The Western Wind, Samantha Harvey

A mystery of a man having disappeared, probably drowned, told through the eyes of the village Priest. The novel moves backwards in time and deftly reveals both the character of the narrator and the answer to the mystery. The Priest is flawed but a good man and is compared to the over-zealous Dean; a medieveal chief inspector to the Priest’s detective. The novel is pre-occupied with the idea of forgiveness, both from a god, a community and self-forgiveness, it explores mistakes and sins- all though the internal monologue of the narrator´s empathetic, medieval mindset. Rich and compelling, full of questions.