flyte) · Rating 3 out of 5]

A hypnotic read with a timeless feel. It’s set only a few years ago but it feels much earlier. Hilary Byrd is an English librarian in his early 50s, who has failed to adapt as the role of libraries has evolved. He has retreated to a former British hill station in southern India where he rents a small bungalow, the titular “mission house”. Gradually he gets to know some of the locals and becomes particularly attached to his landlord’s housemaid.

“Jamshed’s own opinion was that Mr Byrd resembled a scarab beetle. A scarab beetle on its back, all its legs and arms waving about, rocking from side to side trying to flip itself the right way up”.

Carys Davies’ writing has a mesmerising and poetic quality to it, but it’s also very accessible. She tells the story so subtly that it feels like not much is happening, despite hints of drama to come, until you realise that the plot has crept up on you. Her descriptions of India are concise but they absolutely put you there.

Davies’ first novel West was a beautiful book. There’s another review here on Good Reads that says something along the lines of “she has a brilliant book in her, but it’s not this one” and that’s how I felt too. The five main characters are rounded and interesting, but I never felt fully invested in any them and the ending didn’t quite work for me.