Annan Water

Michael first sees Annie one morning on the banks of Annan Water, when he is out exercising two horses from his parents' stables. That first impression of her never leaves him. She triggers in him a desire to get to know and understand her and in doing so, to understand himself. Complicated by the fact that he is haunted by the tune and words of a song about the Annan Water, he finds there is no easy answer to the way he must go: to get to know Annie seems as impossible as interpreting the words of the song. Michael's parents make endless demands on Michael's skill as a rider and his innate sympathy for horses. (They had become a dealer's yard, not a family.) Coupled with this he finds himself totally at odds with his companions and teachers at school. With its fascinating background of horse dealing, Kate Thompson enlarges the range of settings of her novels. But at its core lies a theme about which she feels deeply and of which she has repeatedly proved herself a master -- she explores the need for the young person on the brink of adulthood to find independence and meaning in life. A gripping story unresolved until the very last page.