So the first chapter peaked my interest. The scenario amazingly curious, but then the novel devolves into too much interior life of Claire and her trauma over her father’s disappearance, mother’s attack, and nanny’s murder when she was 4 years old (I think). Then around page 93 the book kicks back into gear and sweeps you along as Claire attempts to unravel the mystery of her father’s disappearance and the murders he’s accused of. She is an amateur sleuth who has struggled with this for so long that she only has a few disjointed relationships with friends and her brother. Everyone worries about her all the time and because it’s more or less all she can think about, for the most part any relationship ultimately needs to carry her closer to the truth or comfort her in some manner. A story about isolation and need, this book delivers but you have to be patient. I especially loved her description of what it’s like to be alone in someone else’s home when they are away. She crafts sentences very well and as an American she has an amazing ability to capture the British way of speaking. I have not read Under the Harrow but that is on my short list. I look forward to more from Ms. Berry.
Book Review: A Double Life by Flynn Berry
Published inNews
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