There are echoes here of Moss’s first novel, the nightmarish post-apocalyptic thriller Cold Earth, which was set on an archaeological excavation in Greenland. They dress in shapeless, “scratchy” tunics, live in a purpose built camp, and forage for food on the surrounding land – the descriptions of which are beautifully evocative, lush and wild. They’ve come together to enact Iron Age life. Silvie and her mother and father – a bus driver who’s a keen amateur historian, obsessed with ancient Britain – have joined forces with a Professor Slade and three of his university students, Molly, Pete and Dan. In the wilds of Northumberland, a small group is engaged in an exercise in experimental archaeology. Narrated by 17-year-old Silvie, the action in the novel takes place over the course of a few days at the height of summer. But never at the expense of what’s a gripping narrative. At a mere 160 pages, Ghost Wall may look unassuming, but it’s testament to Moss’s notable talents that within these she’s able to address the huge topics of misogynistic brutality and violence, gender inequality and class warfare, not to mention the lessons of history. How she hasn’t been nominated for the Man Booker Prize continues to mystify me – and this year is no exception. Ghost Wall, Sarah Moss’s sixth novel, is further proof that she’s one of our very best contemporary novelists.
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