"Literary Fiction" for SFF Lovers (by Liviu Suciu)

Once in a while disputes appear online about genre vs literary, the Man Booker prize and genre and similar topics. These days and for almost 20 years now, I have been reading mostly sff , but I like quite a few "literary novels" where I use the quotes since I strongly believe that "literary fiction" is a genre with its subgenres and conventions (suburbia, boarding school, academia, family drama, social drama…) and it intersects with other genres in many places .

I also think that the Booker prize is fine the way it is focusing on this genre as the AC Clarke prize is fine the way it is focusing on sf, however loosely defined. So outside of various current "literary" novels I've reviewed here, I would like to present some more I loved a lot and which I think can appeal to people who tend to read mostly sff.

As usual, I will limit myself to one book or series - yes, literary fiction has series too and even the 2009 Booker winner Wolf Hall is the first part of a planned duology - per author since nothing is more tedious than seeing a general list repeating ten times the same author, but I also strongly suggest checking out more works by the author in cause if the book presented here tempts you.

I will not include books reviewed on FBC so far since I will make a separate list for that though I will include different books by some authors (Hilary Mantel, Kazuo Ishiguro, Roberto Bolano, Margaret Atwood) I've already reviewed. I will include mostly links to Google Books previews or snippets since when available they are quite useful and will give you a direct taste of the book in cause. Wikipedia or Amazon otherwise.

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The Sea of Fertility Tetralogy ( Spring Snow (1966), Runaway Horses (1969), The Temple of Dawn (1970) and The Decay of the Angel (1971)) by Yukio Mishima

exotic, reincarnation, great characters, great worldbuilding and page turners to boot; three times Nobel prize nominated and whom is rumored to have lost by a whisker in 1968; a loose tetralogy following one character's interactions with four young people he believes are successive reincarnations of each other.

The Master of Go by Yasunari Kawabata

page turner that is both allegory and a gripping description of a marathon go match; another novel that was an important part of a Nobel prize winner's work.

The Defense by Vladimir Nabokov

maybe not the best Nabokov, nor the most sf-nal (Ada is alt-history for example) but a big favorite of mine for its great tale of chess and madness; also one famous book for which the movie is pretty good since it respects its spirit whatever liberties it takes with the text.

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The Blind Assassin by Margaret Atwood

family saga, mystery and pulp-sf; Booker prize winner and top five novel of the 00's of mine.

Seven Japanese Tales by Junichiro Tanizaki

the one collection on the list since each story here is superb; a mixture of themes and settings from contemporary to the writing (mostly 1910-30's though one as late as 1959) to historical fiction showcasing Junichiro Tanizaki's "typical" mixture of eroticism, strange and exotic
another Nobel prize nominated author who almost won

2666 by Roberto Bolano

sprawling, subtle, funny and then ultra-dark; one of the few "must" novels of the 00's imho; I hope to review it here by early 2011.

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The Forbidden Forest by Mircea Eliade (aka St John Nativity Night or even Faerie Night in the original Romanian language title)

one of the few novels I read in three languages several times each; sadly the English language edition is rare and expensive but good college libraries have it - I read it that way first and kept it borrowed on and off for almost all my time in graduate school here since it was banned by the communist regime I grew up under; later I bought the French edition and then even later, a Romanian language edition and I wish someone would reprint it in English too since I would buy it on the spot at a decent price...

epic, (slight) paranormal, romance, world building, great characters and a powerful sense of history; the last 100 pages and the ending are still among the most emotional ones I've ever read even today after many readings of the book; the one "marooned on an island novel" for me

When We Were Orphans by Kazuo Ishiguro

another Booker shortlisted novel and while maybe not the author's best, a favorite of mine despite being loosely classified as "detective/crime" fiction; exotic world building at the boundary with the imaginary and a great denouement

The Magus by John Fowles

the one pure mainstream novel that reproduces the sf-nal sense of wonder; it just blew me away many years ago when I read it first in Romanian and then I read it in English several times too; one of those famous novels I think any sff fan should at least look at

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Doctor Zhivago by Boris Pasternak

epic tale of glitter, misery and Revolution; world building, great characters, page turner in this Nobel prize winner novel; the author paid dearly for the Nobel though, suffering humiliation in the supposedly "thawed" Kruschev' Soviet Union; the first book I bought and read here in the USA, days within my arriving in 1990. A bunch of movies too with the most recent Russian miniseries the best rendering of the novel I've watched, though of course Omar Sharif and Julie Christie still have their timeless charm...

A Time to Love and a Time to Die by Erich Maria Remarque

nobody does better exile and alienation in a foreign country than EM Remarque and his tales of people blown by the winds of war in the maelstrom of Europe 1930-1940's when a passport stamp made all the difference between life and death still resonate with me very strongly today; this one though is a bit more straightforward; Germany 1943 among bombings, rubble and the specter of the Eastern Front and the title says it all; while Arch of Triumph - another personal favorite that takes place in 1939 Paris - may be more accomplished, this one is just a big, big personal favorite.

The Stranger by Albert Camus

too well known to say more in a paragraph and a landmark of the literary world of the 20th century; also a crucial part of a Nobel prize winner work; try it since you will be surprised how gripping it is

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Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov

another well known novel about the Devil in Stalin's Moscow; the posthumous publication was a landmark event; the 10 episode Russian miniseries is the best adaptation of several I watched; and Behemoth the black cat on the cover above is still awesome :)

Doctor Faustus by Thomas Mann

the "most difficult" novel on the list but another landmark of 20th century literature which shows that an author can write great stuff decades after receiving the Nobel; the descent into madness both personal and societal and with sff-nal elements too.

A Place of Greater Safety by Hilary Mantel

way before Wolf Hall, there was this one which I read on US publication some 15-16 years ago and reread a bunch of times since; while less accomplished technically it is still a big time favorite; same great world building and characters but in the French Revolution. And of course a superbly ironical title.

"Wintertide" by Michael Sullivan (Reviewed by Liviu Suciu and Cindy Hannikman)

Official Michael Sullivan Website
Order "Wintertide" HERE (print) or HERE(Kindle)
Read FBC Review of The Crown Conspiracy
Read FBC Review of Avempartha
Read FBC Review of Nypron Rising
Read FBC Review of The Emerald Storm

INTRODUCTION:In the space of two years, Michael Sullivan has moved from a small press debut author that was featured in one of my first "Indie Spotlight Reviews" to a "name" in the fantasy field who sold-out his first novel and is getting both critical acclaim and fan appreciation. In my 2009 end-of-the-year rankings, Avempartha went head to head against the "big names" and made both my Top 2009 Books list and Cindy's Top 2009 Book list, while The Crown Conspiracy made Mihir's Top 2009 Reads too.

"Nyphron Rising" started the epic part of the series which had a lot of ground prepared in The Crown Conspiracy and Avempartha two mostly standalone adventures, while in "The Emerald Storm" the series ramped up considerably and the world expanded; the twist ending made "Wintertide" one of my top titles of the second part of the year. So very high expectations, but even so I was not prepared for the punches that Wintertide pulls which left me in need of complete reread of all five books to get an inkling where the series might be going in its finale...

FORMAT/CLASSIFICATION:"Wintertide" stands at about 330 pages divided into 21 named chapters that follow several main POV's: Hadrian, Royce, Arista and Amilia, the lady in waiting and "mouthpiece" of Empress Modina as well as a young street kid Mince who is a new character. All the colorful characters from previous novels like Regent Saldur, Sentinel Guy, Archie, Marius reappear and there are several other characters that grow in importance here. The novel starts with two detailed maps of the world and ends with the most emotional and twisty chapter of the series so far.

While "Nyphron Rising" started getting into the heart of the main story of the series and The Emerald Sea thickened the plot and expanded the world, Wintertide returns to the heart of the action in the Imperial capital of Aquesta, where the two regents are preparing to celebrate the marriage of an Empress and the rebirth of an Empire with the burning of a witch as closing entertainment.

As its two predecessors from the heart of the series, "Wintertide" is adventure fantasy in an epic context.

OVERVIEW/ANALYSIS: Liviu:"‘Black queen takes king. White rooks retreat. Black queen captures bishop. White rook to bishop’s four, threatening. Check. White’s pawn takes queen and bishop. Jade’s tomb, full face."

While a bit spoilerish at least if you know what the above means, the paragraph quoted is something that makes a book worth reading by itself; of course getting there and understanding it takes a while and Wintertide has much more, from action, to intrigue, to heart-breaking drama and a lot of subplots closure. The big picture becomes even more intriguing since quite a lot of assumptions are challenged by the end of the novel. And there is only one more installment to go...

Since it is book 5 and I strongly recommend reading at least the previous two installments to fully appreciate this one, the only thing I will mention about the story is that as opposed to the world expanding The Emerald Storm, Wintertide returns to a more compact geographic location and urban/castle action including a knight tourney that offers quite a lot of comic relief to the tension buildup as Wintertide (the event) gets closer and closer.

The dramatic ending of the novel made me go back and reread books 1-4 for clues about where the author may take the series in Percepliquis, and I made a big list of "things to watch for/possibilities" but the one thing I am sure of is that the series ending will be one of those "put down everything and read immediately" novels.

Wintertide (A++) is the second top-rated combo (with The Emerald Storm) of 2010 for me and establish the series as one of the best traditional epic fantasies currently being published and a top 10 novel of mine.

Cindy: After completing Emerald Storm I wanted the next book right away. After a few months of waiting the wait is finally over. One thing about authors is that they make you wait and wait for books and then you get the book and there's a feeling of let down. Let me assure you if you've been following this series at all you won't be let down.

At this point in the series we're so far into it that it's hard to do an analysis of the plot and characters because part of the appeal for the series is the growth of the characters and plots as you read.

Wintertide is everything that I've come to love and expect about anything written by Sullivan. It has all the characters that I'm familiar with. After having them fleshed out a bit in the previous book everything just seemed to flow and come together.

There is a sense of more to come, yet Wintertide has a feeling of the end is almost near. While reading I was impressed with everything but at the same time I couldn't shake the feeling that this series that I have come to love is starting to wind down.

Without being all dramatic the ending will keep you hanging and waiting for the next book.

Like Liviu I really feel that this is one of those series that has a place in the fantasy world. I know it's a series that I will gladly be returning to time and time again. Sullivan has earned my respect and admiration with all the work that he's achieved and I can't wait to see what he pulls out of his hat for the final book. If these past few books are any indication I'm sure it'll be a memorable ending. Well worth the read and time to look into the series and the next book is a must read for myself!

Five Capsule Reviews: Harry Turtledove, Chris Wooding, Hannu Rajaniemi, Tim Akers and Val Gunn (by Liviu Suciu)

As per the recent post about Anticipated 2010 Books revisited, here are some quick thoughts about four such, plus a small press series debut that will appear in 2011 and turned out to be a big mismatch with me.

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FBC Review of 'Hitler's War" and of "The Man with the Iron Heart"

I liked Hitler's War, the series debut a lot, it's among the best Turtledove I've read and as fine a WW2 historical novel with a slight twist (WW2 starts in Sept 1938) that expands to quite different outcomes as it gets, but the rest is pitch perfect period, all told from the point of view of "grunts" - mostly soldiers and non-coms, with a submarine captain and a Stuka pilot Lt the highest ranked pov's - and two special women, a middle age US socialite from Philadelphia that gets stuck in the Reich and a 17 year old Jewish girl from Munster.

West and East continues the same absorbing story, with mostly the same pov's (some die and some new ones appear) and the book has a lot of happenings on the personal level of everyone, but as the big picture goes it is mostly a lull in the big battles kind of action, though things advance and we end as 1940 is approaching; since the series will go 6 minimum there is a lot to come (A)

Recommended by me and for all mil-fiction/alt-history fans who like a "grunt's eye of events".

***********************************************************FBC Review of "Retribution Falls"

Not on par with Retribution Falls but it has its moments - all the crew interactions in solving their personal issues from the last volume are superb, as are Frey's interactions with Trinica.
The plot is ok, less suspenseful than in Retribution Falls and there is a bit too much repetition and not enough new stuff. The biggest failing though was in pulp moments like the silly beginning and the Amalicia part which made me cringe. All in all I am still in the series and I hope the next installment recaptures the excitement of Retribution Falls. (B)

Check this one out if you liked Retribution Falls

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After all the hype, it turned out the author can write "gadget fiction" but it remains unclear if he can write interesting fiction otherwise since this book despite its moments falls flat as writing style goes. Far away from the vigorous prose of RK Morgan to whose Altered Carbon debut this one has been compared and far away from the ornate prose of JC Wright's debut The Golden Age to which this novel has many similarities in themes, the novel has many "goodies" and a great ending but it suffers from three major flaws:

The writing depends on gadgets and this was not a surprise since the author' short fiction I have read before had the same issues and made me a bit wary about this novel.

Emotional remoteness almost verging on solipsism and the worst flaw of all, plot dependence on "my magic is bigger than yours" typical of run-off-the-mill fantasies - here of course it's tech magic but there is the destined boy and all nonetheless.

If you are new to "sf as magic" - could not call it sense of wonder since there is only some of that - you may try this one, otherwise wait for the next installment to see if the author gets better at writing fiction rather than gadgetry. Though to be honest, the author writes better prose than other hard-sf authors like Charles Stross or Vernor Vinge so there may be hope, but this book' subject and his style do not match well. (B)

Instead of The Quantum Thief, I would also direct you to Liz Williams considerably superior "Banner of Souls" or 'Winterstrike" which have similar themes too though they eschew the mumbo-jumbo from this one.

***********************************************************FBC Review of "Heart of Veridon"

Very disappointing; I had so high hopes for this one after the wonderful Heart of Veridon novel and The Horns of Ruin was so linear, unsubtle, lacking nuance, predictable and with a heroine that is "wonder woman on steroids", untouchable and unbeatable with the often repeated "magical" invocations that became so annoying that I would shudder and skip when I encountered them...

Basically The Horns of Ruin is a comic strip disguised as a novel and set in a steampunk/fantasy world and the inventiveness of the author reads like unnecessary baggage; better do a straight out Superwoman in Gotham than this elaborate world wasted on such thin and totally lacking in depth novel.

The only redeeming quality is the narrative energy which the author clearly possesses and that made the experience of reading The Horns of Ruin partly enjoyable, but again so far from my high expectations.... (D)

If you are a fan of comic-book novelizations or of action-only UF and you do not mind an elaborate setting, this one may be for you.

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Disappointing; the world is supposedly exotic but has no depth, the writing is ok in a thriller-ish mode, fast enough, but very bland characters, very disjointed plot and all depending on supposedly long going (nine centuries or so) conspiracies that are based on everyone being dumb and on coincidences; the extract that I read and made me try this one gives a very misleading impression of what comes after.

The ending redeems a bit the rest with some intriguing developments, but I have no intention of reading more in this series. Somewhat similar to Lamentation by K. Scholes, so if you liked that, you may like this one, but sadly not me... (D)

Also for fans of Richard Patterson and other "no-characters, all-action" thrillers with an exotic background.

"Mob Rules" by Cameron Haley (Reviewed by Mihir Wanchoo)

Visit Cameron Haley's Official Website Here
Order Mob Rules from Amazon Here

AUTHOR INFORMATION: Cameron Haley is a Pseudonym for Greg Benage. He lives in Minneapolis with his family. He’s a Magna Cum Laude graduate of Tulane University with a degree in Political Economy. He currently works a senior product manager in US Bank. Previously Greg worked as a managing editor and product development executive in the publishing industry for more than six years and has more than 14 years of experience in commercial writing and business communications. He’s previously freelanced as a copywriter before focusing his energy into writing, this is his debut.

PLOT SUMMARY: As LA plunges into an occult gang war, mob sorceress Domino Riley must unravel a conspiracy that reaches beyond the magic-soaked mean streets into a world of myth and legend. Domino investigates the ritual execution of a mob associate, a graffiti magician named Jamal. The kid isn’t just dead, he’s been squeezed — the killer stole his magical power or “juice.” Domino summons Jamal’s shade, and the ghost points to Adan Rashan as his killer. This is tricky, because Adan is the favored son of Domino’s boss, Shanar Rashan, a six-thousand-year-old Sumerian wizard. It’s even trickier because only a mobbed-up sorcerer could have squeezed Jamal and Adan isn’t a sorcerer. As the corpses pile up, Domino must confront the killer and unmask an otherworldly kingpin with designs on her gang’s magic-rich turf.

CLASSIFICATION/FORMAT/INFO: Mob Rules is 313 pages long divided over fifteen numbered chapters, with no Prologue and Epilogue. Narration is in the first person and features Domino Riley as its sole voice. Mob Rules can be read as a standalone novel, but is the first volume in the “Underground Cycle” series. September 1, 2010 marked the North American trade paperback publication of Mob Rules via Luna Books.

Mob Rules is an Urban Fantasy novel set in a contemporary Los Angeles.

ANALYSIS: Mob Rules was brought to my notice via a friend on the Goodreads website. As soon as I read the blurb I decided to give it a shot. I contacted Greg asking for the same and he promptly sent me a review copy. The story is set in Los Angeles and features a world wherein magic is present and it has been utilized to set up a feudalistic crime structure which has led to various US cities being divided up by gangs. Dominica “Domino” Riley is a Mexican-Irish member of one such gang which is situated in South Central part of LA. Its lead by a Sumerian wizard turned gang lord called Shanar Rashan.

Domino is the gang’s top enforcer who’s been personally handpicked by Shanar Rashan due to her ability to detect & manipulate “Juice” (magic as described in this world). She describes her work in the following way which sums it up nicely:

“Ninety-nine percent of my job is pretty simple. I’m a fixer, a problem solver. I make sure the outfit is operating as it should. When it isn’t, I step in and make the necessary adjustments. I have no day-to-day routine, no ongoing managerial responsibilities. It’s a nice gig!”

The book begins with Domino being called in to investigate the murder of Jamal James, a Juice tagger (collector) for the organization. She finds the crucified & skinned corpse and then tries to contact Jamal’s spirit for finding the killer’s identity. However she is unable to get a smooth connection before Jamal’s spirit disappears. Domino’s powers while arcane are smoothly connected with the technology of the present world, Domino uses her spells via the internet (I found this to be a very cool interpretation of magic). Her search efforts don’t pan out the way as envisioned and so she decides to hit the streets to find out about Jamal’s recent activities. She finds out that he’s been seen in a rival gang’s club called The Cannibal Club so she proceeds to the club and is surprised to find Adan, Rashan’s son over there. He admits to have seen Jamal a few times however Adan is a non-magical person and amongst his posse is a vampire who reeks the wrong way and soon gets into a fight with Domino. She makes short work of him and delivers deadpan humour at the same time.

Next day Domino meets up with Rashan to discuss the possibilities of forthcoming war with the rival gang of Papa Danwe. She learns that there’s been another death in a similar skinned fashion however the person was magically different from Jamal. Rashan & Domino set their plans for meeting with the neighboring Russian & Korean gangs to discuss an alliance and also find out who will be the next target. Also at the same time Domino is getting some romantic signals from Adan and finds herself attracted to him as well. She also then decides to hire the help of a pixie named Honey to facilitate her search; however Honey seems to be more interested in Domino than finding other things. Thus the plot then escalates as she races against time to find out who is hitting upon their gang and also to save her own skin as the general consensus is that they might have a betrayer amongst them.

Mob Rules is a slightly darker version of the UF stories being put out. The world settings are pretty gritty & and the protagonist is a Mob enforcer. One whose conscience is regularly bended to benefit her position and her job. Domino Riley makes an exciting protagonist to read about as she’s tough and ruthless and she understands Shanar’s cardinal mob rule “Survive, pick a side and do whatever it takes to win!” It’s a rule wherein the strong survive and they continue to stay strong by crushing all possible opposition and one which Domino thoroughly espouses.

Greg also combines crime and magic to gives the readers a potent combo in the tale settings. The city of LA is very realistically described and adds to the ambiance of the story. Also adding to the reading experience is the plot twist in the latter half of the tale, the story veers off from where the reader thinks it might be heading into a slightly different direction. Another distinct plus point is the way the author has manifested magic within the contemporary settings for example the combining of magic with the internet for Domino, the presence of Genies who aren’t as helpful as the stories foretell & magic with its relation to crime for eg. Vampires being blood magicians, prostitution being sex magic, etc. This was a very apt way to merge both genres of crime fiction and Urban fantasy & so full marks to the author on this front.

Now onto the drawbacks, the story manages to lose steam in the middle third part where Domino is running blind and trying to figure out the mastermind behind the attacks. The tale drags a bit before rushing on to the climax and all its revelations. Also Domino’s past is hinted at but never properly explored [This I believe could covered in the prequel short story Retribution in the Harvest Moon anthology] also this is the first book so it pretty much serves as a set up for the future stories namely Skeleton Crew which will be released next year. Overall a good debut effort and Cameron Haley marks himself out amongst the UF crowd with this dark tale and with a promise of more mayhem to come in the form of zombies in next year’s Skeleton Crew.

"Trespass" by Rose Tremain (Reviewed by Liviu Suciu)

Rose Tremain at Wikipedia

Order Trespass HERE
Read a short extract HERE or a longer one with Google Books

INTRODUCTION: I have first heard of Trespass from the 2010 Booker Longlist but when it was recently published here in the USA and a copy fell in my hands, I was hooked from the first page and the novel turned out to be even more haunting than I expected.

"Two pairs of siblings and their twisted pasts converge in this gripping, dark novel from Orange Prize–winner Tremain (The Road Home). In the southern French Cévennes region, Audrun lives a peaceful if bitter life in a small bungalow a stone's throw from her family home. She's been cast out, either by inheritance or some terrible transgression; her drunken, spiteful brother, Aramon, who still resides there, hopes to sell the home to foreign tourists, an act that would further uproot Audrun. Meanwhile, Anthony Verey, a once-renowned London antiques dealer, having reached an existential precipice, descends on his sister, Veronica, who lives near the Cévennes with her lover, Kitty. As Anthony and Kitty quietly battle for Veronica's affections, Audrun and Aramon struggle with their history and land. Anthony wants a home in the region, hoping it will fill his void, and he joins the wave of foreigners hungrily circling the area. Soon, a series of rash decisions impacts all of their lives in brutal, unforgettable ways."

FORMAT/CLASSIFICATION: Trespass stands at about 270 pages divided into 44 numbered chapters. The narration is in third person, mostly in the present of the novel but with flashbacks to the past that illuminate the choices of the five main characters described in the blurb above.

Trespass is a dark literary drama that one could call a "literary thriller" if one understands that the gripping action is mostly psychological rather than car-chases and shootouts, though there are shotguns, disappeared cars and such here too...

OVERVIEW/ANALYSIS: "About the earth she knew she was not wrong. About the earth of her beloved Cévennes she never conjured inappropriate thoughts. There was a pattern to how things became and she – Audrun Lunel, child of the village of La Callune – understood it perfectly. Fire or flood could come (and often did come) to sweep everything away. But still the rain fell and the wind blew."

The above quote illustrates the title meaning in a "physical way"; well-to-do "foreigners" coming with large amounts of money - at least from the locals' point of view - and wanting to buy properties that are in the middle of nowhere, mostly decrepit and where people earn a meager living these days. A very powerful temptation and since Aramon has inherited most of the land and the big house, Audrun cannot do that much about...

"As Kitty walked towards the water, she wondered: Doesn’t every love need to create for itself its own protected space? And if so, why don’t lovers understand better the damage trespass can do? It made her furious to think how easily Veronica was colluding with the unspoken open-endedness of Anthony’s visit – as though he was the one who mattered most to her, who had the right to come first and always would, and it was up to her, Kitty, to accept this hierarchy with grown-up grace and not make a fuss."

This quote shows the psychological meaning of the title; while Kitty and Veronica seem to form a stable couple in the French village they live and work and they even have made friends with the mayor and the locals after a rough beginning concerning water-rights, Anthony's epiphany and arrival to look for his own house around spells trouble...

But there is much more than that, with the slowly revealed past of the Lunel family on one hand and the complicated relationship between Veronica, Anthony and their mother Lal on the other, so there will be more instances of "trespass", some darker and with long lasting effects.

The atmosphere of the novel - I could not really call it world building, though it is as absorbing as many exotic secondary worlds - is just perfect and it is probably the first thing that will impress you. The characters who at first glance seem to be just "passed" and of little interest - two men in their sixties and three late middle aged women - are actually very engrossing and while all have their warts, from the arrogance of Anthony and to a lesser extent of Veronica, to the drunkenness and coarseness of Aramon, the fainting spells of Audrun or the insecurities of Kitty, they all become sympathetic to some extent and there is a deep irony in the way the plot goes and who will be doing what...

Trespass' structure is also interesting since we are first thrown into the fray through the eyes of a schoolgirl who sees herself "exiled from Paris" and hates the Cevennes region and the bullying of her new schoolmates, so in looking for isolation she also "trespasses" and makes a discovery that will be revealed later and bring the novel full circle toward its dramatic denouement. A bit of a gamble in a way since this first chapter seems unrelated to what follows, but it worked beautifully as an opening gambit ...

Trespass (A+) is a novel of secrets, of unwanted intrusions both physical and psychological and which range from the "annoying" to the dark and literally life-changing and a literary thriller with characters that will stay with you for a long time.