Micro Review 39

 

The Long Field by Pamela Petro (Little Toller Books)

Review copy supplied by the publisher

The Long Field of Petro's title isn't a literal field, rather is is the literal translation of the Welsh term hiraeth and the book is a meditation on how a place or country can worm its way into your life and leave you 'homesick' for this location.

Unlike true homesickness hiraeth isn't necessarily about your physical home but is more about the idea of place, and while I've not spent any amount of time in Wales to experience the same feelings as Petro there were definitely parts of her feelings that I understood instantly.

Being in lock down in the spring of 2020 and then the winter of 2021 I realised just how important watery landscapes are to me, and until we found local walks that encompassed river scenes I was definitely pining for water in a way that I'd not really experienced before.

Equally in 2017 (and to a lesser extent in 2014) when I got to spend time in the Rocky Mountains I instantly felt a connection and love of the landscape that I'd not experienced before. Since returning to the flatlands of East Anglia I've felt the pull of the mountains in a way that hiraeth as used by Petro can explain.

I very much enjoyed this exploration of Petro's life and hiraeth and pass on many thanks to Little Toller for supplying me with a reading copy.