Stolen Years by Kazia Myers

Stolen Years is a self-published title, and the only negative thing I can say about it is the dull cover, which gives no indication of what type of story the novel tells. It’s a common fault of self-published books and is driving me slightly mad, as I confess to shamelessly choosing books by their covers. But despite this, Stolen Years had me riveted, and I would highly recommend it – in fact I’m giving my copy to my Mum, so I can’t give higher praise than that really!

Stolen Years is told by Anna, a seventeen year-old girl who along with other teenagers, is taken from her family in Poland and transported to Austria, with the promise of well-paid work. But it’s a lie – and Anna and her friends are to be used as slave labour on Austrian farms, watched over by the dictatorial farmers and the ever-suspicious eyes of the Gestapo. The conditions are harsh and the punishments for the slightest transgression are brutal. Anna and her friends struggle to survive, but their friendships are the one thing they can count on, and Anna starts to fall in love with the gentle Michal. But war is no friend of love, and they are forcibly separated. Will they ever find each other, and is there any hope of one day returning to Poland, in freedom?

This story is beautifully told, and I felt a deep empathy with Anna, who is spirited character. The plight of Polish slaves was not an aspect of the war that I really knew about, so events in this story deepened my understanding of the impact of war on Eastern Europe. There are moments of utter horror – the Gestapo’s punishment of Stefan and Lilli made me feel faint; and anger – the British soldier’s treatment of Anna is shocking. But there’s also compassion and balance, as we see a different side to the Austrian authorities in bitter but sad Umtraut, and honourable Dieter. The ending, quite simply, made me cry.

Stolen Years is a compelling story, which adds to the understanding and remembrance of the Second World War with its sensitive and thought-provoking narrative. This is an excellent novel, and proves absolutely that self-published writing can be of very high quality.

Pen Press, 2009, ISBN 9781907172427

 

The Merrily Watkins series by Phil Rickman

 

 

 

The last two weeks I’ve made no secret of the fact that I have an unhealthy new obsession. I’ve told everyone that will listen the intricate ins and outs of this series of crime novels and have completely neglected doing any housework at all, gripped by the convoluted plots and bizarre characters created by this man. In short, I’m doing the fan thing.

I posted earlier on the blog about The Magus of Hay and how much I enjoyed it. So I kept my promise and read more in the series, and it’s become an addiction. It’s a most unlikely premise – on the Welsh border near Hereford, single mum and parish priest Merrily Watkins reluctantly takes on the role of Deliverance minister (or exorcist) and finds herself embroiled in the machinations of the local community, both spiritually and criminally. So far she’s encountered a sexually predatory Bishop, a solicitor who won’t let his dead wife go, a group of SAS-wannabes who may have commited murder… Not to mention a varied assortment of witches and Druids who challenge her belief system, and supernatural entities that are giving her serious grief…. So gritty crime meets religion head on, and somehow it works. Brilliantly.

I totally believe in Merrily as a character, and in her circle of friends. Her daughter Jane, who’s a pagan, is feisty and fun to read about – I was gripping the arm of my chair in The Secrets of Pain as she walked into horrendous danger. Lol, Merrily’s would-be boyfriend, is likeable and I really wish they’d sort it out and get together. The relationship between the two detectives Frannie Bliss and Annie Howe adds a whole new level of tension. And is Deliverance instructor Huw friend or foe? He’s not at all ambiguous…

But I love, love, love Gomer Parry. This down-to-earth, practical grandfather-figure who stands for no nonsense and saves the day in his JCB. Frequently. Awesome isn’t the word!

It’s kind of like a grittier Midsomer Murders on speed. There’s so much going on, and I can never predict what’s going to happen next or how it will end. I’m reading them slightly out of sequence, but I can’t get enough. Rickman touches on many themes, creating a complex world which takes social and religious issues and puts them under an intense microscope. His sense of place is brilliant, both in his descriptions and in his characterisation, revealing a real tension between town and country, local or incomer. I particularly like how the religious aspect is handled. You can take the supernatural elements as real or as just part of the characters’ interpretations of events; the dying Denzil Joy may be just a nasty man who leaves unpleasant memories behind, or a sexually deviant ghost, but either way his malignant presence is horrible and unsettling. The scene in the hospital (scritch scratch) will haunt me for a long time. And both sides of the religious debate, Christian and Pagan, are shown as good and evil in equal measure. The stresses of being a female minister in a traditionally man’s world are not glossed over either.

In short, Rickman’s damn good.

There’s a website at www.philrickman.co.uk that gives you the lowdown on the real life inspiration for the series (both people and places). And a mention that the Merrily Watkins series has been optioned by ITV Drama…. Fingers crossed!

Now for the next one…

Midwinter of the Spirit, Corvus, ISBN 978-0857890108

A Crown of Lights, Corvus, ISBN 978-0857890115

The Secrets of Pain, Corvus, ISBN 978-1848872752