About the Book
Britain, AD 72. Quintus, long exiled from his people, has travelled great odysseys in the retinue of a powerful Roman. Though a citizen of nowhere, he is a man of reason, fluent in many languages. Olwen, imperious tribal royalty, is rooted in her native land – a volatile warrior, fiercely attached to the natural world.
Given away by her father as part of a peace treaty, Olwen flees during the night, taking Quintus with her. Hunted by an army, the two make their way across the country, living off the land, heading for the western shore…
Format: eARC (208 pages) Publisher: Swift Press
Publication date: 2nd November 2023 Genre: Historical Fiction
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My Review
Although set in 1st century Britain, this story of two young people who form an instant bond despite being from different backgrounds, of different social status and from different warring sides, and who are forced to flee in order to be together is timeless. That’s not to say there’s no sense of the period because this is a Britain occupied by multiple tribes, some nomadic like Olwen’s own tribe, who follow old ways that have been handed down through the generations.
Initially Olwen, with her knowledge of the wild countryside they pass through as they attempt to outrun their pursuers, takes the lead. She is in tune with nature in a way Quintus, born in the city of Ephesus, is not. She educates him in the ways of birds and animals. “I did not know there was so much to see in this world”, he said. “Where my eyes would have passed over and noticed nothing. You have shown me, my love.’
As they shelter for the night, they share stories. Olwen recounts the legends associated with her ancestors whilst Quintus describes his life in Ephesus before he was enslaved. In a way, they are both enslaved because their value is weighed in terms of their use to others.
Gradually Quintus becomes less of a passenger, using the negotiation skills learned from his merchant father to get them out of a dangerous situation and introducing Olwen to things she’s never encountered before, such as the notion that hundreds of thousands of people could live crowded together in a place and not kill one another.
There are wonderful descriptions of the Welsh landscape through which Olwen and Quintus travel. ‘They climbed again above the treeline, where here and there dotted on the hillside odd trees grew like lonely sentinels sent out to survey the harsh landscape above.’ And I loved this description of the dawning of a new day. ‘The darkness drained upwards, off the horizon, and it was followed by colour, fierce pink paint daubed across the horizon by some hot impatient hand.’
Increasingly they become aware that such is the relentlessness and ruthlessness of their pursuers they risk bringing danger to those who seek to help them. This is demonstrated all too clearly in one particularly tragic episode.
Can you run forever? Like all great love stories, a happy ending is not guaranteed.
I loved Tim Pears’ West Country trilogy – The Horseman, The Wanderers and The Redeemed – which were all either longlisted or shortlisted for the Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction. Run to the Western Shore is another supremely well-crafted story that as well as being a moving tale about two young people is a love letter to the natural world.
I received an advance reader copy courtesy of Swift Press via NetGalley.
In three words: Immersive, emotional, poignant
Try something similar: Before the Swallows Come Back by Fiona Curnow
About the Author
Tim Pears is a Lannan Prize-winning author and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature. His books include In the Place of Fallen Leaves (winner of the Hawthornden Prize and the Ruth Hadden Memorial Award), In A Land of Plenty (made into a ten-part BBC series), Landed (shortlisted for the Royal Society of Literature Ondaatje Prize, winner of the MJA Open Book Awards), and The West Country Trilogy. (Photo: Publisher author page)
Connect with Tim
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