In September 2005, heavy rain is sweeping Britain and in the Lake District a body is revealed as the land moves on the ancient peat hags. This body in the bog is of great interest to Jane Gresham, a scholar of the local Lakeland poet, William Wordsworth. This novel reveals the mystery of what has been hidden for 200 years.
This novel is a lovely mix of things brought together to make a remarkable book. There is history, local folklore, poetry, mystery, police procedure and social commentary. What makes this book so nice is that you get the full story. It is not a storyline with a few details fleshing it out because every scene is built upon with attitude that makes you feel as though you are living the story. Everyday life with it’s modern day character is tightly woven into this novel, making it so real.
Val’s writing quality is very high and she uses a very extensive vocabulary. This is an intelligent read and this novel has a lot of depth. You feel that you are getting the full works from an author at the top of her field. You know that this is as good as it gets.
The Grave Tattoo won the 2006 Portico Prize for fiction and I can see why. This is a great book that was a joy to read and I shall vote it the top score of 5 stars.
The Grave Tattoo was written in 2006 and has 543 pages in the paperback edition.
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