FRANCIS SPUFFORD Golden Hill *****

Another fantastic novel by Francis Spufford - his first, published 5 years ago.

Set in New York in 1746, when it was just a small town, it tells the story of a mysterious young man who’s arrived from London with a bill of exchange for the huge sum of £1000. Who is he? What’s his plan? 

It purports to be written in the style of Tom Jones or Tristram Shandy, but does so with such a lightness of touch it doesn’t grate. There’s humour, pathos, love, a supreme sense of what life must have been like at the time, and a great twist at the end.

A short description doesn’t do it justice, so you might want to Google the New Yorker or Guardian reviews. Then read it!