I could look at him and nothing else for eternity and be happy. I could listen to him, my eyes closed, feel his breath and his words wash over me, time and time and time again. It’s all I want.
A passionate encounter between two childhood friends. Elle Bishop remembers everything from the night that changed everything, up against the wall while her husband and mother chatted to the dinner guests inside.
This is a heart-achingly good read. A story that spans over 50 years but unfolds over a 24-hour period. There are many things unearthed – childhood trauma, family secrets and a love story that was doomed from the beginning. Read this. It’s a story that will stay with you for days afterwards.
The lyrical descriptions of nature that evoke this is sense of purity is definitely contrasted to the harsh and raw themes explored in the writing. We can’t ignore it. That brings me to my next point – it’s a difficult read. One that will have you crying, laughing and at times wanting to put the book down to fully process the narrative. But, my goodness, this is a gripping tale that will have you turning every page with anticipation and weariness. This is not for the fainthearted as there are themes of rape, incest and child abuse.
You could argue that Elle has been depicted as a character that is flawed from the beginning. From her birth she has encountered struggles and this most certainly doesn’t cease as she continues her journey into adulthood. You empathise with her from page one, and then your heart slowly breaks when you piece together her story that has led to the climatic point, which the story is based on.
Structurally, the novel consists of a series of flashbacks and each memory is pivotal to the story. The present day narrative is set over the course of 24 hours, each hour leads to an important decision that Elle needs to make. The flashbacks, consists of her grandparents stories, her mother’s and then what she remembers of her childhood.
The only frustration for me, and the last point I will make. The unclear ending was just irksome. I wanted a final decision from Elle, and you don’t get that. It left me with a mix of emotions that I had to process. One, sadness for her. Two, annoyed because I wanted to know what was going to happen, and so on. But, I guess that’s the point, the way it is left actually stirs up feelings in you and you have to accept the fact that there isn’t a complete resolution. The ending I would prefer, is one of happiness where Elle gets to be with her unrequited love – her soulmate. Thinking about this now, I guess life doesn’t work like that that. That’s what makes this story work so well, Miranda Cowley truly pins down realism to a tee.
Mishelle Thurai 