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A review by amber_ray
The Gallows Pole by Benjamin Myers
4.0
Benjamin Myers’ historical novel follows the rise and fall of real-life Yorkshire clan, the Cragg Vale Coiners, during the late 1700s. It’s a brutal yet beautiful tale of rich against poor and progress against meagre livelihoods. David Hartley reigns over the Coiners and brings the poor some respite until excise officer William Deighton falls hot on their tails. He vows to bring down the Coiners and when one of their own turns, Hartley's empire begins to crumble. But don’t be fooled into thinking this is a Robin Hood story. The Yorkshire moors are unforgiving and threats loom on all sides. In fact, fear seems to be the only king here - fear from the gallows, hunger, “duty,” modernisation or sheer muscle.
Myers obviously knows the landscape well. The tale he weaves is as much tied to the bleak, damp, windswept hills and valleys as it is to his characters. That’s what makes it SO GOOD, that mood that I could feel in the very back of my teeth, the grit and the cold ache of it all.
I also loved David Hartley’s “memoir,” written in strong old Yorkshire dialect and interspersed throughout the novel. Leaning on local mythology and dreams, these are the snippets that really brought the King of the Coiners to life for me. In fact, the local mythology is a recurring presence in the novel, along with an eerie use of repetition that evokes a pervading dark and dreamlike state not unlike the fog of a bleak winter morning.
My only qualm with this book - David Hartley’s wife was mentioned just enough to feel like more than a side character, and yet she felt very flat. I was left wondering so much about her, and I wish more time would have been spent on her.
At any rate, fantastic read - although not for the squeamish!
Myers obviously knows the landscape well. The tale he weaves is as much tied to the bleak, damp, windswept hills and valleys as it is to his characters. That’s what makes it SO GOOD, that mood that I could feel in the very back of my teeth, the grit and the cold ache of it all.
I also loved David Hartley’s “memoir,” written in strong old Yorkshire dialect and interspersed throughout the novel. Leaning on local mythology and dreams, these are the snippets that really brought the King of the Coiners to life for me. In fact, the local mythology is a recurring presence in the novel, along with an eerie use of repetition that evokes a pervading dark and dreamlike state not unlike the fog of a bleak winter morning.
My only qualm with this book - David Hartley’s wife was mentioned just enough to feel like more than a side character, and yet she felt very flat. I was left wondering so much about her, and I wish more time would have been spent on her.
At any rate, fantastic read - although not for the squeamish!