Michel Faber

Sian, tired of nightmares in which she meets a grisly end, decides she needs to get out more, so she joins an archaeological dig at Whitby Abbey. What she finds is a mystery involving a long-hidden murder.

The Hundred and Ninety-nine Steps

Cerys

A very interesting novella. I originally picked this up as a fellow Yorkshireman and archaeologist, as it sounded like it took two aspects of my personality and life and placed them into a short book. However, even though the premise of this book was in itself intriguing and the ending shifted everything nicely into place, I often find that most novellas almost seem as if they are rushing to finish a deadline. As well as this I don't believe that one of the most interesting plot points that Faber had was every resolved, which could have taken this novella to the next level. It was a very interesting and well put together book but I don't believe that I can afford it more than 3 stars.

Sian, tired of nightmares in which she meets a grisly end, decides she needs to get out more, so she joins an archaeological dig at Whitby Abbey. What she finds is a mystery involving a long-hidden murder, a man with big hands, a fragile manuscript in a bottle, and a rather attractive dog called Hadrian. Faber's dazzling novella takes us up the 199 steps in Whitby that link the 21st century with the ruins of the past. Equal and indissoluble parts thriller, romance, historical/ghost story and meditation on the nature of sincerity, this is an ingenious literary page-turner. Atmospheric photographs complement the text beautifully. This book, like Henry James's The Turn of the Screw, deploys a masterful sense of ambiguity, outstanding narrative power, works on many levels and, as always with Faber's writing, is elegant, thought-provoking, distinctive and compelling.

The Hundred and Ninety-nine Steps

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