Questa tematica va a scontrarsi con l’operato di Thomas, il più meritevoli di tutti. È proprio lui a insegnare a Newt e agli altri ragazzini l’importanza dell’alfabetizzazione e delle storie. Motivo per cui ho davvero apprezzato il suo personaggio. Un uomo erudito dall’inizio alla fine. Aggiungo anche l’ottima l’evoluzione del personaggio di Newt, ma per motivi di spoiler non approfondisco. The Gifts is essentially a piece of brilliantly structured magical realism with 4 key themes: the power of greed, of love, of religion in the wrong hands and, most importantly, of women. Set primarily in 19th century London but with the addition of Shropshire and (very briefly) my home county of Essex, it uses the time to weave a new perspective around how much we allowed greed ridden men to rule over talented women. Julia Eccleshare said: “The Branford Boase Award is now in its 21 st year, and it has really come of age. Each year we look for exceptional books, stories we haven’t read before, told in new and original ways. Both Bearmouth and The Space We’re In do this, and both Liz and Katya have extraordinarily memorable voices even amongst a shortlist of such exciting debut authors. We all agreed that Bearmouth is the outstanding novel on the list, a hugely brave and impressive piece of writing, testament to the skill of both author and editor in successfully creating such characters and such a narrative. It’s a book that sends shivers down the spine, truly astounding. As always, we can’t wait to read what the shortlisted authors will write next.” Newt is a young miner, described early on as “not a boy nor yet a wimmin,” who lives and works in a mine named Bearmouth. All the boys and men there are trapped by low wages, cruel management, and a draconian religion, thus dooming them to a life of servitude. The miners develop a family underground with Newt being especially close to Thomas, who is teaching the young miner to read. When a new worker named Devlin is added to their crew, Newt is wary yet drawn to him. Devlin begins to plant seeds of revolution in Newt’s mind, so when a secret is revealed and their way of life is challenged, Newt’s eyes are opened to how very trapped they all are. Debut author Hyder gives Newt a distinctive voice. The prose is written phonetically, as if Newt is sharing the story with what little knowledge of writing they have. It’s a challenge to get into the rhythm of this writing style, which may be off putting to readers, but the world-building is strong, as life in the claustrophobic mines seems to be a cross between a dystopian future and the Victorian era. There is a scene with the threat of sexual assault. Physical appearance isn’t often described, though Devlin is white and Thomas has brown skin. Little Badman and the Invasion of the Killer Aunties by Humza Arshad and Henry White, edited by Holly Harris and Sharan Matharu, illus Aleksei Bitskoff (Puffin)

I work as a freelance PR consultant in the arts and run creative writing workshops as well as writing. I think it’s very hard these days to be a full time writer – almost all of the writers I know juggle their writing with other jobs. I’d love to become a full time writer but I know, realistically, it’s also very hard to make it work – we’ll see! Liz Hyder's debut doesn't read like a debut at all. Newt's voice and character made me care deeply about what happens to the young protagonist. The setting of the mines is skilfully drawn and contributes to the darkness of the novel. Bearmouth is gritty, political and incredibly well written and plotted. Thank you so much Liz for your story. And to the publisher, Zaffre Books for sending me an advance copy in exchange for an honest review. What a magnificent and beautifully inspiring book this was! I devoured it in only a couple of sittings it was THAT gripping. It is a mixture of historical fiction and magical realism with interesting and engaging characters and is highly compelling. My thanks to Sourcebooks Landmark and NetGalley for the DRC of “The Gifts”. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.

The chapters were short and snappy. This is how I like my books. I feel like I’m not quite ready to move onto another book yet because The Gifts is still under my skin, like the bursting wings of those ‘chosen’ women. Liz has written this piece for Teen Librarian, about the importance of rebellion and asking questions At the bare minimum, I was intrigued by the story - it seems like the MC is gay and is crushing on a guy named Devlin and that possibly Devlin is the devil. And there's something happening in the mines - something haunting and dangerous. Sadly I was unable to finish this book. The harrowing and graphic torture and killing of the dog by the surgeon about 10% of the way into the book was way too much for me. It turned my stomach and made me very upset. I don't know what else is in the book but that requires a Content Warning. It is a thing I can't stand and something I avoid in books and movies. It makes me hugely distressed. I can't imagine what that level of distressing detail could possibly add to the story. You could easily show he was an evil man without the detail. I loved the concept and challenge of this book, but it didn't hold me in the way I initially hoped or thought it would. Newt, the (tween/teen?) protagonist, has spend years beneath the earth working in a mine. Newt bunks with a number of other miners, mostly adults, one of whom has started to teach them how to read and write. Reading the narrative, therefore, initially requires significant phonetic decoding as you get used to the way Newt's voice sounds when converted to text.

Life in Bearmouth is one of hard labour, the sunlit world above the mine a distant memory. Reward will come in the next life with the benevolence of the Mayker. New accepts everything - that is, until the mysterious Devlin arrives. Suddenly, Newt starts to look at Bearmouth with a fresh perspective, questioning the system, and setting in motion a chain of events that could destroy their entire world. Bearmouth is home to a grim mining business, where men and children labour under inhumane conditions to make their Master wealthy. They work under the earth, under the omniscient Mayker who - so workers are told - “sen us down into the dark Earf/To atone for the sins o our forefarvers an muvvers”. Naïve Newt hasn’t seen daylight in years, but takes pride in being taught to read and write by fatherly Thomas, blithely accepting this lot until the arrival of new boy Devlin. Devlin’s talk of “revolushun” makes Newt feel that things are “unravellin slowly slowly lyke a bootlayce comin all undun.” I was very kindly sent an ARC of this book from the publishers Pushkinpress to read and review, but as always all views are my own! The story is essentially one of political and self-awakening. Through a series of tragic events, it becomes clear to Newt that the miners are being exploited and mistreated. Despite the risk of harm and possible death, Newt hatches a plan to enlighten their fellow workers and free them -- from ideologies that keep them subserviant as well as from the mine itself. This is a novel based on a slightly bizarre concept - in the mid-nineteenth century, a number of women grow wings. In an age of scientific discovery also still heavily influenced by religious beliefs, this piques the interest of doctors and captures the public imagination.

Liz Hyder Press Reviews

The nearest town is Drummond, approximately 8 miles (13km) to the east. The nearest large city is Missoula, about 40 miles (64km) to the west. The next large city to the east is Butte, 80 miles (130km) to the southeast. The Illusions is the captivating new novel from the much-lauded author of The Gifts. Inspired by real-life illusionists and early film pioneers, this astonishing story of women and talent, magic and power, sweeps you into a world where anything is possible and nothing is quite as it seems... I’m editing Bearmouth for publication with the brilliant Pushkin Press, which is very exciting, but I’m also researching the next book and brainstorming ideas for TV and film. Lots going on! I’m scared of the dark, and I don’t like small spaces or being underground, so writing a book about a mine was a foolish thing. But I did go down a lot of mines, and I read a lot of books about that period of mining. And then it sort of wrote itself. Newt was such a strong character in my head. The atmosphere is brilliant here! you really get that closed in , and closed off, claustrophobic feel and i loved it! it was creepy and it was daunting too. Reading at the very end of the book about the research and reading the Author did to achieve that feeling really added to it as well, and i really felt like it paid off massively!