There’s nothing like a dose of darkness and claustrophobia to give a story intensity, and Liz Hyder’s excellent fantasy debut has plenty of both. We learn early on that its young protagonist Newt Coombes last saw daylight at the tender age of four. In the years since then, Newt has worked in the labyrinthine coalmine of the title, ruthlessly exploited in appalling conditions and a virtual prisoner for life.
The tale is told by Newt in the first person, the spelling phonetic because Newt is being taught to read by an older mentor – “Thomas is my best frend tho hes twice my age an more.” It could be a tricky device, making it difficult for readers to get into the story. But an idiolect gives a young character a distinctive, idiosyncratic voice – think A Clockwork Orange or Riddley Walker – and Hyder really pulls it off.
The plot gets going when a young rebel called Devlin is exiled to the mine and challenges the accepted order. Up to now Newt and the other miners – most of whom are grown men – have put up with their fate, seeking only to survive. But as Devlin says, “It only taykes one person to start a revolushun,” and soon Newt is caught up in a gripping narrative of violence and betrayal.
Hyder has said the novel grew out of her research into the exploitation of children in Victorian mines, and there is certainly a harrowing, gritty realism in the descriptions of Bearmouth. Yet she has gone far beyond her sources, creating a mythic tale with the feel of a fable, one in which the young and vulnerable take on the powerful and mighty.
You may have noticed I’ve been careful not to assign a gender to Newt. That’s because it’s a mystery to Newt, at least until adolescence kicks in at about the halfway mark, and what happens then only makes Newt’s life – and the plot – more complicated. There are several killings and some sexual violence, so that puts the book firmly in YA territory.
Hyder has also said that Bearmouth is definitely a one-off, with no sequels planned. But I’ll be looking out for her next book, whatever it is.
• Tony Bradman’s most recent book is Winter of the Wolves (Bloomsbury Education). Bearmouth is published by Pushkin (£12.99). To order a copy go to guardianbookshop.com or call 0330 333 6846. Free UK p&p over £15, online order only. Phone orders min p&p of £1.99
