My Top 6 - 'The Vintner's Luck'

I was introduced to this book by a 2nd year English paper at Otago. In fact 3 of my top 6 come from that class. It was called 'Contemporary Women's Writing' and I don't think there was one book on the list that it felt like a chore to read.

This book is by a New Zealand author called Elizabeth Knox. It is set on a vineyard in Burgundy and follows the life of a young man called Sobran who, as a young man, meets an angel called Xas in one of the vineyards and they make a pact to meet on the same day every year. Each year's meeting is documented by Knox, each titled by a vinter's term. Sobran grows and changes while Xas seems to remain a constant throughout. However, even an angel has thoughts and feelings, and when Sobran is struck by tragedy, their already intense friendship is taken to another level.

The last 3rd of the book is intensely moving, frightening and somehow both repulsive and incredibly compelling, but I'd be loath to ruin it for anyone who hasn't read it. It is one of the most beautiful books I have read and was an immediate placer in my top 6. Knox's subsequent novel, Black Oxen, I struggled with, but apparently her next (and I can't remember the title) is firmly back on form.