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Traces Of Alys by Sarah Reynolds

Oct29

A Complex Plotline

Traces Of Alys by Sarah Reynolds is a compelling dual timeline psychological suspense that gripped me from the start.

The novel is set in 1995 and 2015, alternating between voices and time periods. It is set in both Surrey and West Wales. At first, I found the action confusing (maybe because it was a kindle copy and not a paperback) and wasn’t sure of the connections – but by halfway through, I was totally invested, and read greedily to the end.

As I sped towards the final pages, my heart rate rose and my palms were sweaty, as the pieces all slotted together. The summing up of the action was superb – I believe that Traces Of Alys would make a marvellous television series.

The novel was partly in Welsh, with English translations. It celebrates the Welsh language. I imagine that Welsh speakers would enjoy the novel.

There were missing girls. And girls who were found. Just who was who is revealed at the end.

Within the book there were some hard to read scenes as some of the men in the book, were very unsavoury creatures.

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The Last Christmas by Liz Fenwick

Oct25

Waiting. Always.

The Last Christmas by Liz Fenwick is a very charming dual timeline novel that I absolutely adored.

Readers of the author’s The Secret Shore will remember lead character Meredith Tremayne who features in this book as the ninety-eight-year-old grandmother. She is returning to Cornwall for one last Christmas.

The novel is set in 2012 and 1946, both in December. In 1946 Meredith married Jake, the love of her life. In 2012 Meredith is returning to scatter Jake’s ashes after he had died eight years earlier. Her dearest wish is that her ashes would be scattered with his.

Meredith was a cartographer during World War II, and was crucial to the war effort. However, “when the war ended, they basically told us to hang up our coats and go back to the kitchen.” With war, came choices, after the war, Meredith still pursued her work with the blessing of new husband, Jake.

The pair settled in Massachusetts. It is only in 2012 that Meredith returns ‘home’ to Cornwall with her granddaughter Grace. “My grandmother had been important in the war effort, but no-one in the family ever said anything about it.” Here, in Cornwall, Grace really gets to ‘know’ her grandmother, who in turn, really ‘sees’ Grace.

Grace is dyslexic and has been dubbed ‘stupid’ by her own mother. It is in visiting her grandmother’s family home that Grace really discovers her passion and her gifting. She finally finds her place in life.

War changes people. “Everyone of us who lived through that time carried things which… could sink us. We had to find a way of living with what we had witnessed or experienced.” There were horrors that they could not ‘unsee’. They had to learn to live with them. After the war, “I needed to make every moment count.”

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Dreadnought by Robin Bennett

Oct16

Many Layers Within

Dreadnought by Robin Bennett is a gripping novel set in the near future but with its’ roots firmly in the past.

The world is on the brink of World War III as a family move from London to the North Yorkshire coast, near Whitby, as they stay in the family home on Dreadnought.

Here, the veil between the past and present draws thin. Seven-year-old Cass is in touch with those whom the adults cannot see. The whole area has a dark and brooding presence. Three generations of the family inhabit Dreadnought.

Dreadnought seems to be a place of secrets. Ancient voices from the past, call out as the fog rolls in.

Cass is amazingly brave. She faces her fears in order to free her friend.

There are elements of the Gothic horror tradition found within the novel – strange creatures lurking in dark corners; sea mists; caves; and of course, the folk lore of Dracula surrounding Whitby Abbey.

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The Baby In Her Arms by Suzanne Goldring

Sep28

Letters From The Lost

The Baby In Her Arms by Suzanne Goldring is a powerful and heartbreaking dual timeline novel that I never wanted to end.

The action is set in Paris during World War II and in 2024 in England. Nazi-occupied Paris was a terrible place to be. We witness a young Jewish mother make the ultimate sacrifice – leaving her newborn baby at the mercy of a stranger finding and caring for her, during a random round-up. We see the appalling treatment and are horrified. In contrast, we applaud the mother’s decision based on sacrificial love, to give her baby a chance of life.

There are strong women throughout the novel. They are prepared to stand up and be counted. Where they see injustice, they seek to right it. They do what they can, when they can, in whatever way they can.

Letters thrown from trains departing eastwards are found and delivered if they have addresses, or ultimately published in the hope that someone will read the letters from the lost.

A grandmother in present day is searching for her roots. She wants to know where she came from – and what she uncovers is amazing. Finally, the jigsaw pieces fit, and she can celebrate where she comes from, and who she is.

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