A spotted a sale on in a charity shop so could not resist popping in and picking this up.

Tom Crick is a history teacher about to be sacked because of something that his wife has done and because both his students and the school Head cannot see the relevance of the topic in today's world. So he decides to abandon the syllabus and instead tell his class about his and his family's history on the Fens rather than about the French Revolution thats he supposed to be teaching,

Despite being only about 300 pages long this is a 'vast' novel that touches on so many topics. Ranging from the Fens and in particular their reclamation from the sea,childhood and sense of place in later life, incest, sexual awakening, family ties, murder and suicide, eels and even a post apocalyptic world to name but a some. However, probably the most over-riding question is why do humans feel the need to tell stories?

Overall I enjoyed the author's writing style and his descriptions of the vast flatness on the Fens was very evocative but I must also admit that I got a little bogged down in the prose on occasions. Hence it does not quite get full marks but still a very enjoyable read.

Going to London as a BookMooch.Enjoy!