Given the glowing comments I had heard regarding the screen adaption of this book, my hopes were set very high for this book yet I found this novella disappointing on every level. What I hope will remain in me are the individual narratives of the four characters.Īny novel about archaeology that is bathed in nostalgia and recommended by Iain McEwan should be ticking all the boxes. It is no surprise and no regret that there are no narratives from the professional archaeologists who all appear earth-bound.
I thought long and hard about what seems something of an abrupt end to the novel and it actually fits. The male narrations have their place, but the women make the book special. The narrations of Edith Pretty and Peggy Piggot are at the heart of this novel (as they should be) as this is about people first and foremost an exploration of loss, disappointment, the wheel of time, and what of us we leave behind. There is more to learn and to enjoy about the characters from their view point and it reminds that this is a book of fiction and why fiction is fundamentally important. This is what makes the books so much better for me. So, I decided to buy another copy of the book and have been so pleased and rewarded that I did.
Then along came the film adaptation which I watched and enjoyed - to an extent, but felt it a compromise, and in some instances indelicate. The memory of it stayed with me, but inevitably merged with all things archaeological in newspapers, books and on TV. I first read ‘The Dig’ several years ago, enjoyed it thoroughly and passed it on.
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