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A review by sungmemoonstruck
Faith Fox by Jane Gardam
4.0
More a 3.5 than a 4, but I'm rounding up.
When Holly Fox dies in childbirth, neither her grieving mother Thomasina or her husband Andrew can bring themselves to care for her daughter Faith, leaving Faith to be shuttled between an assortment of family members and friends, all with their own small tragedies and comedies.
I started this book expecting it to be more of a found family story following Faith through her childhood but was able to readjust my expectations once I realized how delightfully Gardam skewers her characters and their views of the world. Her distinctive voice brings all the characters and settings to life, from the comfortably moneyed inhabitants of Surrey to the doomed religious commune on the northern moors. It's very funny in parts but also very sharp when capturing the fallout of grief and lust and made me curious to pick up more of Gardam's titles, particularly her best-known one, Old Filth.
When Holly Fox dies in childbirth, neither her grieving mother Thomasina or her husband Andrew can bring themselves to care for her daughter Faith, leaving Faith to be shuttled between an assortment of family members and friends, all with their own small tragedies and comedies.
I started this book expecting it to be more of a found family story following Faith through her childhood but was able to readjust my expectations once I realized how delightfully Gardam skewers her characters and their views of the world. Her distinctive voice brings all the characters and settings to life, from the comfortably moneyed inhabitants of Surrey to the doomed religious commune on the northern moors. It's very funny in parts but also very sharp when capturing the fallout of grief and lust and made me curious to pick up more of Gardam's titles, particularly her best-known one, Old Filth.