Sarah Crabtree’s Terror from Beyond Middle England follows one woman escaping her ordinary life, replete with dysfunctional family, for adventure, mystery, and romance. Zara begins innocently enough, hopping on a train to Lichfield, crashing a geriatric party, and falling into bed with a scientist who does not believe in love at first sight. But as Alan invites her to stay and the two try to build a relationship, Zara’s past catches up to her and even stranger events unfold.
Despite mysterious intruders, a suspiciously resilient ant population, genetic modification protesters, unwanted familial nagging via phone, scandalous trysts, laboratory secrets, and missing laundry items, Zara perseveres. She finds solace in cups of tea and new friend Old Marcus. Indeed, Zara’s tenderness for the man foreshadows the reunion with her deranged mother and her rise as the story’s heroine.
Crabtree has created a genre-busting work of British humor and fantastical plot. Unpredictable events and colorful characters speed this read along. Midway through the novel the omniscient narrator surfaces to deliver a memorable, insightful, and utterly hilarious summary of Zara’s bizarre reality and faulted behavior. Nominated for a British Fantasy Society award, Zara’s journey from small-town temp to Doomsday Globe sleuth will keep you reading. Recommended for people who screen their phone calls because they know drama is calling.
No comments:
Post a Comment