Over-hyped. For me
that was what this book was in a nutshell.
It couldn’t possibly have lived up to my high expectations. From all the
quotes extolling it’s magnificence on the cover I was expecting a superb read.
Don’t get me wrong, I certainly enjoyed it. If you love unreliable narrators, then you
will enjoy this book just fine, but for me sadly I just found it
frustrating.
The book begins with the main character Maud having just
found the remains of a compact mirror in the garden, which she recognizes and
this sets up the twin mysteries of the disappearance of her friend Elizabeth,
and a previous mystery – the disappearance of her older sister Sukey, just after
the Second World War.
The main character Maud is beautifully portrayed in the
first person narrative and I grew in affection and sympathy for her as the book
went on. The descriptions of her descent
into dementia were both terrifying and unbearably poignant at times. Healey’s gift for language is impressive.
Where my frustration set in was with the rambling double
storyline. It seemed to have no end in sight and I felt it to be a bit haphazard
at times. Where the bloody hell was
Elizabeth?!! I was getting as frustrated
as her daughter Helen, and undoubtedly this was the effect the author intended. I was also disappointed in the ending. I won’t actually give it away here, in case
someone hasn’t finished reading it yet, but my feeling was ‘I have ploughed
through this book for that?’
A beautifully written novel, I loved the character of Maud
and her emotional journey, I was just disappointed with the plot.
I look forward to hearing what you thought.
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