Well this is a belter of a book, one that both took me by surprise and delighted me with the affection I felt for the key characters. In my mind a successful book has a number of elements, a mystery, a strong plot underpinned by believable characters, preferably in extraordinary circumstances, In Her Wake hits these and has that special something extra too.
Bella has led a sheltered life. She’s a librarian at a university, the wife of a much older, protective man David. Nothing is too much for him, he even lovingly reminds her when to put a sweater on to avoid feeling the cold. Bella and David return to The Vicarage in Cornwall, Bella’s childhood home, where she had been home-schooled by her adoring mother Elaine. The funeral was a fairly dismal affair, Elaine and her father Henry having been estranged from their wider family so it is after a pretty bleak stay that they prepare to leave, but then events take a turn for the worse. Henry leaves Bella a note telling her that her whole life has been based on a lie, not a little lie but a big fat juicy one.
After this shock Bella struggles to cope, unsurprisingly, and begins to find David’s solicitous attention stifling rather than soothing. Dwelling on the information that Henry had belatedly bestowed, she decides to travel to St Ives to investigate what her father has told her. Leaving David behind she boards a train and for the first time in her life, has only herself to rely on. In St Ives she finds a place to stay and learns about the Celtic legend of Morveren.
I’m not going to say anything further about the plot as the less you know going into it the more delightful the experience will be. What I will say is that this is a psychological thriller of years gone by. From the very first page I had a sense of unease but with no clue as to what was going to be revealed. This is no fast and furious read full of twists and turns, it is the wise older sister to that style, full of real unveiling of the characters their own actions to expose the truth behind the façade. This rarefied storytelling allows each sentence to mean something at times with something approaching poetry.
With the characters all experiencing a wide range of emotions the author did a fantastic job of portraying those who relished in confrontation with those who avoided it and then when the subject matter switched, those who’d been happy to shout the odds, behaved differently, and yet remained entirely believable – what I’m trying to say that each character was the combination of their experience, no one was always shouty or always timid, depending on circumstance, and typically difficult situation, they reacted accordingly which made for a brilliant read. There was no doubt in my mind that these were real people, struggling with an unusual situation.
The setting itself, lends itself to magnificent description but the author adds to the beauty of the scenery by contrasting it with the inside of a one particular house, fusty and dark full of memories, truths, despair and desperation. The scenes by the sea where Bella pondered on the fate of Morveren, were sometimes dark, but again, not always so we get the contrast in the setting as well as those of the characters.
If you couldn’t already tell, I loved this book. Psychological thrillers are not the place I expect to meet characters that get under my skin quite so much, and that plural is fully intended, there were a few people in this book that I wanted to meet along the way, to give them a hug and wish them well on their journey.
First Published UK: 22 March 2016
Publisher: Orendo Books
No of Pages: 340
Genre: Psychological Fiction
Amazon UK
Amazon US
This does sound good Cleo, and I love Cornwall so the setting is perfect – it sounds reminiscent of Rebecca? I’ll look out for this.
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The setting is beautiful and adds another layer, and juxtaposition to this story – I highly recommend it.
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Loved this book. So moving and yet so tense at times too.
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Exactly 😉
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This is one of the best books I’ve read for a good while – the protagonist’s escape from the claustrophobic attentions of David to atmospheric Cornwall and what ensues… I’m revealing nothing to spoil this, it just has to be read.
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I totally agree Dianne – a wonderful tale and uplifting too
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Loved this book too, one if my top reads this year.
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Yes it was so much more than I imagined, and every aspect so very good!
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Isn’t it just a beautiful book?!
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Wonderful 😊 such a lovely surprise
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I’ve heard alot of good things about this one. Must check if it’s in the library!
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I hope it’s there for you Cathy, such an amazing read!
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So glad you enjoyed this one as much as I did! The confrontations between the two main female protagonists were just so, so good. And it’s dripping with atmosphere.
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Wasn’t it just, the different way they reacted was perfectly pitched – and that undertone of unease really worked incredibly well
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I have this on my to read list but had also forgotten about it. A good reminder for what sounds like a great book.
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Oh you really should read this one – it’s a totally different kind of read but has such depth!
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Reblogged this on Mike Thomas.
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Thank you Mike
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Fantastic review as always Cleo. Absolutely love the sound of this book, sounds right up my street.
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Thank you Abbie 🙂 It is a fantastic read!
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This sounds so deliciously atmospheric, Cleo! And I do love that plot point of the past coming back to haunt. It sounds as though the characters are very nicely developed, too, which for me is a major plus.
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Yes I could tell you loved it. Is this the first time you’ve read this author?
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Hi. I have nominated you for the Blogger Recognition Award. If you are not a fan of award posts and don’t feel you’d like to pass this one on, that is totally fine. Just please accept this as a compliment that I like reading your blog and I think others might, too. https://sarah-angleton.com/2016/11/17/dear-coffee-shop-dudes-the-blogger-recognition-award/
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Must see if I can get this one, it sounds great!
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I have this one bookmarked…and now I’m downloading it!
I love how you described the book here: “This is no fast and furious read full of twists and turns, it is the wise older sister to that style, full of real unveiling of the characters their own actions to expose the truth behind the façade.”
Thanks!
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Now this brilliant review tells me I was right to put In Her Wake on my reading list this week!
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You made absolutely the right choice there Donna 🙂
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That cover!! I love it. This book sounds awesome and intriguing! I love your review.
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Thank you Amanda – it is well worth a read!
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I’m so happy you loved it, Cleo. I read it last summer and I thought it was pretty much a perfect story as well.
**SPOILER ALERT** I thought the family bliss at the end was a bit off, but I enjoyed the rest of the book anyway, so I thought it’d be a 5* review as well. **END OF SPOILER**
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Yes, I was a little cautious about the ending being a fairly (OK very) cynical person but it was such a unique read that I forgave the desire to end on a happy note!
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Same here. Although I thought I was quite a romantic… But not that much apparently!
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