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3.78 AVERAGE
3.78 AVERAGE
Found this one unputdownable - read the second half in one go until the wee hours of the morning because I just had to know what happened and what was going on! And my goodness, what a revelation! I get that many would consider it woo-woo if not downright impossible, but even if you're in that category of mindset, please suspend your disbelief for the duration of this tale, and read it for the sheer mystery of it, the twists & turns that are astounding, the writing which just flows. And my goodness, the level of plotting in this book, the details, the way everything 'clicks' - I kept being astounded by the genius behind it all, by the bonkers mind of the author who conjured this, made it happen, and actually have it make sense (in its own way).
It's been a while since I've been so captivated by a story, and this one did not disappoint, not for one second! If you love well-crafted plotting, a twisty mystery, and especially dual-timelines storylines, make it a point to read this book
It's been a while since I've been so captivated by a story, and this one did not disappoint, not for one second! If you love well-crafted plotting, a twisty mystery, and especially dual-timelines storylines, make it a point to read this book
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
challenging
dark
informative
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Intriguing, sad stories of love with a hint of mystery.
I adored both of Stuart's previous two books, and was definitely going to try this based on his writing style and warm stories. This time, the concept is rather different. It's still a family-based story, with mental illness a theme, but now with both a historical angle as well as a hint at science fiction.
With two storylines, one in roughly present day England, the other a backstory around the era of World War II, it concentrates on the life of a now 87-year-old man, Will, a former wireless engineer living in Bath. Now, he's a curmudgeonly old man who could be a danger to himself and others, in a house falling down around him. With a young lady from Social Services assigned to him to assess his case. The young lady in question has issues of her own.
The second storyline has us looking back at his history, as his social worker Laura delves into his life through the fog of her depression medication, trying to ascertain the truth of his certainty - did he have a wife that disappeared with the bomb that fell on their house back in 1942?
Nobody else remembers Elsa. Will remembers their meeting, their courtship, their life together. But it all vanished when the bomb fell. And it affected his life for the next 60 years. Can Laura solve the puzzle? Is Will suffering from dementia or did something significant happen back then?
This is something a little different. It has fragments of historical fiction, romance, mystery, science fiction, and mixes in mental illness and a family story that also unravels itself to give a fuller picture of a second life ruined by pain.
Laura is emotional scarred, she's a mess. But she's someone you also want to succeed in life, to overcome the early trauma of constant low-level fear. She may not have been physically abused but her childhood nonetheless was tarnished. And the trust we might place in her as narrator is compromised by her skewed view of both the world and other people through the halo of medication. Will is similarly hard to trust as we simply can't tell what happened in his past.
I'm not much of a fan of the supernatural, but did love the backstory and Elsa and Will's courtship. The historical detail was superb, very easy to conjure up mentally. I enjoyed the radio/frequency metaphors throughout and how everything fitted together.
I thoroughly enjoyed the mystery and watching the uncovering of both the past and the present questions. It was satisfying. The urgency of the imminent threat to Will's house, falling down around him, gave a story moving with pace.
I wasn't sure at the start if I would enjoy this, with supernatural elements, but I really did. I enjoyed the detective aspect, as well as the historical story that needed delving into.
With thanks to Netgalley for providing a sample reading copy.
I adored both of Stuart's previous two books, and was definitely going to try this based on his writing style and warm stories. This time, the concept is rather different. It's still a family-based story, with mental illness a theme, but now with both a historical angle as well as a hint at science fiction.
With two storylines, one in roughly present day England, the other a backstory around the era of World War II, it concentrates on the life of a now 87-year-old man, Will, a former wireless engineer living in Bath. Now, he's a curmudgeonly old man who could be a danger to himself and others, in a house falling down around him. With a young lady from Social Services assigned to him to assess his case. The young lady in question has issues of her own.
The second storyline has us looking back at his history, as his social worker Laura delves into his life through the fog of her depression medication, trying to ascertain the truth of his certainty - did he have a wife that disappeared with the bomb that fell on their house back in 1942?
Nobody else remembers Elsa. Will remembers their meeting, their courtship, their life together. But it all vanished when the bomb fell. And it affected his life for the next 60 years. Can Laura solve the puzzle? Is Will suffering from dementia or did something significant happen back then?
This is something a little different. It has fragments of historical fiction, romance, mystery, science fiction, and mixes in mental illness and a family story that also unravels itself to give a fuller picture of a second life ruined by pain.
Laura is emotional scarred, she's a mess. But she's someone you also want to succeed in life, to overcome the early trauma of constant low-level fear. She may not have been physically abused but her childhood nonetheless was tarnished. And the trust we might place in her as narrator is compromised by her skewed view of both the world and other people through the halo of medication. Will is similarly hard to trust as we simply can't tell what happened in his past.
I'm not much of a fan of the supernatural, but did love the backstory and Elsa and Will's courtship. The historical detail was superb, very easy to conjure up mentally. I enjoyed the radio/frequency metaphors throughout and how everything fitted together.
I thoroughly enjoyed the mystery and watching the uncovering of both the past and the present questions. It was satisfying. The urgency of the imminent threat to Will's house, falling down around him, gave a story moving with pace.
I wasn't sure at the start if I would enjoy this, with supernatural elements, but I really did. I enjoyed the detective aspect, as well as the historical story that needed delving into.
With thanks to Netgalley for providing a sample reading copy.
3.5 stars. It was cute and intriguing throughout but I was SUPER confused at the end. Not a fan of surprise supernatural/ science fictiony stuff.