It’s just over two months since Wrecks came out, so I’ve pulled together a quick round-up of coverage and responses to a novel that seems to be subverting expectations and/or pleasantly surprising those who thought it was going to be One of Those Car Books. (‘It’s not Jeremy Clarkson with a piss fetish’ was allegedly said out loud during a recent event.)
In his write-up for the Financial Times, James Lovegrove said: ‘With measured calm, Hill spins a hypnotic, twisted yawn merging elements of ghost story, psychological thriller, and JG Ballard’s Crash.’
In a lovely piece in October’s issue of Locus, meanwhile, Ian Mond wrote: ‘Hill is an intensely physical writer. His characters are firmly embedded in and shaped by their environment. With Lamb, it’s the spread of an invasive mould that infiltrates every nook and cranny, including the human body. With Wrecks, it’s the oppressive, stifling atmosphere caused by a heat dome covering London […] Hill is writing about what we’re all seeing, what so many of us are experiencing.’
Over on her blog, the ever-brilliant Nina Allan called Wrecks ‘a thrilling ride, a story that centres male friendship – but at what cost? – and picks apart the idea of responsibility – at all levels,’ before concluding: ‘Those who like to take risks with their science fiction will find Wrecks reverberating in their memory – still spinning questions – long after reading.’
And then there was this generous, in-depth video review from Steve Andrews, AKA the Outlaw Bookseller, which covers in some detail the book’s qualities and lineage.
When you’ve been working on something for a long time, it becomes trickier and trickier to imagine any positive reception to the final thing, even though you might sometimes dare to daydream of it. Watching this felt like being in one of those daydreams.
Anyway, here’s a shot from a brilliant home-city gig at Blackwell’s Manchester, alongside Abi Haynes and Jordan Prosser, both of them wonderful writers and people. (Photo by Red and nicked from Instagram – thank you!)
On 21st October, I’ll be discussing speculative fiction and Wrecks with the writer and poet Helen Tookey at the Bluecoat in Liverpool city centre. Tickets are still available here.
My sincere thanks again to everyone who’s read, shared and discussed Wrecks since it was published.
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