2006 book 83

sarah hall's haweswater
this is actually hall's first novel, but apparently it's being reissued this fall since electric michelangelo was so successful. anyway, it takes place in a rural town in england in the 1920s and 1930s, and has that sort of slow, rural, old-fashioned feel to it. it really took me a while to read, though things do pick up partway through, as the small town finds out that a new dam being built is going to flood them out, and a young girl from the town gets involved with someone from the water company. it's not a cheerful book by any stretch of the imagination, but it's certainly well-written. and a note to triangle locals: hall apparently lives in north carolina part of the year, and will be doing readings in the raleigh-durham area, so check that out.