Andy Fletcher – 5 stars
I rate the works of Roz Morris highly, especially sci-fi novel Lifeform Three and memoir Not Quite Lost. However, I raised an eyebrow Roger Moore style when I heard her new novel was relating to the lead singer of a 90s rock band being lost in a mountaineering accident. In the hands of the wrong author, that could feel manufactured and overblown (not unlike many musical acts of the era). From very early in the piece, it became evident that my concerns were unfounded.
The music and mountaineering scenes blend well. The band squabbles, hubris and power grabbing feel authentic. The climbing bits are well researched with a suitably bleak environment created. The prose is of a high standard and the characterisations bring to life the ambitions, selfishness, greed and yearning of the protagonists. The novel is a critique of press intrusion, Tinsel Gods and exploitation, with themes of love, death and grief. Another take on what it is to be human.
I can’t say whether Ever Rest is a classic, purely because I read so little fiction of the type and therefore have no frame of reference. I can say it’s a wonderfully emotive piece of writing that has both style and substance. Thankfully more Auteurs than Menswear.
Roz Morris, author 