Thursbitch

Thursbitch is a novel by English writer Alan Garner, named after the valley in the Pennines of England where the action occurs. It was published in 2003.

Plot

Set both in the 18th century and the present day, the novel centres on the mystery of an inscription on an extant engraved wayside stone tablet about a death from exposure.

Major themes

The book features shamanic use of the fly agaric mushroom and a piece of Derbyshire Blue John as plot elements.

Literary significance and criticism

The book is seen by critics of Garner's work as a continuation of styles and structures first used in Red Shift and Strandloper.