Harvest by Jim Crace

Over a career that has spanned more than 25 years, Jim Crace has been a prolific writer, with more than 10 books and as many literary prizes. However, his most recent novel, and what is apparently his last, might finally give him the chance to win the much-coveted Man Booker Prize.

Crace’s little gem, Harvest, is a beautifully written tribute to those affected by the Enclosure Acts implemented a few centuries ago. In a poetic prose similar to that of William Golding, he tells the story of Walter Thirsk over a biblical seven days set against the backdrop of a semi-pagan village with no church. This little village, where “if you’re not a Saxton or a Derby or a Higgs yourself, you have a score of relatives who are,” has to deal with the prospect of outsiders disturbing their peace and living off their land.

Walter Thirsk arrived in the village a few years before and tells the story of how one harvest week changed their lives. From the belief that three strangers who set up camp not far from the village were hardened outlaws who planned on plundering their land to the arrival of well-dressed gentlemen who would take away the only life they have known, Crace guides us into a whirlwind of emotions with no apparent way out. We share the pain of the landowner Mr Kent and we share the villagers’ rage at the arrival of his cousin Jordan and his henchmen. In typical Crace fashion, we feel affection for characters that are less than likeable. At the end of the week, it is a goodbye to a way of life and, symbolically, a goodbye to Crace.

Crace’s writing sends us to a more ancient period, a period to which we are so oblivious that we need to keep absolute faith in the direction towards which he is leading us. However, in the end, he leads us to the fireworks; Harvest, being Crace’s last book, might be remembered as his chef-d’oeuvre. The Booker Prize awaits.