John Cardinal’s novel takes us to a fictional Baltic island that echoes the rugged, often stark beauty of Gotland, off Sweden’s east coast. Dorset estate agent Guy – initially as sleepy as Columbus, his hibernating tortoise – seems an unlikely hero. But if humour fuzzes the edges of his reality at first, later events are to give him no easy ride. Sent by his family to search for a long-lost uncle, he is gradually forced to embrace much darker emotional perspectives that give the story its psychological edge.
As three successive disappearances drive the action, a change of narrative tone signals his response to the tragedy suffered by the woman he loves. With dawning insight into his own betrayal of her trust, Guy fears he could have jeopardized everything.
Trust the Dawn: published by The Book Guild, Oct 2010.
Hardback: 307 pp. ISBN 978-1-84624-525-1 RRP £17.99 (Amazon: discount).