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A review by jacki_f
The Sudden Departure of the Frasers by Louise Candlish
4.0
I really enjoyed this. A little bit Liane Moriarty, a little bit Gillian Flynn, it's a cleverly composed story that reveals its secrets gradually. It wouldn't surprise me to see this in the next batch of Richard & Judy recommendations: it's right up their street.
The story is about a couple who buy their dream home in an upscale London suburb. Christy and Joe have had to stretch themselves financially to buy it but even so they know that they paid well under market value. The previous owners, Amber and Jeremy Fraser, had completed a spare-no-expenses renovation and then abruptly moved out only four months later, leaving without a word goodbye to their friends or neighbours. It is clear to Christy that there are deep divisions within the street but none of her actively unfriendly neighbours will talk to her about what happened.
The chapters alternate between Christy's story and Amber telling us her story from when she moved in 12 months earlier. At some stage it emerges that Amber is writing her account as part of a counselling process, but why?
I was completely hooked into this book and as intrigued with the charismatic Amber as everyone else in the street is. The way that it's written means that the reader knows more than Christy does, but sometimes Christy stumbles onto clues that don't sit with the story that we are being told. At one point I did feel that the story was being dragged out a little too long, but maybe that's just a reflection of how my curiousity kept building and building. This is a fantastic holiday read.
The story is about a couple who buy their dream home in an upscale London suburb. Christy and Joe have had to stretch themselves financially to buy it but even so they know that they paid well under market value. The previous owners, Amber and Jeremy Fraser, had completed a spare-no-expenses renovation and then abruptly moved out only four months later, leaving without a word goodbye to their friends or neighbours. It is clear to Christy that there are deep divisions within the street but none of her actively unfriendly neighbours will talk to her about what happened.
The chapters alternate between Christy's story and Amber telling us her story from when she moved in 12 months earlier. At some stage it emerges that Amber is writing her account as part of a counselling process, but why?
I was completely hooked into this book and as intrigued with the charismatic Amber as everyone else in the street is. The way that it's written means that the reader knows more than Christy does, but sometimes Christy stumbles onto clues that don't sit with the story that we are being told. At one point I did feel that the story was being dragged out a little too long, but maybe that's just a reflection of how my curiousity kept building and building. This is a fantastic holiday read.