The Buried Circle by Jenni Mills

Title: The Buried Circle
Author: Jenni Mills
Genre: General Fiction
Publisher: Harper Press, 2009

505 p.


Synopsis: In 1938, the archaeologist Alexander Keiller - a millionaire playboy with a passion for ritual magic - plans to reconstruct the 5000-year-old stone circle at Avebury. As war looms, frannie Robinson and her boyfriend Davey are among those who fall under his spell, with fatal results.
Nearly seventy years later, Frannie's granddaughter India survives a helicopter crash and returns to Avebury to unearth the truth about her grandparents. But why is Frannie so reluctant to talk about Keiller? What future is there for India's relationship with Ed, the pilot who blames himself for the accident? And who else has an unhealthy fixation with the Robinson women?

The first of the questions for discussion at the back of the book asks how you would describe this book's genre. Obviously, it's not easy to label which is why I settled for general fiction.

Is it a thriller?...................It is a novel about digging up the past, in more ways than one. What is unearthed may be the pieces which when put together will provide answers but not always in the way one expects or wants. It is a psychological thriller with plenty of mystery and well built up suspense to hold one's attention and keep the pages turning.

Is it historical fiction?.........Archaeology is the past and I found the history of the stones very interesting. I visited Avebury in 2001 but had no idea that the stones I was seeing hadn't been standing there for centuries. Over time many of them had fallen and been buried and it was the vision of Alexander Keiller that was responsible for them being excavated and re-erected in their original holes. WWII brought the work to a halt and nothing has been done since.
Its unfortunate that in order to achieve his aims he caused a great deal of destruction to the village and the lives of the people who lived there. We see this time and the social effects through the eyes of the young Frannie.

Is it a love story?.............It's about love and human relationships: love in many different guises.
Threads of love , good and bad, that weave people's lives together for better or worse and influence their lives even after the bonds are broken.

Add to all that some unexplained paranormal happenings and a look at paganism as well ........mix it all together and you're left with a well written, well paced and very entertaining story.

I loved it!

Rating 4 +