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ridgewaygirl's review
4.0
Alice meets Joseph and they begin to see each other. It's a cautious relationship between two ordinary people. Alice is concerned about her recently widowed grandfather and wishes he was more willing to talk about his time serving in Kenya during the Mau Mau uprising. Joseph is maybe not as talkative as she's like, but he's kind, even going over to paint her grandfather's house. Joseph was also in the British army and served in Northern Ireland. An incident there replays often in his mind and he struggles with PTSD, which he handles by disappearing for weeks at a time, a behavior that wreaks havoc on both his employment history and on his relationships.
This is a tonally quiet novel and manages to maintain that air of calm even when both men's experiences are being described. What comes across vividly, though, is how deeply both men have been adversely affected by their experiences. Rachel Seiffert writes so well and so subtly about her characters that I would have happily read another few hundred pages.
This is a tonally quiet novel and manages to maintain that air of calm even when both men's experiences are being described. What comes across vividly, though, is how deeply both men have been adversely affected by their experiences. Rachel Seiffert writes so well and so subtly about her characters that I would have happily read another few hundred pages.
katecks's review
3.0
I enjoyed it. I thought it gave a good insight into the Northern Ireland troubles and the British perspective of it especially the soldiers views. I found the ending a bit disappointing but it was probably realistic all the same
mgeryk's review
2.0
Never a good sign: I remembered that I had to return this book before getting through it because there were other holds on it at the library--but what I didn't remember was how much I had gotten through before returning it. When I checked it out again months later, I found when I started it that I had actually read most of the book already.
I completely failed to emotionally engage with this book. I did admire the writing style, that wasn't the problem. I don't know that I can put my finger on the reason that I couldn't engage, but it's just impossible.
I'm still planning to try The Dark Room.
I completely failed to emotionally engage with this book. I did admire the writing style, that wasn't the problem. I don't know that I can put my finger on the reason that I couldn't engage, but it's just impossible.
I'm still planning to try The Dark Room.
suebarsby's review against another edition
2.0
What is the point if nothing changes by the end? Ggrrrr. It went on a bit.
And the dialogue layout was mildly irritating. But mainly I didn't see the point. No one was any different.
And the dialogue layout was mildly irritating. But mainly I didn't see the point. No one was any different.
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