Reviewer: Gillian Hamer, author of The Charter, Closure, Complicit, Crimson Shore & False Lights. (www.gillianhamer.com)What we thought: This book ticks many of my boxes – particularly nosing into the intricate details of other peoples' lives - and the excellent use of location around my home town of Birmingham!
D’Souza has a wonderful writing style, both down to earth and believable, whilst still fluid and lyrical. I like how she handles the toughest of subjects, with the most delicate of touches, and takes the reader on an emotional journey that ensures her book is a page turner.
In No Place, we are introduced to Tanya and Geena Gill, who along with their father, live an ordinary life in an ordinary semi, in an ordinary street, in a suburb of Birmingham. But even in the most routine of lives, what is ever normal?
Tanya works as a radiographer at a local hospital, but has a deep desire to escape her life, and her sister, Geena, works in a local watch repair shop, but longs to design her own jewellery. Both girls know something is missing from their lives, and the reader soon realises much of their happiness is tied to the loss of their mother. And when their elderly father is traumatised by a racist incident on the bus, his changes in behaviour force all of the family towards a crossroads in their lives. And the secrets that emerge rock the family to the core.
I totally enjoyed this read and become engaged with the characters and drawn into their lives. The pacing, the writing skill, and the attention to deal captured my imagination. I loved the fact that what on the surface is a light-hearted look at family life, becomes, once the author cleverly reveals the layers beneath – a real tear-jerker of a story that has morals and life lessons all of its own.
Highly recommended!
You’ll enjoy this if you like: Jan Ruth, Liz Fenwick, Jojo Moyes.
Avoid if you don’t like: Family secrets and hidden lives.
Ideal accompaniments: Toasted teacakes and a Cappuccino.
Genre: Contemporary.
Available on Amazon
Absolutely agree. One of the best books I have read in a long time. I was also particularly impressed with the way in which the nature of a religious background in a secular society was interwoven with the family relationship story. Very subtle.
ReplyDelete