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A review by jo_bookworm
The Au Pair by Emma Rous
4.0
Laura was the au pair to Edwin Mayes at Summerbourne whilst she takes a break from her A Levels after some personal events which have left her isolated and alone.
Being holed up in a big house with a delightful little boy to mind seems the perfect remedy. Gorgeous scenery and plenty of space to gather oneself as well as entertain a little inquisitive boy on the Norfolk coast.
Trouble is Laura doesn't know what she is walking into when she joins Edwin and his parents, Dominic and Ruth at Summerbourne.
Slowly Laura learns that Edwin was in fact a twin.
That twins have been at Summerbourne before and there is some in the village that say the house and twins are cursed.
Seraphine Mayes is mourning the loss of her father, she feels adrift in the world now. Her twin Danny spends a lot of time traveling and her older brother Edwin is not around too much.
Her father's death has hit her bad and living alone at Summerbourne, the family home she starts to go through some possessions.
She finds a photograph of her mother, holding only one baby - but which one - Seraphine always thought there was something different about her?
Is Laura the key to the past? And will the answers unearth too many secrets and even more lies?
This is an interesting read - whilst it has all the hallmarks of a dark thriller it has something light about the setting of a country home in Norfolk, vast stretches of beach, the sea. It could not have worked but it has combined both for an interesting story, told between two points of view, Laura and Seraphine - you get to see the secrets discovered and can see them happening first hand all at the same time.
I was drawn into it, it kept me reading and whilst some may say it has weak points and perhaps some of the plot was a bit too unbelievable, for a debut novel this was a worthy read. Emma Rous is an author we need to be watching out for in the future.
Being holed up in a big house with a delightful little boy to mind seems the perfect remedy. Gorgeous scenery and plenty of space to gather oneself as well as entertain a little inquisitive boy on the Norfolk coast.
Trouble is Laura doesn't know what she is walking into when she joins Edwin and his parents, Dominic and Ruth at Summerbourne.
Slowly Laura learns that Edwin was in fact a twin.
That twins have been at Summerbourne before and there is some in the village that say the house and twins are cursed.
Seraphine Mayes is mourning the loss of her father, she feels adrift in the world now. Her twin Danny spends a lot of time traveling and her older brother Edwin is not around too much.
Her father's death has hit her bad and living alone at Summerbourne, the family home she starts to go through some possessions.
She finds a photograph of her mother, holding only one baby - but which one - Seraphine always thought there was something different about her?
Is Laura the key to the past? And will the answers unearth too many secrets and even more lies?
This is an interesting read - whilst it has all the hallmarks of a dark thriller it has something light about the setting of a country home in Norfolk, vast stretches of beach, the sea. It could not have worked but it has combined both for an interesting story, told between two points of view, Laura and Seraphine - you get to see the secrets discovered and can see them happening first hand all at the same time.
I was drawn into it, it kept me reading and whilst some may say it has weak points and perhaps some of the plot was a bit too unbelievable, for a debut novel this was a worthy read. Emma Rous is an author we need to be watching out for in the future.