#treacle walker

At 150 pages (large-ish print, well-spaced), you can read it in an afternoon. Then you will carry the words and ideas in your mind for a long time; possibly forever. The story says more than most door stopper novels ever do. I would call reading it an "experience".

The only niggle I have is that the publisher could have made the reading experience a bit easier by adding a small glossary. Garner employs (he works his words hard!) many very old Northern English words that you can't expect the majority of readers to be familiar with. I lived in a northern part of Britain for some years and did recognise a few - others I looked up online. You don't need to do a dictionary hunt; the story will show you via context what they mean. But hey, I happen to like etymology. :-)

For example, "glamourie" (remember "glamour" in True Blood?) is a Scots word meaning a charmed, magical condition. And "treacle" (the title is Treacle Walker after all) is a medieval term for medicine.

And do look up donkey stone, please.

The Guardian has a terrific review of Treacle Walker by Justine Jordan - but like all reviews, there is a certain amount of spoiling, so I recommend reading it after reading the book.

Since I started reading Alan Garner recently (beginning with The Weirdstone of Brisingamen), I now recognise recurring symbols, words, concepts. The White Horse of Uffington; the Summer Stars; the peat bogs and Lindow Man; a rich world of English, Welsh and Scottish culture unearthed by archaeology and mythology.

I can summarise Treacle Walker in only one simple way: it's pure magic. It's funny (oh, very funny!), it's confounding, it's riddle-some and vernacular, it's time-spinning - but above all it's eye-opening.