Not quite a novel, it’s composed of nine stories that are linked by setting and characters, but which could also be read independently. The Hollow Land is one of those books that is hard to put into a box. Now reissued by Europa Editions, this is a long-lost treasure that should be hailed with joy by Gardam’s fans, as well as those who have yet to experience the pleasure of the author’s many fine qualities. This is the magic of the Hollow Land, the ancient mine-riddled region of Cumbria about which Jane Gardam wrote with great warmth and affection in her 1981 book by that name.
A monumental quarrel is averted by a child’s adroit intervention, while threats from the outside world are repelled by native cunning and the right dose of bad weather. A theft turns into a gift, and a surly city girl into a contented farmer’s wife.
A pool of blood turns out to be blackberry juice.
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