Kestrel for a knave.

I read yesterday that one of my favourite authors Barry Hines has been diagnosed with Alzheimers. A Kestrel for a knave had a profound effect on me. Before I read it, all the books I'd read had transported me to different countries, thrown me back in time or into the future, but Kes, as it became known after the brilliant film by Ken Loach, changed my whole perceptions of what a book could do. Books had the ability to change lives. Everyone should read Kes. Alzheimers is a terrible disease. It's like watching a jumper unravel before your eyes. I wish him and his wife all the best in what will be testing times.