Life has gone somewhat wrong for Ben Mercer. His wife has left him for a man who was their archaeology professor at university, taking his daughter and any plans for a future he may have had. Ben is aware that this is something that he invited – through his own behaviour towards her and the world in general. He escapes to Greece, not knowing where he is headed but finding himself drawn there thanks to his own archeological profession and a hope that if he runs far enough, the pain might go away.

Whilst he is killing time, working in a filthy back-street restaurant removed from the tourist district in Athens, Ebehard, a university collegue inexplicably shows up for a meal. Although they had never been close, Ben speaks to him and gleans that he is involved in a dig. That dig is searching for artefacts from ancient Sparta. Although he isn’t invited, Ben realises that that is what he was looking for. He applies for a position, and wins a place on the dig. Thus begins what he first sees as redemption and release, but what turns into a nightmare for Ben as he finds himself caught up with something he can’t escape from, and wants no part in.

There are two words I would use to describe this book. Gripping and poetic.

As a thriller, it achieved what it set out to do. Although saying a novel is atmospheric is somewhat cliched, the tension, emotion and sense of ‘being on the outside’ was palpable throughout this book.  Ben never really belongs with the group he meets on the dig in Sparta, and the author has managed to convey that sense even when the words suggested that he had been accepted and fitted in. I don’t know whether I felt that sense of being on the outside so clearly because I had experienced it in my life before, or because the author’s skill with words was such that you couldn’t avoid it. I suspect it is a combination of both. The climax to the book is breathtaking. As a reader, you feel as out on a limb as the protagonist. You are kept away from the secret for as long as Ben is, and you aren’t given any hint until he is faced with it in all of its horror.

Yet throughout, the tension is created in language that is beautifully poetic. Indeed, at times the paragraphs read like poetry rather than prose which, I think, helped create the atmosphere. I was incredibly impressed by this novel – Tobias Hill is an author with a true gift of language.

Rating: 9/10
ISBN: 978-0-571-21838-7
Publisher: Faber and Faber
Year: 2009
Date Finished: 14 February 2009
Pages: 352