The Reservoir Tapes by Jon McGregor ARC

As broadcast on BBC radio 4: the fifteen 'prequel' stories to Reservoir 13.

'He leaves behind all other writers of his generation' Sarah Hall

Midwinter in the early years of this century. A teenage girl on holiday has gone missing in the hills at the heart of England. The villagers are called up to join the search, fanning out across the moors as the police set up roadblocks and a crowd of news reporters descends on their usually quiet home.

But the aftershocks of Becky Shaw's disappearance have origins long before then, and those in the village have losses, and secrets, and stories of their own...

A woman remembers a son's inexperience - and a father's rage; a young wife pushes against the boundaries of her marriage, whilst an older one finds ways to ensure the survival of hers. A hunt for a birthday present takes an alarming turn, and a teenage game grows serious.

Fresh hurts open old wounds, salvation comes from unexpected quarters and chance encounters release long-buried memories.

First broadcast as a series of specially-commissioned stories on BBC Radio 4, The Reservoir Tapes returns to the territory of the Booker-longlisted Reservoir 13, revealing the web of connections that bind us, and the many layers on which we all build our truths.

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[Could you / I'd like to hear about that day, before anything happened / Just, from the beginning (1: CHARLOTTE)]

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(Fourth Estate, 28 December 2017, ebook, ARC provided by the publisher via NetGalley and voluntarily reviewed)

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I really enjoyed The Reservoir Tapes. You really need to have read Reservoir 13 to fully appreciate these tales.

I enjoyed every tale in this collection.

Not every story solely focused on Becky's disappearance. Many of them touch on it in some form or another but for the most part Becky's disappearance serves as a springboard for other secrets and revelations. I liked this because I was expecting to read stories that were just other people's opinion of Becky.

Some of the stories, especially towards the end of the collection had pretty dark overtones as it's revealed Becky is not as sweet and innocent as originally thought.

I loved the idea behind The Reservoir Tapes and wish more authors would do something similar.