Book: The Hunger Trace by Edward Hogan

This might well be the hardest book I have ever discussed. It's not so much the premise that's complicated. Set against the backdrop of a Derbyshire wildlife park, it follows the dead owner's widow, Maggie, his (probably special needs but it never really elaborates) teenage son, Christopher, and the dead owner's childhood friend, falconer and local recluse Louisa. See, nothing too abstract. It's my feelings about the book that are difficult to explain.

You see, what I've said above, about the plot, that's pretty much it. I spent the whole novel waiting for something to happen. Some novels have characters so interesting or witty or outrageous that you'd happily read about them sitting there eating their breakfast. These are not those characters. Which isn't to say they aren't well-crafted (if not entirely likeable at times), it's just that they seem to spend the story milling around waiting for something to happen to them that gives any of the story purpose. The book's blurb mentions a 'dark secret' that David (the dead park owner) and Louisa have shared since they were young, but that is revealed quickly and is surprisingly uninteresting. It also mentions 'the arrival of a stranger', which is true, except that's it. He arrives and meets the characters and gets to know them. When he appears, parts of his past are alluded to and you'd be forgiven for thinking that maybe these were going to be the source of some mystery, intrigue, anything, but alas no. True, events happen throughout but there is no real focus to the story. There's not enough plot for it to be plot-driven and not enough about the characters for it to be character-driven. It just starts, goes on, and drifts off, leaving you much the same as you were before you read it, and with very little of its spirit lingering. There are incidents that the author seems to just skim over, giving it the feel of a rather verbose outline for a novel rather than the finished product.

That said, it isn't in any way unpleasant to read. I enjoyed reading it. Hogan is evidently a very talented writer, and some paragraphs were a pleasure to go over more than once. I could happily have continued to read it for twice as many pages, willing it to kick in, to have events and story worthy of the engaging prose. It is not something you will ever regret reading, not even one you may consider a waste of time, you will just probably finish it longing to be able to say more good things about it. It is likeable, pleasant, but I'm pretty sure this is not what they meant when inventing the phrase 'Always leave them wanting more'.

This is in no way a bad book, and Edward Hogan is obviously a good writer. It's that one thing worse than a rubbish read, and that's one that fails to live up to its promise, leaving you frustrated, a little sad, pity for the novel it could have been, and generally confused about why you just enjoyed reading something that didn't hit the spot.