'The Divide' (Nicholas Evans)

From the author of The Horse Whisperer, I expected brilliance. An evocative, multi-layered masterpiece that, if it didn’t bring tears, would yield at least a significant lump. It’s been ten years since Nicholas Evans’ catalytic first novel and four years since his last. I expected a novel worth waiting for.

The Divide isn’t bad. In fact, it’s a compelling story once you get into it and the main characters are deliciously real. There’s also a strong sub-plot centred on the divide between men and women; as Evans puts it, “…what happens when, over the years, they change in different ways and their needs and hopes, their passions and yearnings diverge”.

But the tale of pretty privileged Abbie Cooper – wanted for acts of eco-terrorism, missing for months and found dead on a frozen mountain by a couple of skiers – is no Grace McLean, equine tragedy and human pain. The Divide didn’t weave the same web around me; didn’t convey hurt and healing with the same ugly beauty.

It’s a good read, disappointing only because it comes from a writer I assumed to be great.

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