It's a pleasure to take part in the BlogTour The Naseby Horses by Dominic Brownlow.
Dominic Brownlow lives near Peterborough with his two children. He lived in London and worked in the music industry as a manager before setting up his own independent label. He now enjoys life in the Fens and has an office that looks out over water. The Naseby Horses is his first novel. It was long listed for the Bath Novel Award 2016.
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About the book
Seventeen-year-old Simon’s sister Charlotte is missing. The lonely Fenland village the family recently moved to from London is odd, silent, and mysterious. Simon is epileptic and his seizures are increasing in severity, but when he is told of the local curse of the Naseby Horses, he is convinced it has something to do with Charlotte’s disappearance. Despite resistance from the villagers, the police, and his own family, Simon is determined to uncover the truth, and save his sister.
Under the oppressive Fenland skies and in the heat of a relentless June, Simon’s bond with Charlotte is fierce, all-consuming, and unbreakable; but can he find her? And does she even want to be found?
Drawing on philosophy, science, and the natural world, The Naseby Horses is a moving exploration of the bond between a brother and his sister; of love; and of the meaning of life itself.
Simon's sister Charlotte is missing and Simon also suffers frequent epileptic seizures. Both of these storylines are important because they become interwoven to the point of not being able to separate the two.
The seizures leave him with lost moments and memories. Blank spaces where memories should be. He isn't even sure he doesn't know what happened to his sister and other people are definitely starting to get suspicious. Is it just all too convenient that he can't remember anything? Did he hurt her, kill her and just forget? Does he know where she is?
Now and again it suffered from moments of hyper-intellectual moments, ergo trying to either outsmart the reader or create a scene or atmosphere without sharing enough information for the reader to enjoy it the way it was intended. On the flip side perhaps that was the intention - keep everyone in the dark including Simon. Very much the kind of read that should have a visual representation sometimes.
I liked it though. I was trying to recall what it reminded me of from a stylistic point of view. It has this very specific atmospheric element that Brownlow evokes through surroundings, visceral responses, myths and local folklore.
Literary fiction is sometimes a marmite read, perhaps more so when the author adds a noirish element to the mix. For me it also wandered into the realms of magical realism, mystery and strong emotional connections between siblings. Not necessarily what we all experience with siblings, but apparently it's a real thing and absolutely does happen. (Yes, that is sarcasm)
Buy The Naseby Horses at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Published in paperback, hardcover and digital formats by Louise Walters Book on 24th August 2020. Buy at Amazon com. Buy at Waterstones. At Book Depository. At Blackwell's. At Foyles.
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