Scan barcode
A review by keysersuze
Mum & Dad by Joanna Trollope
3.0
I’ve been trying to remember which of Joanna Trollope’s books I’ve read before this one, and I can’t think if I have. My Mum is a fan, and so it would stand to reason that I have because basically, if there’s text on it and it’s not nailed down in my family home, I will have read it. Everyone knows who she is – the ‘Aga Sagas’ of which there’s only been one, a rural comfort which actually deals in the bleakness and futility of life. Wikpedia tells me that she’s had a few TV adaptations, including the Rector’s Wife and Other People’s Children.
Gus and Monica are the patriarch and matriarch of the family, settled in Spain for more than two decades and leaving their half grown children in boarding schools in the UK. The story picks up in present day, when their three children are now adults with their own children, some of whom are half grown themselves.
Early on in the narrative Gus has a stroke, leaving Monica bewildered, frightened and ever so slightly relieved to be able to live her own life after following her husband around for his. Her children gather round, galvanised into action but also shamed for leaving it so long. I think that’s what Joanna Trollope does really well – she captures the inherent contradictions of what it means to be human, to struggle with selfish motivations and ensuring we get enough love, care and attention without smothering those next to you.
The family relationships are intricate and complicated, but it was never confusing and I could always tell who was ‘speaking’. Sebastian, Katie and Jake are fully formed, battling their own demons and navigating family dynamics as well as dealing with the possibility of their father dying, or at least never being the same again. This web of family ties pushes out, weaving between all of the children and into the Spanish community in which Gus and Monica have put down roots.
It was an enjoyable read, and one which made me think about my own familial relationships, and perhaps making sure I’m tending to them and helping them to take root now, not just when things go badly.
Thanks to Pan MacMillan and Netgalley for the ARC, as always.
Gus and Monica are the patriarch and matriarch of the family, settled in Spain for more than two decades and leaving their half grown children in boarding schools in the UK. The story picks up in present day, when their three children are now adults with their own children, some of whom are half grown themselves.
Early on in the narrative Gus has a stroke, leaving Monica bewildered, frightened and ever so slightly relieved to be able to live her own life after following her husband around for his. Her children gather round, galvanised into action but also shamed for leaving it so long. I think that’s what Joanna Trollope does really well – she captures the inherent contradictions of what it means to be human, to struggle with selfish motivations and ensuring we get enough love, care and attention without smothering those next to you.
The family relationships are intricate and complicated, but it was never confusing and I could always tell who was ‘speaking’. Sebastian, Katie and Jake are fully formed, battling their own demons and navigating family dynamics as well as dealing with the possibility of their father dying, or at least never being the same again. This web of family ties pushes out, weaving between all of the children and into the Spanish community in which Gus and Monica have put down roots.
It was an enjoyable read, and one which made me think about my own familial relationships, and perhaps making sure I’m tending to them and helping them to take root now, not just when things go badly.
Thanks to Pan MacMillan and Netgalley for the ARC, as always.