The opening
lines are of Finn falling from the balcony, his little body disappearing into
the dark and then the thud as he hit the ground. Beautifully described giving
the reader the full impact of the fall; quite startling.
The McNamara family
consists of Martha and her husband Kit, Martha's daughter Sacha and the twins
Finn and Charlie. From the outside they look like the perfect family; Sacha is
a talented musician, clever and popular at school. The twins are cute bundles
of energy and life. Martha, an occupational therapist is close to her family
and in love with the handsome and charming Kit. But scratch the surface and the
picture isn't quite so sunny; Kit has recently lost his well paid job and the
family is under pressure as he tries to face his demons. As crisis hits, the
family seek a new beginning in New Zealand but although their new life might
seem like paradise, the tensions soon begin to grow again.
Martha
wanted the best for her family hence the move from England to New Zealand. But
not it seems for Sacha her 16 year old daughter who dislikes the move, where
they live and her school, a typical difficult teenager. Kit is an artist and
the move is to help his career.
We don’t
know how and why Finn fell and Martha’s explanation that he sleep walks doesn’t
ring true and nor does it to the Drs in the hospital. The story has many twists
and turns. The rail on the balcony was too high for Finn to just fall. The true
story doesn’t come out till right at the end.
This book
raises the question of how far would a mother go to protect her family. This book
had so many facets and would be a good read for reading groups, as there is so
much to discuss ranging through topics of substance abuse and dependency,
emigration and its impacts, parenting choices and the pursuit of a dream
lifestyle.
I would
certainly recommend this.. I couldn’t
out it down and sat up into the early hours reading.
It was the second book I have read by Charity Norman and she is now on my list of favourite authors. I loved it so much that I left a message on the FB page and she answered! Wa-hooo!!
Other books read by Charity Norman:- Freeing Grace; The Son in Law.
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