Photo courtesy of The New Yorker Magazine.
H is for
Hawk is a memoir written by Helen Macdonald, a third year research
fellow at Cambridge University. Her father dies suddenly of a heart
attack. She was very close to her father and she used to go on outings
with him, when he worked as a professional photographer. Helen
Macdonald had been interested in falconry from childhood, and by this
point in her life she is a very experienced falconer. She has read (and
written one) numerous books on the subject. Following her father’s
death, she buys a goshawk for £800 and sets about trying to tame her.
This book is about her training the goshawk, who she calls Mabel, and coming to terms with the loss of her father. But in my opinion it is so much more than that.
This book is about her training the goshawk, who she calls Mabel, and coming to terms with the loss of her father. But in my opinion it is so much more than that.
I
was attracted to this book by some deep instinct. Every time I went
into the book shop I kept looking at the cover and I didn’t know why.
When I picked it up, it sounded like the last book I would be interested
in reading, and yet, it kept calling to me. So I made it the book club
choice and here we are.
Well my instincts were right. For me personally, it was not an easy book to read, but from the start I found it riveting, mesmerizing and fascinating. I don’t think I have ever read such beautiful and raw descriptions of nature anywhere before. I found the writing almost hypnotic. I would stay awake reading it till two in the morning, which if you know me, never ever happens. In saying that, as I previously mentioned, I didn’t find it an easy read and at times it was actually difficult to read, but no less enjoyable for that. So what made is so captivating?
Well my instincts were right. For me personally, it was not an easy book to read, but from the start I found it riveting, mesmerizing and fascinating. I don’t think I have ever read such beautiful and raw descriptions of nature anywhere before. I found the writing almost hypnotic. I would stay awake reading it till two in the morning, which if you know me, never ever happens. In saying that, as I previously mentioned, I didn’t find it an easy read and at times it was actually difficult to read, but no less enjoyable for that. So what made is so captivating?
The
language is complex, original and describes the countryside around
England in a way that I have never heard before. Macdonald knows every
tree, every hedge and every flower she passes. Nothing escapes her eye
when she is out in nature. Her descriptions astounded me.
She
describes the depths of her feelings with a refreshing bluntness and
honesty that I loved. Her grief for her father is so palpable, and
having gone through losing my own father, there were several parts of
the book where I broke down and cried with empathy and understanding.
For example, on page 150, she writes:
For example, on page 150, she writes:
‘On the way home, I felt a great and simple sadness, I missed my dad. I missed him very much.’
Well
that was all I needed to read to set me off, and it fitted perfectly in
context, as did every word in this book, in my opinion.
There
is a parallel strand to the narrative as the author describes a book
she is reading by a man called T. H. White who also trained a Hawk back
in the 1930s. As the author trains her own goshawk she relives the life
of White and his difficulties and obsession with his own hawk. Although I
wasn’t as interested in this part of the book, it works, as she comes
to understand her own complexities through his experiences and draws
solace from his failures and successes.
I grew fascinated by the
goshawk’s actions and training. I had absolutely no idea about hawks at
the start of this memoir and the descriptions of Mabel killing her prey I
found very hard to stomach. It was the only part of the book I didn’t
like so much, but it was still described superbly.
Sometimes
you come across a book that’s a bit of a challenge. In day’s past I
wouldn’t have persevered, I would have just put it down. I didn’t have
to persevere at all with this book, I loved it, but I can see how some
might. I would beg you to stick with it though, if only for the
incredible talent the author has for language. It is simply sublime.
This book will take pride of place on my bookshelf and I have no doubt
it is a book I will re-read in a couple of years.
