The story of Saint Cuthbert is reimagined in this complex novel. Told from various perspectives and in a variety of prose and poetry styles this is a book which is ambitious. It is difficult to read but I do admire the concept.

Cuddly tells the story of Saint Cuthbert of Lindisfarne, the unofficial patron saint of the North of England. I knew nothing about St Cuthbert before reading this book and I found it to be a fab read.

Cuddy is a nickname given to St Cuthbert, the Anglo-Saxon monk, bishop, hermit and saint who lived during the 7th century. He is associated with the island of Lindisfarne (Holy Island), where he spent many years of his life, and with Durham Cathedral, where he is buried, and these are both places I have visited several times, which is what drew me to this novel by Benjamin Myers. The publisher’s description of it as “a bold and experimental retelling of the story of the hermit St. Cuthbert” made me reconsider, as I’ve discovered over the years that experimental books usually aren’t for me, but I decided to give it a chance anyway.

The first section of the book is set in 995, more than three hundred years after the death of St Cuthbert, and is told from the perspective of Ediva, a young woman who accompanies a group of monks as they transport Cuddy’s remains to his new resting place in Durham. We then move forward several centuries in time and join the masons who are repairing the cathedral stonework in 1346. The third section is a ghost story set in 1827 when an Oxford professor, Forbes Fawcett-Black, is invited to attend the opening of Cuthbert’s tomb. Finally, the last part of the book introduces us to Michael Cuthbert, a young man living in a village near Durham in 2019 who is offered a job as a labourer during restoration work at the cathedral.

Each of the four parts could work as a standalone story, but there are also several links between the four, some of which are easy to spot and some that are more obscure. There’s always an ‘Ediva’-type character – one who fills the role of cook or healer, who sees visions and hears the voice of Cuddy – and there’s always a young man with owl-like eyes:

"He has brilliant wide eyes that peer into your very
centre
Eyes that seem not to blink. Eyes that one day are
blue
and the next jade, then anthracite and once, red."

The quote above, describing the ‘Owl Boy’, is an example of the writing in the first section of the book, which takes the style of a narrative poem. I don’t think I could have read a whole book written like this, but could cope with it for a few chapters and I thought it was quite effective in creating a mystical, dreamlike atmosphere that suited the time period and the story being told. Myers also finds an appropriate voice and style for each of the other parts of the novel – for example, the 19th century ghost story, The Corpse in the Cathedral, is told through the diary entries of the Professor and is written in a very formal style which suits his character.

My favourite part of the book was actually the modern day story at the end. I loved Michael Cuthbert, who is struggling to care for his dying mother at home while trying to support them both by taking whatever work he can get, and I enjoyed watching him form a friendship with Evie, a kindhearted young woman who works in the cathedral restaurant. I found Michael and Evie’s story very moving and would have been happy to have read a whole book about them!

As for St Cuthbert himself, his own story is related to us through brief excerpts from a wide range of sources including books, essays and articles which are all acknowledged at the end of the book. It’s a lot to take in and digest and I think to really understand who Cuthbert was and why he is significant you would probably need to read some of those sources in full. However, this is a good introduction!

What an amazing book! It's a totally original way of telling a history and manages to balance the personal stories with being genuinely informative about the life and death of Saint Cuthbert and his impact.

The book is divided into sections telling of different periods in the life of Cuthbert and Durham Cathedral. The prologue, set in 687AD, talks of Cuthbert's life and death, Book 1 (AD995) talks of the monks who wandered with his bodily remains to protect them from Viking raids and find a proper resting place, Book 2 (AD1346) covers some of the building of the cathedral, Book 3 (AD1827) a disinterment of the body and Book 4(AD2019) some of the ongoing renovations. Each of these chapters is told in a different style (quotes from history books in one section, a play in another, a Victorian ghost story in another) and centres on different characters in different times. However, there is a repeating pattern of a younger man with brown eyes, often wandering, and a younger woman feeding those around her. Each story gives them a different life and personality but it's very effective as a way of emphasising that life may change over the centuries, but people's lives often follow the same pattern and struggles and places each of them as a small part of a large continuum.

I found the information on Saint Cuthbert fascinating by itself, as I did with the history of Durham Cathedral, and really felt I learned something about both. There was absolutely nothing dry about a single word of it though, a truly wonderful way of telling history in an entertaining and educational way. It's still January but I'm sure already this will be one of ymy books of 2024!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an advance copy in return for an honest review.

#Cuddy #NetGalley

Benjamin Myers cements his reputation as an extraordinary literary writer, beautifully lyrical and poetic, relevant, experimental and original. Epic in its span of retelling the intertwining history of the humble St Cuthbert (the eponymous and elusive monk and Lindisfarne hermit, Cuddy), the 'saint' of the north, and Durham Cathedral through the centuries. Having lived in Durham for a few years in my past, including on the Old Bailey where I was woken on Sunday mornings by the bells, I felt a personal connection to this remarkable storytelling, separated into distinct eras, that includes poetry, play, dialogue, diary, prose, and drawing on historical accounts through the different eras right up to more contemporary times. We hear an array of ancestors, diverse voices, stories, visions, faith, religion, pilgrimages, dreams, class, the ordinariness and challenging circumstances of surrounding communities and more, drawing attention to the circle of life and death, and connections and themes that cross time are highlighted.

Simply brilliant and highly recommended to those who love their historical fiction, and those drawn by wanting to know more about the legends and legacy of St Cuthbert and Durham Cathedral. Many thanks to the publisher.

What a beautiful, beautiful book.

The novel is divided into four "books", each of which follows a different character in a different century, but all characters have a connection with St. Cuthbert, whether they want to or not. The style of each book differs greatly (the first book is written in verse, there's an interlude written as a script for a play, the third book is a diary, the fourth is in lyrical prose), but somehow the novel remains cohesive, probably because the presence of St. Cuthbert and the Durham cathedral are constant throughout, as a loving, inspiring presence.
The book about the 19th century Oxford professor who comes to Durham to witness the exhumation of Cuddy was in my opinion the least strong of all, but the last book was so moving and beautiful that I need to give five stars anyway.
I highly recommend this to anyone with an interest in British (medieval) history. Or to anyone who feels like reading a book, really.