Cuddy

Dry Drayton Book Group choice for January 2024

 ‘Cuddy’ by Benjamin Myers won the Goldsmiths Prize 2023.  Cuddy tells the story of the hermit St. Cuthbert, unofficial patron saint of the North of England, a shepherd boy born in the Border country who rose to become Prior of Melrose Abbey and ended his life as a hermit on a tiny, inhospitable island off the coast of Northumbria. The book is divided into four books which cover four significant centuries in the life of St Cuthbert and subsequently his final resting place, Durham Cathedral.  The prologue and first book are set in the 7th Century and the story is told by Ediva, an orphan taken in by the monks and now travelling with them as healer, cook and helper.  The second book is set in the 14th century when Durham Cathedral has been completed and Eda, the wife of a champion archer and abusive husband meets one of the stonemasons who is repairing and enhancing the cathedral’s stonework.  The interlude depicts the cathedral’s history as a prison for the Scottish PoWs in the 17th century.  The third book is set in the 19th century when an Oxford history professor is asked to witness the exhumation of Cuthbert’s tomb.  This project has disastrous consequences for the historian who is haunted by many of the characters that have already appeared in earlier sections, one in particular who warns him to ‘let history lie’ which later becomes ‘let his story lie’.  The final book is set in the current day following the story of Michael Cuthbert, a teenager living with his dying mother.  He is offered work at the cathedral where he  meets a group of stonemasons repairing the tower in homage to those who came before.  Here he finds a sense of connection with his personal history and unrecognised heritage which combine to reveal opportunities and experiences not previously realised by him.  

The group recognised the excellent writing in this novel and the extensive research that the author had undertaken.  The individual stories whilst self contained in themselves are also linked by some interesting devices.  The style of the narrative changed to better reflect the era that the story had moved into.   The character “owl eyes” appears in each section of the story.  Each section featured a woman as a central character with a similar name and role; Ediva, Eda, Edith and Evie who are all cooks and helpers.  The journal that the historian writes in the 19th century has been found, preserved and is referenced in the final story set in the 20th century.   There are also graphics at the end of each section which are distinct to the section but are also linked and drawn together.  However, many of the group were irritated by some of the formatting gimmicks, particularly in the first section which did not help the coherence of this section.   These formatting techniques also disadvantaged those who used the audio book or kindle versions.  The group agreed that this book was one that needed to be read in the paper version and given time and focus to appreciate the variety and style of writing.

For some of the group who did not know anything about St Cuthbert and these periods of history this was a delight to read.  For others this provided a positive view of the effect that working in a cathedral has on individuals. All members of the group recognised the beauty of Myers writing both in prose and poetry.  In the later sections there are some beautiful pieces of imagined dialogue between the main character and St Cuthbert.  For example Cuthbert asks “What do you believe Michael?”.  Michael responds “I don’t know” to which Cuthbert replies: “It’s OK not to know. Only the arrogant and the ignorant are certain.   Everything else is myth and mystery. Untold history.” This serves to sum up the ethos of the book which many of the group will return to and re-read sections of it in the future.