Thanks to Grove Atlantic | Atlantic Monthly Press and NetGalley for this ARC of 'The Impossible Thing' by Belinda Bauer.

What an absolutely enthralling book.

Two parallel and intertwined timelines (if that's even possible), starting nearly a century apart, and revolving around a much-desired red guillemot egg.

In between the wars, we follow the goings on in the rabid egg-collecting world in England where eggs are stolen from their parents and traded among the wealthy at a time when they're serious status symbols. In the 2020s, we follow the goings on among thieves, museums, charities, and individuals where eggs are still being stolen and traded in a time when it's illegal to even own them.

Populated by wonderfully drawn characters in both timelines - Celie, Patrick, Weird Nick predominantly - and thoroughly laced with humour throughout, as well as violence and social commentary I was completely pulled into the story. Really engrossing.

This would make a wonderful 'small' film. I can see Hugh Grant in one of the roles and at least a cameo from Olivia Colman!

I'm away off to find Belinda Bauer's other books now.

This uses the historical element that I was expecting and hoped from the description. The concept worked overall and had that element that I wanted. It uses the time-period perfectly and had characters that felt like they belonged in this world. Belinda Bauer wrote this well and left me wanting more.

There are villains and heroes, mystery and crime, dangers and tragedy, abandonment and mistreatment, ambition and greed, family and friendship, death and remorse as well as love and forgiveness.
There is a dog named Patch …
There is a feeling of a guardian angel protecting a child …
There is ‘coming-of-age’ - inspiration-growth-misery-
sadness, tears and laughter-hoarders and obsessiveness-
fears and hope as well as joyful humanitarian warmth throughout….
….and true earned happiness.
There is also Belinda Bauer’s ‘one-of-a-kind’ memorable characters and fascinating historical-fiction storytelling about birds eggs — stealing birds’ eggs.
As Nick said, “who knew the world of eggs was so cut-throat!”
Beautiful Guillemot eggs — all shades of blue… brown, green, pale, dark scribbled, spotted, splashed . . . red …

There were a million seabirds — each and everyone of them drawn back every summer to same place— The North Yorkshire cliffs — the same tiny ledge, where it would lay its eggs and raise its chicks . . .
A thousand birds - maybe ten thousand. Gulls and fulmars and guillemots and puffins and gannets and kittiwakes and razorbills.
Eggs were being stollen …. being sold to wealthy greedy collectors.

Celie Sheppard’s father, John Sheppard, left when she was born.
“The four older, darker children wanted no part of Celie. They didn’t know what she done wrong — only that she had come and their father had left, and they considered it a very bad exchange”.
Celie, was tiny …really tiny. She looked like a three year old when she was six years old.
Enid Sheppard, now a single mother to five children, hired a helper - Robert - to work on their farm…..’The Metland Farm’.
Robert was slow, but responsible. Robert was loyal. He was only eight years of age when he first came to work at the Metland Farm. He had food - a blanket - and slept in the barn with his dog, Patch.
Enid appointed Robert as caretaker to Celie. The older siblings usually shunned Celie.
Between feeds, Robert, carried tiny Celie all over the farm from job to job.
As Celie grew older — she still followed Robert around from job to job.
The Sheppard family was poor - barely making ends meet.
Further into the story we discover just how brave this tiny girl is.
“Celie remembered with a start that there was another egg still in the deep pocket of the old leather apron”.
“And even though she had no way of knowing it that night — and wouldn’t properly understand it for a good while yet — that was the egg that would change your life”.

Nextdoor to the Sheppard’s was another single mother, Jen Brecon Beacons. Her son, Nick, was friends with a character we got to know from her novel, Rubberneckers:
Patrick Fort….(autistic). Patrick was slower to react and fully understand the context of situations.
One day when Patrick went over to Nick’s house ….(he called his friend “Weird Nick”). Patrick saw the door open.
“Hello Mrs. Nick”
“He knew something was wrong. And he had muddy shoes. His friend’s mother was super fussy about shoes in the house.
But he kept his shoes on in case he had to run”.
The house was in shambles. Weird Nick’s mother was lying face down on the floor by the fire, which had gone out.
Her mouth had been covered by a piece of broad silver tape. Her wrist were bound.Her ankles were also bound”.
“Where’s Nicky?”
“Weird Nick was also tied up and bound in plastic under his bed in his bedroom”.
“Patrick untied both of them”.
The robbers stole a scarlet egg tucked inside a carved box.
Nick and Patrick set out with a plan to get the egg back. It was a valuable egg— and illegal to sell bird’s eggs.

The narrative weaves past and present stories together …. giving us a very entertaining story about the stealing of bird eggs.
I knew nothing about the history of smuggling rare bird eggs.
I knew nothing about criminal collectors (oologists), who stole eggs from wild clutches to build collections of different species and trade with one another.
It’s an absolute trip to learn about something I knew nothing.

“The Impossible Thing” is a FABULOUS HISTORICAL FICTION novel. Its idiosyncrasy is eccentric and deliciously strangely outlandish…… utterly unique…..entertaining!!!
The characters are what make this novel so endearing….funny …and touching.

Congrats to Belinda Bauer
….for another outstanding -educational-entertaining crime novel.
Belinda Bauer, writes intelligent-brilliant crime novels.
She’s been longlisted for the Man Booker Prize for “Snap”. …as well as having received many other well-deserving awards.
This makes the seventh book I’ve read (each more distinct than the next), by this very gifted author, who grew up in England and South Africa. She now lives in Wales.

I found a small quote by Belinda that I’d like to share….(I see it - have seen it - in all her books):
“According to Belinda Bauer, crime is actually the story of how lives of people can change by the misdeeds of others. From the pensioner who may loose his savings in a crash in stock market, to a refugee, to a mugging victim. Life is a river and crime is the rocks. And it is just when people hit the rock, that they are capable of finding out whether they are the ones of life’s swimmers or sinkers.
The famous writer focuses on survival and recovery— the rock itself is almost incidental”.

Wonderful on soooo many levels!!!

I’ve been a fan of Belinda Bauer since I read Rubbernecks. I was thrilled to see she had a new book coming out. I have to say she is incredibly talented and took a unique and perhaps dull subject matter of egg collecting and made it riveting and touching. I devoured this story in a day and was sad when it ended. She is one of the very best.

4.5 Stars raised to 5. When I first discovered a book by Belinda Bauer on Goodreads, I was enthralled with its original storyline and memorable characters This led me to read and enjoy all her books in rapid succession, and I considered her a must-read favourite crime writer. It has been a long time since her last book, and I was worried that she had retired from writing. I was excited to learn that she has a new book, 'The Impossible Thing,' coming soon, and was thrilled to obtain the ARC through NetGalley and the publisher. This went to the top of my reading list, and I neglected everything else to read it in one day.

The book introduced me to the obscure, mostly forgotten topic of egg collecting, and the story was riveting. The story examines the cruel world of egg trafficking on the cliffs of Yorkshire in the 1920s. Men are lowered on ropes over the cliffs where sea birds build their nests, putting some species in danger of extinction. Rival egg traffickers await them on the cliff above. They offer payment for the eggs retrieved and resell them to wealthy collectors and scientific institutions for a huge profit. It is a story of greed and the obsessive quest by wealthy men to obtain unique, priceless eggs valued for their colours and markings. The nesting birds are made frantic by their loss, and with their eggs being stolen, extinction is forthcoming.

The most desired and priceless eggs have been retrieved by Celie, a tiny neglected girl from nearby Metland farm. She did not resemble her siblings, so the father left when she was born, leaving her mother to struggle on an impoverished farm. Her mother blamed Celie for everything, and the girl was undernourished and tiny, about the size of children half her age. Her small size and bravery led to her being lowered through a small opening on the cliff, where she obtained an unusual treasure, a vivid red egg from a guillemot pair that is highly coveted. By the late 1930s, Matland Farm had prospered due to money Celie received for her efforts, and she decided she was finished retrieving the precious eggs for the traffickers.

Later, Patrick Ford ( an autistic man from Rubberneckers) visits his friend Weird Nick. He finds Nick and his mother tied up in their remote home following a home invasion. The only thing stolen in the robbery was an elaborately carved case containing a scarlet egg. Nick had advertised the egg briefly on eBay but discovered that the selling bird's eggs was now prohibited by law.

The two young men decide to go on a quest to find the stolen egg Nick is brave and reckless, and Patrick's unique thought patterns make him invaluable in the search. He decides there is not just one egg missing but thirty eggs, according to the number of times Celie had been lowered through the small crevice. Very few have guessed this number exists, and the precious eggs may be hidden and forever lost to history. There are so many places where the eggs may have been kept secretly. Where to start looking? Patrick and Nick may be putting their lives in danger. Also, Celie, now married and pregnant, is at risk.
I found the characters to be fascinating, but their vast numbers and names tended to confuse me. There were the names of children, workers on nearby farms, rival traffickers, obsessive and dangerous collectors, etc. I wish I had kept notes. Nevertheless, I was absorbed in the thrills and suspense of the story. I was happy to see hope in the present day that the extinction of wild sea birds may be avoided through the efforts of conservationists.

I highly recommend this book and Bauer's previous books. 'The Impossible Thing' is due to be published on April 08. 2025.

This is my first Belinda Bauer story! How did I not know about this eclectic, violente, dramatic and unique author ?

There are two more ore less stories stitched together in this far reaching yet captivating tale. First, there is Celie, a poor, young, peasant who discovers a dangerous method of harvesting sought after rare eggs on a precarious cliff in the 1920's and there is the unlikely duo of neighbors Patrick and Weird Nick set in present day that focus upon the team dealing with a theft --presumably of one of the eggs Celie once stole.

What unfolds is a wild journey through the world of egg trafficking, reminiscent of The Orchid Thief in the best possible way. Bauer pulls no punches when it comes to the macabre and violent twists, yet her writing is so melodic and compelling that it carries readers through the grittier moments with ease. If this story sounds intriguing to you, I promise it’s that and so much more. It’s nearly impossible to summarize—yet impossible to put down.

Whether you’re a longtime Bauer fan (as I now am), a lover of the curious and mysterious, or just want a unique tale to take you away, The Impossible Thing is for you!
#groveatlantic #theimpossiblething #belindabauer

Patrick Fort (first encountered in the author's Rubberneckers) is back in a story that is utterly engrossing and totally original. I'm delighted the author trusts her readers enough to put the pieces of a puzzle together.

Like many stories these days, the narrative has sections from the past interwoven with the present. In the past, collectors and bystanders enjoyed watching daredevil hunters gather birds' eggs off a steep cliff over the ocean. A family has access to piece of that cliff that nobody has touched because it's so difficult to access, but a tiny girl is able to be lowered down on a rope. The egg she brings back is red - a rarity, and worth a lot of money to collectors. She returns year after year to steal eggs from the same nest, and her family's fortunes change until she refuses to do it again - and the agent who handled the eggs decides to take action that results in tragedy.

In the present, Patrick Fort and his good friend, the amiable Weird Nick, have found something unexpected in an attic - a gorgeously carved wooden case with a red egg inside. Is that what thieves were looking for when they broke into the cottage and ransacked the place? Patrick and Nick go on a quest to find out why someone wants the egg so badly, getting involved with an eccentric and obsessive collector, a passionate antagonist of egg-collecting, and a museum curator overseeing a massive historical collection of eggs.

It's brilliant, and sometimes funny, sometimes touching, always gorgeously written and constructed. Top marks.

I loved this book. It took me less than 24 hours to read, and given my aging eyes, that’s impressive.

But, as with many Belinda Bauer books, how do I organize the review. It begins with Finn Garrett stalking Matthew Barr in the woods. An exciting moment, and then it’s over. Garrett and Barr will appear sporadically throughout the novel, but they are minor characters. Then the timeframe switches to the 1920s, and a description of men who steal bird’s eggs to sell to egg collectors. Do I start here, because the story is about egg collectors? But Chapter 3 is about Celie Sheppard at Metland Farm, an outcast due to the fact that she looked nothing like her mother’s husband. He left the family to fend for itself, and it was all Celie’s fault in the eyes of her mother and siblings. Do I start here, because Celie is the first character in the novel who continues to play a major part in the narrative.

Or do I start at Chapter 4, with the main theme?

*****

“The Impossible Thing” marks the return of Patrick Fort, the autistic young man who player an important role in “Rubberneckers”. Now in his mid-twenties, Patrick and his friend, Weird Nick (who played a minor role in “Rubberneckers”), are on a quest. Patrick discovers Weird Nick and his mother tied up after a home invasion. But the only thing stolen was a bird’s egg that Nick had briefly listed on eBay. It was listed for only 30 minutes because Nick discovered that it was illegal to sell the eggs of wild birds—but as Patrick and Nick later discover, before egg collecting became illegal, a coterie of wealthy men had maintained unique collections.

As Patrick and Nick carry on their quest to retrieve Nick’s egg, we learn about egg collectors and their obsessive nature. Only Belinda Bauer could take such a boring topic and make it fascinating.

Throughout the novel, the timeframe periodically changes from Patrick and Nick in the present to the past (1920 to 1939), as we follow Celie Sheppard of Metland Farm, who becomes a heroine when she discovers a way to obtain a special guillemot egg—special because of its colour. Only Celie is brave enough to take the perilous cliff swing to obtain what becomes called the “Metland Eggs” and consequently, over time, Celie’s family gains enough money to live comfortably.

For Celie, it comes to a climax (in the late 1930s) when she decides she doesn’t want to steal any more eggs from the guillemot parents, but an obsessive collector refuses to heed her request. For Patrick and Nick, it comes to a climax (in the present) when they attempt to retrieve the stolen egg from an obsessive collector.

*****

This is a story about (1) a noble quest; (2) irrational obsessive collectors; (3) a young girl’s bravery; and (4) Patrick’s unusual but effective thinking patterns. It is difficult to classify, but if you are a Belinda Bauer fan, you won’t want to stop reading.

Thanks to Grove Atlantic for providing an electronic copy of this book via Netgalley. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinions.

I am always a wee bit sad to end a book written by Belinda Bauer, I just wanted it to go on, you know :)
Another story by her that got me hooked from the beginning with lots of surprising things happening. Thankfully, no weird twists and turns, chasing, etc., as I am not into those sort of mystery and thrillers which I find exhausting. Instead, we read about people who are mostly winging it. And you just see where that gets them...

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of the book.