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A review by thebobsphere
Bitter Orange by Claire Fuller
4.0
Claire Fuller is one of my favourite authors. I like the way she is able to create a tense atmosphere and yet there is something cozy about her writing. Mansions, forests and run down cottages usually feature. I guess psychological dramas are good ways to describer her novels but there’s something very British aspect to them.
Bitter orange is her third novel (which means I have now read all her books) and one can feel Daphne du Maurier’s spirit running through it in a bit way.
The novel takes the form of a flashback by Frances, who is now an old woman and seems to be in some sort of care facility. She is recounting a moment in her 40’s when she was sent to survey a crumbling mansion. Once she’s there Frances meets Cara and Peter, a couple who have a lot of secrets. As Frances manages to unearth them, her destiny changes and we readers start seeing some of her own hidden past.
Unreliable narrators, lots of twists and turns and intense relationships form the basis of Bitter Orange. This is a book where everything is revealed slowly with each denouement more surprising than the last. This makes a satisfying read. If one does like the more psychological aspects of Claire Fuller’s novels then Bitter Orange as all those aspects are amped up.
Bitter orange is her third novel (which means I have now read all her books) and one can feel Daphne du Maurier’s spirit running through it in a bit way.
The novel takes the form of a flashback by Frances, who is now an old woman and seems to be in some sort of care facility. She is recounting a moment in her 40’s when she was sent to survey a crumbling mansion. Once she’s there Frances meets Cara and Peter, a couple who have a lot of secrets. As Frances manages to unearth them, her destiny changes and we readers start seeing some of her own hidden past.
Unreliable narrators, lots of twists and turns and intense relationships form the basis of Bitter Orange. This is a book where everything is revealed slowly with each denouement more surprising than the last. This makes a satisfying read. If one does like the more psychological aspects of Claire Fuller’s novels then Bitter Orange as all those aspects are amped up.