Nell

*****

This book packs a real punch and is a real tour de force for a first-time author. The characters have real depth and authenticity and liked that the author isn't afraid to take the time to let these characters show themselves, how they feel and what they are thinking. I thought the "point of view" style used was unusual but allowed the plot - about a mother's battle for her son's love - to move in and out of focus and this kept you guessing what would happen next to the end.
I felt it delivered so much more than the historical fiction I've read before - managing to convey a powerful and captivating love story, but with dark psychological themes relating to love, relationships and motherhood. The pace built as the plot unfolds into a thriller of a climax that keeps you hooked to the last page. Highly recommend.

****

This book is the story of the inhabitants of a Yorkshire mansion, Highbrook, in the early to mid twentieth century. Frances inherits the estate from her husband but like many owners of stately homes at the time, finds the difficulty in getting staff and high taxes makes running the house very difficult. Her son moves away and things begin to deteriorate. Then William, a local architect, recently widowed, comes up with an idea that can save Frances, Highbrook and himself. What he cannot know is that for his future family, Highbrook will be their undoing.
The cast of characters in this book is small but very densely woven, their tragedies played out in an atmosphere that sometimes feels claustrophobic; intense and surgically rendered as they examine their own and each other's actions, motives and emotions. In this regard it bears comparison to a work by Ibsen or Chekhov. The writers mines her character's deepest and darkest caverns of fear and desire. The dialogue she puts in their mouths is humdrum, glib and icily polite but their inner soliloquies are fraught with passion and despair. This creates a multi-layered narrative that is highly nuanced and very clever.
But what I found most intriguing of all about this book was its narrative structure. It is written in the first person (I) AND the second person (you) as each successive section of the book tells the tale from the point of view of one of the actors but, intriguingly, addressed TO one of the others. Thus we see them reflected in each other's eyes, a constantly refracting and shifting image akin to being in a hall of mirrors.
Don't get me wrong, there were things about the book I'd like to have been much better - hence the four stars - but as far as the narrative structure goes, this book has a lot going for it.

*****

What a fantastic first novel from a debut author. I can't believe this is their first book! I was fully immersed in the story from the first chapter, and completely captivated by the initial love story of Will and Nell. The book takes a much darker turn as you read further, and I was hooked. At times difficult to read, and alarmingly realistic, yet it is still a beautiful love story at its heart. I love how the author uses different characters' perspectives to tell the story as it really gives a sense of depth to the characters.
10 out of 10 - would highly recommend!