Crimes, danger, obsession, poverty, wealth, fascinating characters, friendship, loyalty, and a remarkable adventure spanning decades. The most beautiful books are the most difficult to review. At least they are for me.

Belinda Bauer is remarkably talented. Her multi-strand novel pulled me in from the first page and kept me mesmerized by places and things entirely foreign to me. I knew nothing about egg collecting prior to experiencing this book. On the surface, it might not sound like a scintillating topic. The web of events and lives held me spellbound. This is one of the most gripping historical novels I've read, and it's equally successful as crime fiction.

Bauer displays great mastery of suspense and compelling characterization. There's wonderful dialogue and great power in the things that aren't said. The emotional nuances are orchestrated across multiple scenes, rising in small revelations to great crescendos.

Although there are disturbing things in the book, it never became overwhelming. There's a lot of heart and some humor, and overall, it's uplifting.
The settings in nature and in homes of people at different economic levels were vivid and added to the immersion.

She's as adept with action, adventure, and believable men as fully dimensional girls and women. Aspects of women's lives that are often hidden or left out of history appear here powerfully and with respect. Being Neuro-atypical is presented in a matter of fact manner. The Impossible Thing moved me. The ending landed perfectly and left me choked up.

Highly recommended to readers of general and literary fiction as well as to those who enjoy historical, crime, and mystery novels. The Impossible Thing transcends genre. I'm going to read more books by Belinda Bauer.
Thank you for the e-ARC for consideration.
I'll add links soon.

Thank you, Netgalley and Grove Atlantic, for providing me with a review copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

The Impossible Thing is a fictional account of the collection and disappearance of real Metland Eggs, the priceless red Guillemot eggs collected in Yorkshire, England. The novel volleys between the 1920s when the eggs were first collected by an impoverished young girl and sold to collectors for large sums of money. A century later, Patrick Fort is aiding his friend Nick, whose egg was stolen. It was nice to revisit Patrick, the neurodivergent protagonist of <I>Rubbernecker</i>. He's earnest and clever. Once again, I appreciated how well Bauer wrote a character on the autism spectrum. I also enjoyed "Weird Nick" and the 1920s characters Celie and Robert.

The book is also an eye-opening look at the world of egg poaching. Bauer covers this criminal trade from all angles: the people that risk their lives to obtain the eggs as a means of feeding their families, the wealthy collectors, the conservationists, and the birds themselves. The cruelty imposed on these birds is hard to read but important as it is based on real-world practices.

Bauer once again delivers incredible prose. I highly recommend this to readers of historical fiction and crime novels. I hope Bauer brings Patrick Fort back for another mystery soon.

"From the exceptionally original mind of CWA Gold Dagger Award winner and Booker longlisted author Belinda Bauer, a sweeping tale of obsession, greed, ambition, and a crime that has remained unsolved for a hundred years.

How do you find something that doesn't exist?

1926. On the cliffs of Yorkshire, men are lowered on ropes to steal the eggs of the sea birds who nest there. The most beautiful are sold for large sums. A small girl - penniless and neglected by her family - retrieves one such treasure. Its discovery will forever alter the course of her life.

A century later. In a remote cottage in Wales, Patrick Fort finds his friend, Nick, and his mother tied up and robbed. The only thing missing: a carved case containing an incredible scarlet egg. Doggedly attempting to retrieve it, Patrick and Nick discover the cruel world of egg trafficking, and soon find themselves on the trail of a priceless collection of eggs lost to history. Until now.

A taut, wonderfully imagined novel brimming with skullduggery at every turn, The Impossible Thing is a blazing testament to Belinda Bauer's status as one of our greatest living crime writers."

Reminiscent of The Feather Thief by Kirk Wallace Johnson.

Whisked Through It

Belinda Bauer has quite a reputation as a crime writer, she has even been longlisted for a Booker Prize. This may have been the reason I requested a copy of her latest novel, “The Impossible Thing.” It delves into the mesmerizing world of… wait for it… egg collecting.

A valuable egg, one of thirty stolen from a dangerous Yorkshire cliff nest beginning in the 1920s, resurfaces a century later in the attic of a young man, Weird Nick. Oblivious to its worth, he lists the egg on eBay, only to have it stolen during a home invasion. Determined to recover the pilfered egg, Nick and his friend Patrick embark on a quest to find the thieves.

The story, told across two timelines, features well-developed characters and a brisk pace, making for a competent "whodunit" plot. Despite numerous positive reviews, I found the book to be slightly fluffier than I prefer. It's a good beach read, but not much more.

Thank you to Grove Atlantic and NetGalley for providing an advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

3.5
This starts off really interesting looking at the once popular tradition of collecting precious eggs aka "climming" off the cliff in Yorkshire, England. You simply drop a rope over the cliff and scaled down to collect eggs that are then brought back up, carefully hollowed out, and then sold off to collectors.

I would've loved more about the actual life of those that lived in the village and collected eggs along with some of the politics surrounding that. But, this was more about the egg collectors and collecting in general. The book has two time points and I definitely had a favorite time frame to read about.

Overall, it was fine, but I felt like the storyline was a bit boring and could have done so much more. That said, I was definitely looking up pictures of these popular collector eggs of guillemot eggs.

Thank you to NetGalley and Grove Atlantic for the gifted e-copy of this book.

I both read and listened to this book on audio. I really enjoyed the audio which helped with the pacing in my opinion.

I've read and loved Bauer's books and this was no exception. However, this book, while fascinating, moved at a slower pace than I would have liked. I loved all the characters and I loved the moving back and forth in time to have mysteries unfold in several timelines. I loved falling head first into the world of egg collectors both in real life (as in physically collecting the eggs from the birds) and in the academic sense (who knew?!) and the obsession and craze and the ones who were taken advantage of and the ones who put themselves in all kinds of danger.

It will be impossible for you to not fall into the rabbit hole of this world of danger, intrigue and deception.

with gratitude to Grove Atlantic and Dreamscape Media and netgalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review

The Impossible Thing made my heart happy! The subject matter is original, the writing is gorgeous, the setting in England is atmospheric, and the characters are compelling. There is even mystery threaded throughout. Though I had heard about the guillemot birds and their stunning eggs, the information about their behaviours was new to me and I absorbed it like a sponge. Both of the timelines, mostly 1920s and then a century later, were a pleasure to be immersed in. Egg collecting was a lucrative business and people went to great lengths to gather the eggs from precarious cliff ledges. Some were eaten, others sold to collectors and museums. The Metland Egg was particularly valuable due to its unusual colouring. Gathering the eggs would have indeed been adventurous but not for the faint of heart, especially when it came to the cruel stealing from the parents and disposing of the chicks.

Both timelines were intriguing but my slight preference was for the first timeline as Celie and Robert's plight and survival were sad and harrowing yet hauntingly beautiful. Impoverished, they became climmers and gathered eggs from the Metland cliff which locals viewed was unbelievable due to its precarious location. Tiny Celie placed her absolute trust in Robert as he held the rope she dangled from. The eggs sometimes filled their bellies and did change their financial situation. Patrick in the second timeline was appealing as well. He and Weird Nick searched for a stolen Metland egg which took them on adventures of their own as they discovered the dark world of egg stealing.

Another thing that grabbed me is the amount of information I learned from the duties of each person comprising a climmer group to the birds themselves. Their chicks were too young to be fledglings; they were jumplings and like Celie, they placed their trust in those they loved. To reach adulthood they had to do the insurmountable. Talk about fascinating parallels! As a sea lover, I could taste, see and feel the salty air and wind and hear the screeching birds. I felt the novel's pull.

My expectations were high for this book after reading the synopsis but it still managed to take me by surprise. It was more in depth than I thought it would be and I easily became deeply engrossed. This one will stick with me for a long time.

Who knew that a book about bird eggs was going to be so riveting!?

Belinda Bauer’s The Impossible Thing is incredibly enthralling, hilarious, mysterious, and richly historical.

I was captivated from page one and could not read this fast enough as I swept away on a journey which was part mystery, part historical fiction as Bauer expertly reveals to us the hidden world of oology.

I, for one, had never heard of climming (stealing bird eggs for sale) and its subsequent outlawing. What a rabbit-hole I went down looking things up on Google with this book, I learnt so much!

We follow two timelines, one in the 1920s where we meet Celie who discovers what became known as the mythical Metland Egg – a red coloured Guillemot egg. This egg was so rare that egg traders were willing to pay big sums to own one. One such trader is George Ambler who strikes a deal with Celie to get the red egg every year.

In the present-day timeline, we follow Nick and Patrick in Wales. Nick’s house is burgled, an egg is stolen, and he enlists the help of Patrick to track down the thief.

Both timelines and their characters are brilliantly intertwined as we uncover the mystery of the Metland Egg.

The characters in this book, are in my opinion, some of the best I’ve ever read. We have endearing characters, funny characters, hateful characters and each one is so corporeal.

Celie’s story will break your heart, Patrick & Nick’s story will have you in tears of laughter. And all the while, you will be completely infatuated with the plot and chomping at the bit to find out more about this egg.

Honestly, no one is more surprised than me at how much I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I will be recommending this to family and friends for years to come.

Thanks to Grove Atlantic and NetGalley for the arc of this stunning book in exchange for an honest review.

Belinda Bauer’s novels always feature an unusual, often quirky, topic and in this case, it is the collection of rare bird eggs. In the early 20th century, men would collect eggs off the cliffs of North Yorkshire, hanging by ropes to pluck the most collectable colourful ones of the guillemots. They then were sold them dealers who would then sell them for a great deal more to collectors and museums.

In 1926, Celie, a small, neglected, undernourished girl lives on an impoverished farm, the youngest of five children. Shunned and mistreated by her family, because she was born looking nothing like her father or siblings. One day, she persuades her friend, the young farmhand Robbie, to lower her through a gap in the cliffs to collect an egg the other hunters can’t reach. It is of the rarest of colours ever seen and the payment the family receives for it changes their fortunes, but also exposes Celie to the greed of dealers and obsessed collectors.

A century later, Patrick Fort (introduced previously in ‘Rubberneckers’) is cycling past his friend weird Nick’s house when he notices the front door is wide open. Inside Nick and his mother have been tied up after a burglary by men wearing ski masks. Strangely, the only thing stolen was an egg in an intricately carved wooden box, something Nick found in his attic and listed on eBay. It was only there for about ten minutes before being taken down for being an illegal item to trade. Now Nick is determined to find out who took it and steal it back.

In their quest Nick and Patrick learn a lot about those who continue to hoard illegal eggs. They make an unusual pair of sleuths as much of their strategy is based on their favourite video game, ‘Call of Duty’. Patrick’s neurodiversity allowing him to think outside the box for ways to steal Nick’s egg back, often adding some humour to the plot.

Told in two time lines a century apart, this is a well written mystery with intriguing characters. The 1920s frenzy for egg collecting was well researched and eye opening, with little thought given to the cruelty to the birds for robbing them of their chick year after year. The tension and suspense builds as Nick and Patrick narrow their sights on the culprit and plot a crazy heist. Recommended for anyone looking for an unusual mystery with a unique and interesting plot.

The Impossible Thing is the story of egg thieves. In one early 20th-century timeline, Welsh farmers supplement their income by stealing guillemot eggs from sea cliffs, to be sold to wealthy collectors. In the present day, Patrick and Weird Nick are on a mission to track down the most famous of them, The Metland Egg, after it's stolen form Nick's attic. Part novelized history of a weird niche hobby and part humorous mystery, I found this book absorbing and burned through it. The amateur detectives are endearing, and the historical detail is very well done.
Thanks to Negalley and the publisher for the arc!

I was introduced to the trafficking of bird eggs by the books of Ann Cleeves, as Vera's father also was into the illegal robbing of raptor's nests. Where in Mrs. Cleeves' books the trafficking is more of a backstory to Vera's past, here Belinda Bauer sets the egg snatching and collecting in the spotlight and she does this in the most brilliant way. Told in two timelines, one actual and one in the 1920's, it mainly depicts how greed destroys people's lives, regardless of their income or status.

Both plots are swift and intriguing and I didn't want to put the book down because I wanted to know how it would evolve. But nevertheless it is its characters that absolutely stand out. The tragic life of little Celie, the beautiful but unlikely friendship between Nick and Patrick, the kindness of Robert... they are all lifelike people who will stay with me for a long time. A solid 5-star read indeed!

Bravo!

Thank you NetGalley, Grove Atlantic & Atlantic Monthly Press, and the author for allowing me to be an early reader. All opinions are my own.

I was drawn to The Impossible Thing by its captivating cover. Having finished it I now see the imagery in another light - the crumbling cliffs and soaring birds a perfect metaphor for the emotional journey of reading this story.

I’m new to Belinda Bauer’s work but was captivated by her writing style, and this wholly original premise for a mystery. I was blown away by the emotional investment I made in this world of rare egg collecting. My heart hurt for Celie, her family, and the vulnerable birds. The flash forwards to present day offered welcome relief and I loved the relationship between Patrick and Nick, and their capers.

I was fortunate to enjoy this as an audiobook and ebook and both were wonderful. The production quality of the audiobook was excellent. Despite the fast pace of the story, and the very large cast of characters spanning multiple times, the narration was completely immersive and easy to follow. The dramatisations were subtle and impactful, and I flew through the book in only a day.

Overall I would highly recommend this read for anyone looking for a beautifully written, unique and captivating mystery.

Thank you Grove Atlantic for an advance copy of this book. Opinions expressed are my own.

I received a copy of this novel from the publisher via NetGalley.

3.5* rounded up.

This is told mainly from the points of view of (in the present day) Patrick, whose best friend's rare and valuable red guillemot egg is stolen, and (in the 1920s-1940s) Celie, who is so small and light that she can access particularly rare red guillemots' eggs. However, there are many many more characters and viewpoints - the broker who buys Celie's eggs, the broker's customers, the broker's maid, an RSPB officer, a professor of ornithology, a volunteer RSPB guardian couple, a man who is prosecuted for possessing birds' eggs (as it is now illegal) and so on and so on. It was very confusing at times keeping everyone straight, and working out all the connections was a challenge.

Having said that, I enjoyed the writing and Patrick was a delight. I also learnt a lot about the hobby of collecting birds' eggs, although I don't see the attraction myself!

3.5

1926 Yorkshire England - men hung by ropes to steal beautiful colored eggs laid by sea birds. A small girl dares to try this as she is penniless and hungry but a treasure that sets off a decades long fight for this egg.

A century later this rare red egg is stolen from Nick from and his mother. Nick and his friend Patrick are determined to get this egg back and find there are a lot of greedy people who want any of these rare eggs.

I was expecting a more thrilling pace of telling this story. Although an interesting story, it felt slow to me.

My thanks to Net Galley and Dreamscape Audio for an advanced copy of this audiobook.

Belinda Bauer is a hugely popular author, but The Impossible Thing is my very first read from her.

The Impossible Thing starts with a number of seemingly separate stories. In the 1920s, egg collecting has reached quite a frenzy. The rugged Yorkshire coast sees a dangerous and barbaric practice each Spring, drawing huge crowds. In current times, two friends, Patrick and Nick have blindly stumbled into the now illegal world of egg collecting.

The story was really well written, I found myself engrossed. I read in just over 24 hours, wondering how each of the stories would end. All of human nature was examined. From obsession, desperation and greed, to generosity and love, even in the hardest of times. The characterisation was strong, each individual having their own personality and voice. Really good books always provoke strong emotions from me, this one certainly did.

The disregard for wildlife conservation in the century old timeline is a hard read, from a modern sensibility. Also, the attitudes towards certain members of society, makes me very grateful to be born in the time I am, despite current world events.
As I mentioned earlier, this is my first Belinda Bauer read, but certainly not my last. It’s 5⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ from me.

I'm absolutely blown away by this story, based on real events.

I've not read any Belinda Bauer before but I was expecting something very different than a fast-paced story about egg collecting. It was brilliant.

The story is split into two timelines. Celie Sheppard isn't much loved. She is the product of an extra marital liaison that caused her father to leave the family home. She is ignored by everyone but the farmboy, Robert. That is until she persuades Robert to help her collect the valuable eggs from Bempton Cliffs, home to thousands of birds. What Celie brings up on her very first haul is a rare red guillemot egg. An egg that people will pay money for - a lot of money

The second timeline follows Patrick Fort, a neurodivergent child, and his best mate, Weird Nick (who is often quite weird despite being brilliant at Call of Duty, persuading Patrick to go along with his schemes and trying to find as many ways as possible to make money. After a terrifying raid on Weird Nick's home he tells Patrick about the bright red egg that was stolen.

The two stories run alongside each other with Celie being used to steal more eggs and Patrick and Nick trying to find the missing egg whilst trying to solve the mystery of who and why it was taken.

If I'm making it sound tame I'm telling it wrong. It's absolutely action-packed. The characters burst off the page including the sneaky egg collector, Ambler, who made my skin crawl. Both Celie and Patrick are sympathetic characters and their stories made me laugh and weep.

I was lucky enough to receive an advance copy of both text and audio versions. The audio is excellently read by Phil Dunster who got tone and pitch spot on. No melodrama and no silly voices. I really enjoyed it. In fact I enjoyed the entire thing - book, audio, story. Perfect.

Thankyou very much to Netgalley, Grove Atlantic and Dreamscape Media for the audio and text advance review copies. Very much appreciated.

Belinda Bauer delivers a master class in plot, character and theme in her latest book The Impossible Thing. The story itself centres around the practice of egg collecting from the early twentieth century through to the present day.
In 1920s Yorkshire, a group of climmers (sic) are lowered down the Bempton Cliffs to collect eggs of guillemots and other birds that are then on sold to wealthy collectors in London. One small farm where six-year-old Celie Sheppard lives, has an overhang which prevents the easy collection of eggs but she finds a way and in doing so discovers a rare red egg which changes her and her family’s fortunes. In the present day young man, Patrick Fort is helping his neighbour Weird Nick who was had a break in where the only thing stolen was a red egg in an ornate box that Nick had found in the attic and was trying to sell on Ebay for ten pounds. The two soon learn there is much more to that egg and its history than they could have imagined.
Bauer spins a complex interleaved tale out of the lives of Celie and Patrick, stories that swirls around each other with layered revelations right through to the final pages. In the past this story is as much about the jockeying between entitled wealthy men for prestige as it is about Celie. In the present day story, Bauer takes readers into the still ongoing world of egg collection – introducing Patrick and Nick to both the collectors and the protectors. In the middle of this tale is the delightfully drawn neurodiverse character of Patrick, who looks at the world slightly askance but together with the more worldly Nick, makes a great team.
Belinda Bauer, an author who has not only won the CWA Gold Dagger but has been longlisted for the Booker Prize, The Impossible Thing is a crime novel of sorts – there is plenty of crime on display. But it is much more than this – an exploration of a little known obsession and the people who made a living feeding that obsession, consideration of issues of conservation versus acquisitiveness, a rags to riches tale centred on a delightful young woman and also more than a bit of a romp as a pair of not particularly savvy young men try their own hand at crime solving. Overall The Impossible Thing is a delight that succeeds on every level.

Unique and enlightening historical vs present day unfolding of the saga of egg collecting in the UK, and its aftermath. Very touching story, wonderful characters, and a satisfying resolution. Highly recommended for readers of novels such as the Goldfinch.

My mind was all over the place while I was reading this book. I was giving it three stars at first as I waded through all the strangeness of people who collect birds' eggs and the sadness of the deaths of all those poor chicks.

I moved it up to four stars once Patrick who we know from a previous book called Rubbernecker appeared. What a great character and he definitely saved this book for me! The end was worthy of five stars and I still have goosebumps over the last four lines of text. I wish I could give it five but overall for me the book is a four.

Perhaps the author could consider bringing Patrick back for more adventures. He is definitely a star in his own right.

Who knew collecting eggs was a thing? It was actually a Big thing! I'm a bit of an outlier because I found this book to be a bit odd. The writing felt very stream of consciousness and it took me quite some time to grasp the flow of it. The Impossible Thing focuses on the stealing and trafficking of eggs. Egg climbers would be lowered over cliffs to collect the eggs of the birds which lived there. Depending on the bird and the color of the egg, it could be a lucrative thing/hobby/collection etc. This book is told in two timelines and proved to be a slow burn as eventually the two timelines connect

In the past timeline (1920-1930), Celie Sheppard is tiny and petite. She proves to be the perfect size to lower over the side of a dangerous cliff that no one else dares to go over. She is successful in finding and obtaining a gorgeous red guillemot egg. She does this year after year as crowds gather to watch. My heart broke for the birds she stole from. They fought to save their egg to finally learn it is to no avail and to simply turn its head unable to watch.

Patrick and Weird Nick are in the present day and looking for a scarlet egg that was stolen during a robbery. They go looking and find and learn more than they expected. They are both interesting and great characters.

While I enjoyed the characters of Celie, Nick, and Patrick, this book failed to wow me as it did most readers. I found it too be too slow in spots and I struggled with the writing. What worked were the three main characters and a very unlikeable character that I found myself booing and hissing at.

There are some wonderful descriptions and characterizations in this book. The author did a great job with that. This just didn't wow me as it did other readers.