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3.63 AVERAGE
3.63 AVERAGE
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Loveable characters:
No
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Fran and her family have settled on the windswept North Norfolk coast, where she spends her days looking after the caravans that make up their small holiday park. Fran loves being close to the birds on the coast, waking early every morning to take a walk on the shoreline in search of rare sightings. It seems to be the only part of her life that she has a grip on given the growing emotional distance between herself and her husband; her worries about her young son's behaviour; and the difficult relationship she has with her unstable sister, who has taken up residence at the site with her daughter and alcoholic partner.
When times in this small, isolated town become unsettled outside Fran's family too, everyone is more on edge than usual. A new teacher at the local school has provoked mixed opinions among the parents of her pupils, and residents are nervous about the Romany camp that has set up in the field beside the caravan park - particularly as the local children seem fascinated by the strangers among them. Unease turns to suspicion when the new teacher goes missing on the same night as Fran's sister's partner. Fran is suddenly forced to confront uncomfortable truths about her family when all she wants to do is lose herself in the birds.
Bird Spotting in a Small Town is a slow-burn, literary chiller that thrums with discomfiting vibes. It is equal parts beautifully written exploration of difficult family relationships twisted by the weight of things unsaid; a claustrophobic portrayal of the undercurrents at play in a tight-knit community; and an off-beat murder mystery. Told through the first person narratives of Fran and Tad, a seventy-year-old member of the Romany camp, the story unfurls over a few months between January and May as shocking events bring fragile relationships to breaking point.
Isolation, alienation, and unreliable narrators are names of the game here, and Morton-Thomas does an excellent job building tension throughout, keeping you guessing about what is really going on between the members of Fran's family, within the Romany encampment, and in the community at large. There is a lovely contrast between Fran's jagged, anxiety-ridden narrative, and the calm, almost lyrical, storytelling of Tad. Fran's part of the tale is a full-on family drama, cutting between agonising scenes of a marriage in trouble, and her obsession with the local bird-life; while Tad's voice provides an outsider's view of the relationships 'over the hedge' in the caravan park, intertwined with enigmatic hints that all is not right in his own family either - and the two halves weave together to immerse you in a novel that gradually gets under your skin.
The fear of spoilers prevents me from revealing too much about the clever twists in this, quite frankly, disturbing tale, but prepare for your perception of the characters to be challenged as Morton-Thomas drops her reveals. There are many secrets at the heart of this story, and what you think you know gets turned on its head more than once as they are uncovered, particularly as she does such a brilliant job leading you into making assumptions alongside the characters.
This is a book to sit and immerse yourself in, letting the deftly wrought threads carry you along on an eerie tide to an ending that packs a powerful punch. I swallowed it whole, impressed with how Morton-Thomas brings all the elements of this mystery together, and the way she uses location and weather to enhance the strained atmosphere. For a book that has birds as a central theme, I was struck by the way that this entire novel carries with it the feeling that everyone is walking on egg shells...
If you are a fan of an unnerving crime novel like those of Greg Buchanan then this is definitely for you. Morton-Thomas incorporates many of the same dark themes as Buchanan and, in my view, her writing certainly deserves the same accolades. Sophie Morton-Thomas is an author to watch.
When times in this small, isolated town become unsettled outside Fran's family too, everyone is more on edge than usual. A new teacher at the local school has provoked mixed opinions among the parents of her pupils, and residents are nervous about the Romany camp that has set up in the field beside the caravan park - particularly as the local children seem fascinated by the strangers among them. Unease turns to suspicion when the new teacher goes missing on the same night as Fran's sister's partner. Fran is suddenly forced to confront uncomfortable truths about her family when all she wants to do is lose herself in the birds.
Bird Spotting in a Small Town is a slow-burn, literary chiller that thrums with discomfiting vibes. It is equal parts beautifully written exploration of difficult family relationships twisted by the weight of things unsaid; a claustrophobic portrayal of the undercurrents at play in a tight-knit community; and an off-beat murder mystery. Told through the first person narratives of Fran and Tad, a seventy-year-old member of the Romany camp, the story unfurls over a few months between January and May as shocking events bring fragile relationships to breaking point.
Isolation, alienation, and unreliable narrators are names of the game here, and Morton-Thomas does an excellent job building tension throughout, keeping you guessing about what is really going on between the members of Fran's family, within the Romany encampment, and in the community at large. There is a lovely contrast between Fran's jagged, anxiety-ridden narrative, and the calm, almost lyrical, storytelling of Tad. Fran's part of the tale is a full-on family drama, cutting between agonising scenes of a marriage in trouble, and her obsession with the local bird-life; while Tad's voice provides an outsider's view of the relationships 'over the hedge' in the caravan park, intertwined with enigmatic hints that all is not right in his own family either - and the two halves weave together to immerse you in a novel that gradually gets under your skin.
The fear of spoilers prevents me from revealing too much about the clever twists in this, quite frankly, disturbing tale, but prepare for your perception of the characters to be challenged as Morton-Thomas drops her reveals. There are many secrets at the heart of this story, and what you think you know gets turned on its head more than once as they are uncovered, particularly as she does such a brilliant job leading you into making assumptions alongside the characters.
This is a book to sit and immerse yourself in, letting the deftly wrought threads carry you along on an eerie tide to an ending that packs a powerful punch. I swallowed it whole, impressed with how Morton-Thomas brings all the elements of this mystery together, and the way she uses location and weather to enhance the strained atmosphere. For a book that has birds as a central theme, I was struck by the way that this entire novel carries with it the feeling that everyone is walking on egg shells...
If you are a fan of an unnerving crime novel like those of Greg Buchanan then this is definitely for you. Morton-Thomas incorporates many of the same dark themes as Buchanan and, in my view, her writing certainly deserves the same accolades. Sophie Morton-Thomas is an author to watch.
emotional
slow-paced
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A slow paced, ominous, and dark small town suspense/thriller.
There's no real action in this. It’s instead a story of secrets and lies, family and small town community.
Told from a dual perspective - Fran - a caravan park owner whose life is unravelling but who remains obsessed with her bird watching, and Tad - an older Romany man whose family settles for a time in the field opposite the caravan park.
What follows is a story of suspicion, lies, secrets, and guilt as two people disappear with one body being found. It unfolds slowly and deliberately as our small cast of characters each feel the impact of the disappearances and discovery that builds to a satisfying conclusion.
Wasn't quite a 4.5* for me purely as i think if I hadn't listened to the audiobook I think the slow pace might have bothered me more and Fran's self-absorbtion did bother me in places as it made her obviously an unreliable narrator in contrast to the more subtle and unsettling nature of Tad's narration.
Overall though I'm so glad I picked this up as it's different to what I've been reading recently and I enjoyed how everything unfolded - brought to life by two fantastic narrators.
There's no real action in this. It’s instead a story of secrets and lies, family and small town community.
Told from a dual perspective - Fran - a caravan park owner whose life is unravelling but who remains obsessed with her bird watching, and Tad - an older Romany man whose family settles for a time in the field opposite the caravan park.
What follows is a story of suspicion, lies, secrets, and guilt as two people disappear with one body being found. It unfolds slowly and deliberately as our small cast of characters each feel the impact of the disappearances and discovery that builds to a satisfying conclusion.
Wasn't quite a 4.5* for me purely as i think if I hadn't listened to the audiobook I think the slow pace might have bothered me more and Fran's self-absorbtion did bother me in places as it made her obviously an unreliable narrator in contrast to the more subtle and unsettling nature of Tad's narration.
Overall though I'm so glad I picked this up as it's different to what I've been reading recently and I enjoyed how everything unfolded - brought to life by two fantastic narrators.
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Loveable characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
mysterious
medium-paced