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A review by e_m_r
Violets by Alex Hyde
5.0
If you loved Small Pleasures from Clare Chambers, then you’ll adore Alex Hyde’s debut…
I devoured this book in hours thanks to its engaging prose and fully formed characters. Violet, two Violets in fact, who live separate lives during the Second World War. Set during the dying days of the war, this beautiful debut tells the story of loss and motherhood through two very different lenses for each of our Violet’s, with one living in the Welsh Valleys and grappling with the loss of a baby and future procreation, and another who is serving in the war on the frontline, carrying a baby out of wedlock and removed from the identity she sees for herself.
Their stories, both unique and yet the same in many ways, slowly intertwine as the story progresses, as their stories progress, with a finish that is both unexpected but deeply satisfying as an invested reader.
I couldn’t put this book down and when I did, I couldn’t stop thinking about these two women. They are multi-dimensional, complex and rich in detail; I became close to them and invested in them. Hyde writes beautifully, with all of the rage, hope, optimism and defeat you want when digesting the complexity of the female experience. A triumph.
I devoured this book in hours thanks to its engaging prose and fully formed characters. Violet, two Violets in fact, who live separate lives during the Second World War. Set during the dying days of the war, this beautiful debut tells the story of loss and motherhood through two very different lenses for each of our Violet’s, with one living in the Welsh Valleys and grappling with the loss of a baby and future procreation, and another who is serving in the war on the frontline, carrying a baby out of wedlock and removed from the identity she sees for herself.
Their stories, both unique and yet the same in many ways, slowly intertwine as the story progresses, as their stories progress, with a finish that is both unexpected but deeply satisfying as an invested reader.
I couldn’t put this book down and when I did, I couldn’t stop thinking about these two women. They are multi-dimensional, complex and rich in detail; I became close to them and invested in them. Hyde writes beautifully, with all of the rage, hope, optimism and defeat you want when digesting the complexity of the female experience. A triumph.