I’ve been a fan of Belinda Bauer for years so was thrilled to see a new book from her and I have to say, it was worth the wait. She has such a talent for bringing characters to life, all types of people from all parts of society, and making you care about them enormously.

The Impossible Thing takes place over two time periods and centres around the illicit world of egg collecting. The first part tells the story of Celie, a tiny child who manages to collect a unique red Guillemot egg from a perilous part of the Yorkshire cliffs and from there on must return down the dangerous overhang each year to collect the egg of the same bird for a London trader. The money he pays her to do so is a tiny portion of the value of the eggs but enough to change her family’s life.

The second part covers Patrick, an autistic young man, and his neighbour and best friend, Weird Nick, who is selling the property of his late father to raise money for a new gaming chair. In the loft he discovers a box containing a red egg, puts it on eBay and from there on the two are caught up in the obsessive world of collectors.

The tale of obsession, the illegal egg trade, all the main and side characters, all of it comes together to make an incredible read, full of pace and humour. Patrick is absolutely believable and his struggling to cope with emotion and reading others is beautifully told, never patronising but always endearing. Celie is also completely compelling, and her story had me with my heart in my mouth several times. I honestly couldn’t have loved this book any more than I did. I’m just sorry it was such a well contained story as I’d love to meet up with the characters again.

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