Member Review
Review by
Grace M, Reviewer
Thanks to NetGalley for an advance copy of this book.
Belinda Bauer has written that rare thing, something different in crime and thriller, with a bit of historical thrown in!
"The Impossible Thing" is a captivating novel that spans a century, beginning in 1926 on the cliffs of Yorkshire. Men are lowered on ropes to steal the eggs of seabirds, which are sold for large sums. A young girl named Celie Sheppard finds a rare scarlet egg, altering the course of her life. A century later, Patrick Fort and his friend Nick discover the world of egg trafficking while trying to retrieve a stolen egg. The novel weaves together themes of obsession, greed, and ambition
Celie Sheppard is both young, neglected and small for her age. For her stealing the eggs is a means to be able to eat omelette! Her mother has become a single parent with a farm to run, too many children and the main man about the house is an almost entirely silent boy called Robert, who takes charge of Celie and she follows him round like a chick to a mother hen. The historical setting was vividly described, making it easy to visualise the harsh conditions of the time. The plot was well-paced, with plenty of twists and turns to keep me engaged.
In the modern day, Patrick was a completely likeable character who gets involved when his friend, Nick, and Nick’s mother is robbed and it becomes clear it’s a bird egg that was the target of the robbery - Nick has found it amongst his late fathers old possessions in the attic and tried to sell it on eBay. Patrick is clearly clever but lacking social skills, and clearly on the spectrum, he’s very literal and has to remember that he needs to try not to be so literal! But his friend depends on him completely, until Patrick finds exactly how to get hi to rise to the challenge - a nice touch in this tale.
Some parts of the novel felt a bit slow, especially during the transitions between the historical and modern-day timelines. I really wasn’t sure about the egg stealing as a theme, it wasn’t something that interested me but the description of the guillemots losing their egg, their distress at finding it gone and their return year in year only for the same thing to happen, was truly heart breaking and you become invested in the story.
I’m generally a fan of. Belinda Bauer’s books and here she masterfully blends historical and modern-day narratives, using the rare scarlet egg as a symbol of hope and transformation. The novel's exploration of human greed and the lengths people will go to achieve their desires is thought-provokingand disturbing. The detailed descriptions of the Yorkshire cliffs and the egg-stealing operations add depth to the story and the obsession of the collector throughout the book is enlightening.
I highly recommend "The Impossible Thing" to fans of contemporary and historical crime fiction and mystery thrillers. It's a compelling read for those who enjoy intricate plots and well-developed characters.
Belinda Bauer has written that rare thing, something different in crime and thriller, with a bit of historical thrown in!
"The Impossible Thing" is a captivating novel that spans a century, beginning in 1926 on the cliffs of Yorkshire. Men are lowered on ropes to steal the eggs of seabirds, which are sold for large sums. A young girl named Celie Sheppard finds a rare scarlet egg, altering the course of her life. A century later, Patrick Fort and his friend Nick discover the world of egg trafficking while trying to retrieve a stolen egg. The novel weaves together themes of obsession, greed, and ambition
Celie Sheppard is both young, neglected and small for her age. For her stealing the eggs is a means to be able to eat omelette! Her mother has become a single parent with a farm to run, too many children and the main man about the house is an almost entirely silent boy called Robert, who takes charge of Celie and she follows him round like a chick to a mother hen. The historical setting was vividly described, making it easy to visualise the harsh conditions of the time. The plot was well-paced, with plenty of twists and turns to keep me engaged.
In the modern day, Patrick was a completely likeable character who gets involved when his friend, Nick, and Nick’s mother is robbed and it becomes clear it’s a bird egg that was the target of the robbery - Nick has found it amongst his late fathers old possessions in the attic and tried to sell it on eBay. Patrick is clearly clever but lacking social skills, and clearly on the spectrum, he’s very literal and has to remember that he needs to try not to be so literal! But his friend depends on him completely, until Patrick finds exactly how to get hi to rise to the challenge - a nice touch in this tale.
Some parts of the novel felt a bit slow, especially during the transitions between the historical and modern-day timelines. I really wasn’t sure about the egg stealing as a theme, it wasn’t something that interested me but the description of the guillemots losing their egg, their distress at finding it gone and their return year in year only for the same thing to happen, was truly heart breaking and you become invested in the story.
I’m generally a fan of. Belinda Bauer’s books and here she masterfully blends historical and modern-day narratives, using the rare scarlet egg as a symbol of hope and transformation. The novel's exploration of human greed and the lengths people will go to achieve their desires is thought-provokingand disturbing. The detailed descriptions of the Yorkshire cliffs and the egg-stealing operations add depth to the story and the obsession of the collector throughout the book is enlightening.
I highly recommend "The Impossible Thing" to fans of contemporary and historical crime fiction and mystery thrillers. It's a compelling read for those who enjoy intricate plots and well-developed characters.
*This page contains affiliate links, so we may earn a small commission when you make a purchase through links on our site at no additional cost to you.
