If you’re looking for a short but powerful read about love, family and grief, I recommend this one. I also liked the way it combined history, science, and writing, but that’s secondary to the raw emotion of the book. It’s almost like reading poetry. Balen is an author of children’s books and this is her adult debut.
The story captured my attention immediately. Main character Anna is packing and impulse-shopping for a trip up to Northern England, where she’ll have a writing fellowship for a month. She gets solitude and lodging in exchange for publicizing the fellowship. It’s a much needed getaway from painful events that aren’t explained right at the beginning – but due to frequent references to “the box” it’s clear there is grief involved. Anna’s husband, JP, cares deeply and recognizes her need to get away and write.
Anna’s cottage is located near the bogs, and while she’s out walking one night she sees a couple of men looking down at the ground, where they see a face in the mud. The police bring in a team of archaeologists who will excavate her and determine who she is, from what time period, and how she died.
Anna has been numb, unable to write or feel, but she feels an instant connection. Seeing this woman raised out of the bog raises all the emotions in her that she’s been suppressing.
There isn’t a lot more I can tell you about the story, though if you’re looking for action and mystery, this is not the one for you. It’s mostly introspective, which makes it a perfect book for me. There are traumatic things in this book that are hard to read, but the writing is so beautiful it’s very worth it. I also really liked the way Balen describes the characters in the book, particularly Jen and JP, and the way the archaeologists think about the ethical issues involved with excavating a body, even one that’s thousands of years old.
If you were fascinated by the history in Sarah Moss’s Ghost Wall, as well as the powerful emotions it evoked, I recommend this one.
I received an advanced review copy of this book from NetGalley and publisher HarperVia. This book will be released February 17, 2026.
