‘Thank you, Lord, some said under their breaths. Thank you, Thomas Newman, said others.’

In 1491, during the early hours of Shrove Tuesday, near the small and isolated village of Oakham in Somerset, the body of a man seen in the river. By the time rescuers arrive, the body has been swept away and only a fragment of a shirt remains. The fragment is enough to identify the owner: his name was Thomas Newman, the most prosperous and industrious man in the village. It has been raining heavily, the riverbanks are slippery, he could have slipped. Was Thomas Newman’s death an accident, was it murder or could it have been suicide?

Our narrator is the village priest, John Reve. He has secrets of his own, and it’s difficult to judge just how reliable a narrator he is. How can we judge who knew what and when? Does it matter? We start on Day 4 (Tuesday 17th February 1491) and work back to Day 1 (Saturday 14th February 1491). A story is gradually revealed, complicated by this reverse chronology.

Thomas Newman occupies a curious place in this novel. His death provides a starting point, his life seems to have been important in protecting Oakham from forces external to the village. How can one man be so significant? Why do some villagers seem so convinced that they are responsible for his death? What was the role of Thomas Newman in this village, of John Reve, of the visiting dean?

And what of the confessions, the small transgressions and the larger sins? John Reve prays for a western wind to blow away evil spirits:

‘The strongest west wind, to blow away the locusts.’

He worries that the prevailing eastern winds will bring more problems to Oakham. There’s a nearby monastery in search of Oakham’s land. Could Thomas Newman have prevented this?

The visiting dean, who occupies Thomas Newman’s house, is keen to have someone confess to killing Thomas Newman. It is John Reve who listens to the confessions and tries to make sense of what is said. The community is unsettled and feels threatened. The villagers are trying to make sense of their claustrophobic, bleak world by looking for symbols and portents in what is happening.

I kept reading. The more I read, the less certain I became of what I thought I understood. And yet, I am not dissatisfied. Perceptions become reality, confessions have their own versions of truth.

Note: My thanks to NetGalley and Grove Atlantic for providing me with a free electronic copy of this book for review purposes.

Jennifer Cameron-Smith

Harveys writing is totally immersive and was easy to follow, the description isn't overdone but gives a reader a real sense of the setting. Nature takes a huge role in the novel, and those sections are especially well written.
The novel is set in 1491, making it somewhat a work of historical fiction. However, I liked that it focused on everyday characters, in a regular village setting. I've seen people classifying it as a sort of 'medieval mystery' which is quite apt.

The mystery of what happened to Tom Newman and how this is gradually revealed was also a high point of the novel. As the case progresses you find out more about the residents of Oakham through the viewpoint of the priest John Reve, in the form of their confessions. This was quite interesting and offers a unique perspective. As the novel is also told in Reves point of view, as a reader you get to know a lot more than in a third person narrative voice would.

The characters in the novel are superstitious, morally conscious and faith driven indicated by the heavy role of the church in the village. I'm not an expert on English history by any means but it seemed realistic enough.
I felt like the novel digressed and dragged on at certain points, I prefer a slightly faster paced novel but I think this is more a personal preference.

Overall, I was surprised by this novel. Normally this isn't the sort of novel I'd pick up to read, as I'm not particularly interested in English Medieval history, so I was surprised that I enjoyed some elements of it. Notably the mystery element as well as the description of nature but I don't think I'd read it again.

It's the beginning of Lent in the isolated Somerset village of Oakham, some time in the late fifteenth century. As the villagers prepare for their forty days of penance, a dead man is seen in the river. By the time rescuers come to help, the body has been swept away, but a fragment of clothing confirms its identity: Tom Newman, a prosperous, curious dreamer, and one of the few villagers to have ventured beyond the parish boundaries. The rains have been falling heavily and the riverbanks are thick with mud. He could have slipped in. But the question remains: was it misadventure or murder? As the small community huddles under bleak skies and heavy rains, the priest John Reve struggles to comprehend the mystery, dogged by the interference of the visiting dean, weighed down by the confessions of his parishioners, and troubled by the way that Newman's death threatens to pull apart a whole network of secrets, doubts and obligations that bolster Oakham against the outside world.



This is a strange book: it is remarkably introspective for a mystery and, if it were a film, it'd be an arthouse piece with jagged editing and sudden, almost silent scenes of confrontation between Reve and the unnamed dean. Unfolding in reverse chronology, the story gradually allows us to understand more about Oakham and the complex place that Newman holds in the village hierarchy. But, for me, the potentially sinister death didn't seem to be what the story was really about. The more I read, the more I felt that I was reading some kind of allegory or mystery play. The way that Oakham is isolated from the world gives it a claustrophobic, simmering kind of tension and there seems to be something almost supernatural about the way that the dean can find his way in, but no one can find their way out. Is there something in the dean's early observation (which I supposed to be metaphorical): "Do you know purgatory has a waiting room? They call it Oakham, there are so many of you there." Is this a story which is actually trying to say something more complicated about the human condition?

Certainly, this is a story about redemption, conscience and sacrifice: themes at the very core of the church which the priest and the dean represent, and which underpin the liturgical season of Lent. Throughout the story, we see various characters trying to make amends for sin or doubt or failure, whether that's through the ritual comforts of confession, giving money to the church, or shielding each others' secrets. Reve, at the spiritual and social centre of the village, finds himself the custodian of an anxious community under threat, which clutches at potents and symbols in an effort to understand its world. It's a time of uncertainty not only due to Newman's death, but also thanks to the acquisitive interest of a local monastery, snapping at Oakham's borders and itching to incorporate it into its estates.

Initially, at least, the dean is a rather unsettling counterpart to Reve, appearing almost out of thin air and asking troubling questions, driving Reve to self-examination. I'd wondered at times whether he was supposed to be some kind of demonic interlocutor - but, as the novel progresses and our perspective shifts, he becomes increasingly reasonable. Might we also see Newman as a kind of Christ-figure - a man who has sacrificed so much of his wealth to help his neighbours and protect Oakham's independence; a man whose original perspectives lead to awkward views on authority; someone who poses questions about new ways that Man can interact with God without the intermediary of a priest? 

It's a book that has ambitions, that's clear. And it creates a wonderfully vivid - if awfully bleak - world of damp and rain and hard graft and grim, persistent struggle in the face of the elements. I found its atmosphere more successful than its narrative structure. There are many things I still don't understand. A reverse chronology is a clever concept, but it only really works if we're uncovering things that the characters, in retrospect, do seem to have known. Slight spoilers may follow, so tread carefully. The main thing is that, when we finish the book, we see that the priest does have a clearer idea about Newman's death than he has hitherto admitted. And yet, if we go back to the beginning of the novel again, he and Carter - although they're entirely alone in the middle of the night - carry out a complete act of genuine surprise and alarm which seems thoroughly unlikely given what we now know. It's as if the author changed her mind as she went, regarding what her characters knew or had done, which works if you read the book a single time, but doesn't work if you then go back over it and try to see how the 'truth' was hiding in plain sight all along. I enjoy books which suddenly reveal that something isn't quite what you've assumed - Gentlemen and Players is an excellent recent example of that - but it doesn't quite work here.

I'd be very interested to know what others think. If you've read this, what did you feel about the way the story was gradually revealed? Did you think it worked? Did you get the same niggling feeling that the author was trying to explore something beyond the mere tale of a 'murder' investigation? John Reve is obviously an unreliable narrator, but is he a plausible one? It's a very odd kettle of fish and, even though I read it some days ago, I'm still trying to figure it out. What, I wonder, have I missed?

For the review, please see my blog:
https://theidlewoman.net/2018/08/29/the-western-wind-samantha-harvey/

The Westwrn Wind - Samantha Harvey
This novel is set In 1491 in a small village at the beginning of Lent. Oakham is a small isolated village with no way to cross over a large powerful river, (no bridge) The story begins with the apparent drowning of the village’s richest inhabitant, Thomas Newman. The story goes back a few days to try to unravel what led up to the apparent drowning. This is a great historical mystery with wonderful characters and great descriptions of the landscape and the area. Great storytelling. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and I highly recommend it.

This book is intriguing and atmospheric with the flawed priest John Reve as its narrator. I am not sure the structure entirely worked for me but it’s a solid historical fiction mystery.

4.5 stars. This was one of those books that were in my most anticipated shelves all year. the premise and synopsis sounded right up my ally- And I was so right. I thoroughly enjoyed this one - a brilliant historical fiction/mystery set in the 15th century-finishing it in only 2 days.
Unique in that the storyline was told backward. Not really "unputdownable"-yet you want to figure out the little details and what all the confessions to Priest John Reve mean.
This book explores morality and religion with each of the characters and is so impressively done. Would highly recommend this one.


Will post the review to Goodreads and to Amazon when the book is closer to release date.

I received a copy of this book through NetGalley for an honest opinion. My thanks to Samantha Harvey and to Grove Atlantic for the opportunity to read and review this book.

This is one of the best books I've read in ages. The structure is confusing at first, but fascinating as its logic appears. The characters are all compromised in one way or another, which makes them all the more sympathetic. This is a book I'll be gifting to friends and family.

I found this book Confusing.

I read this EARC courtesy of Net Galley and Grove Atlantic. pub date 11/23/18

THE WESTERN WIND– Samantha Harvey
Grove Press
ISBN-10: 0802128289
ISBN-13: 978-0802128287
November 2018
Historical

Oakham, Somerset, 1491

This is a very different historical mystery from the first person viewpoint of Priest John Reve given through his thoughtful and self-reflective story. Reve is an observant, eloquent man who is very caring and protective of his flock. He is at odds with the dean sent to investigate a murder that may or may not have happened. The story also works backward in time, starting on Shrove Tuesday, which is the day before Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent, and working back to the previous Saturday. John frequently delves into the precepts of his belief and the other aspects of the world, reality, and humanity, which causes him doubt.

An amazing cast of characters inhabits Oakham, a small village separated from easy transportation and commerce by a river. These characters come to be known through their confessions to John. Thomas Newman has gone missing. It is assumed he drowned, but was it an accident or was he murdered? Readers come to know Thomas, who sought to have a bridge built, through John’s memories of him. Suppositions of what happened and who did it abound, along with questions whether this good man will be accepted into heaven by God without last rites. The dean is determined to find the murderer even if the person isn't guilty.

While there is no overt violence or developing romance in the story, it still beckons the reader to continue with its themes of isolation, intent, God, the societal and cultural why of religion's start, and the concepts of absolute belief, different belief, and disbelief. The story also allows the reader to perceive the world as we know it and how it might have been in the 15th century.

I did enjoy this, but am also not quite sure what I think of it.

The main character is a priest in a struggling village, the book opens with one of his flock racing to tell him that they've found the body of a leading man in the village who fell into the river a couple of days previously. The death of the man is being investigated by the local Dean, who is unsympathetic to the priest, and who had brought with him a pardon for those who might confess. Each day is broken up by sessions in the confessional, and reflections on the impact of the drowned man. The book works backwards, so finishes with the day the man went into the river, allowing the reader to finally understand what happened.

It's beautifully written, but ultimately I found it a bit unsatisfying, knowing what had happened didn't give me a sense of resolution about the story. The characters are sympathetic, and I could see that it would appeal to others and make a good choice for eg book groups. I'd recommend it to others despite my own slight frustration!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a digital copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

The premise of the book is set as thus: an influential member of the village of Oakham has died and the priest must discover if the death is by accident or murder, and if so, the identity of the murderer. The story is told from the point of view of the priest, backwards, over a course of three days, during a period of religious significance known as Lent.

The most gripping thing about this book is the prose. It is haunting and skillful. Many times I felt that I could feel the same things the characters on the page were feeling, see what they undoubtedly saw. The descriptions were vivid enough to make me miserable with worry and sick with anxiety. The backwards retelling is a compelling idea, a little hard to get used to at first but its necessity is obvious (and poetically justified) as the story progresses. Even though my knowledge of medieval Catholic practices is limited (and more than likely non-existent), after a while this particular notion did not bother me much and it was obvious that the details were well-researched, which I greatly appreciated.

However, I feel cheated. I went into this expecting a book about murder and its mysteries, but instead found a highly character driven narrative. If advertised thus, I would’ve appreciated it more. As it were, I could tell from the beginning the narrator was unreliable and much more deeply involved in the death then he let on initially. But in the end it seemed to me that I could’ve spent this time reading a book from my ever growing TBR pile instead of a book that was beautifully written (only rarely tedious) but still more a character study of human nature then blood-thrilling plot. 3/5 stars.

The Western Wind was a fascinating read whose characters and story gripped me right from the first chapter. Though it felt a little strange at first, I came to love the backward narration that saw us discovering the truth about Newman's death by reversing time to see what had led to it and what happened in the immediate aftermath. Reve was a wonderful character, and his arc, in particular, held my interest throughout. The Western Wind is one of those works that creeps up on you, seeming simple at first, but soon revealing hidden complexities. The prose is easy reading, yet suspenseful, and the story certainly left me guessing until the end. I would definitely read more from Harvey. A solid 4.5 stars from me.

Unfortunately, this book was not for me. Although the premise of the story is interesting (small town, man drowns under mysterious circumstances, who did it??), the blurb did not (in my opinion) accurately describe the plot. The blurb (at least on Goodreads) makes it sound like the village priest is actively trying to figure out what happened to the murdered man. I've read till about half the book, and so far, it's more about his guilt of over his past and his inability to do anything to help the village in the present. His griping gets a bit tedious after a while, especially if you (like me) picked up this book because you that it was going to be more about the murder. In the end, I had to put this book down - there's too many murder mysteries I want to read that are actually going to be about the murder!

Here on Netgalley, I will be giving this book 3 stars because people may enjoy these types of character-driven plots. I also enjoyed the writing style, and highlighted many quotes on my Kindle. Unfortunately, this book was not the kind of book I was looking for when I read the blurb.

Told through confessions to priest, John Reeve, we work backwards in time to find out how Thomas Newman died. This story is set in the 15 century and was full of interesting historical tidbits. 

I loved that the author did their research and actually put in accurate descriptions of this time. Here while we see tidbits of info give a nod to certain historical figures and symbolism, there was not necessarily actual historical characters but rather what they stood for. Panic, rumors and superstition are running rampant with each villager as they try to guess, or make accusations of what really happened to Thomas.

This book in itself felt authentic and mesmerizing as I did not want it to end. I could not put this book down. I got this book yesterday and stayed well past when I should have gone to bed, just so I could finish it.

4/5 Stars

***I received a copy of this from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review***