The Beacon (novel)

Plot introduction

Reception

• Joanna Briscoe in The Guardian described it as a "novel of great structural and stylistic control" and as being "an almost perfect little literary novel outside any genre. A cross-generational family story barely longer than a novella, it possesses the light tug of menace and almost invisible haze of tension that characterise Hill's ghost stories, yet there is nothing supernatural about this tale of a farming family grounded in the seasons. The slippery nature of memory is what casts an atmosphere of unease over the novel".
• Laura Thompson in The Telegraph writes "this short book is richly satisfying. Hill's craftsmanship is masterly. We are always aware of the farming backdrop: the book begins with a superb evocation of rural hardship, whose inexorable rhythms read like pared-down Thomas Hardy." and goes on to describe it as "a little masterpiece".
• The Times said it was "a moving, evocative and rewarding novel".

  Radio Dramatisation

Publication history

• 2008, UK, Chatto & Windus,, Pub date 02 Oct 2008, Hardback
• 2009, UK, Vintage Books,, Pub date 01 Oct 2009, Paperback