Latest Tobias Hill novel plunges archeologists into terror in Greece
Rating: Two Stars
By Gabrielle Pantera
“The Hidden is a story about fear, or terror, what terror does to those who use it as a tool, as well as what it does to those it’s used against,” says The Hidden author Tobias Hill. “In English we say that truth is stranger than fiction, which suggests the two things are different. I don’t think they are. A good novel is true in a way that facts are often not. I think good fiction gets at the truth regardless of the facts.”
A key figure in The Hidden is a young archaeologist, an Oxford colleague of the protagonist, called Eberhard Sauer. “In early drafts this character was called Alfred, but it became apparent to me that his family background was Germanic, so I wanted a Germanic Christian name, Eberhard,” says Hill. Where did the name come from? “I met a woman who loved the book, but had been surprised to find a friend of hers fictionalized in it, one Eberhard Sauer, an archaeologist, currently working at a prestigious British university. Turns out my imagination isn’t quite as original as I’d hoped. I must have come across Professor Sauer’s name during my research.”
Ben Mercer leaves Oxford and his failed marriage. Mercer is a student who follows archaeology professor Sauer to a dig in Sparta. Can Ben complete his thesis or will the group be torn apart by the petty dramas that can happen when people work together?
“The writing was sparked by historical events, both ancient and modern,” says Hill. “I gave myself plenty of time in Greece, as well as in archives around Britain.” Hill found the locations more fun than the research he did for his first novel, Underground, which is set in abandoned stations of the London Underground.
With The Hidden, readers will love the fact that it has archaeology as the career for the characters. There’s a lot to enjoy where the historical events mix into the novel. You may wish it had more historical facts and seemed less hysterical. This book is supposed to be a thriller. Not really. It’s more about human nature and how people harm each other. There are a few formatting issues that may throw readers. There are no quote marks, just a dash before the dialog. And, there’s no proper grammar of he said or she said. That a few chapters are very long doesn’t help move the story along. Readers who like reading anything that has historical details will enjoy reading The Hidden.
Hill’s previous novels, Underground, The Love of Stones and The Cryptographer, have all been optioned to be made into films. Hill was born in London and currently lives there.
The Hidden by Tobias Hill. Trade Paperback, 368 pages, Publisher: Harper Perennial; Original edition (October 13, 2009) Language: English ISBN: 9780061768255 $14.99.
