Where My Heart Used to Beat by Sebastian Faulks

Reviewer : Gillian Hamer, author of The Charter, Closure, Complicit, Crimson Shore, False Lights & Sacred Lake (www.gillianhamer.com)


This is an author I’d been meaning to read for some time and chose this book because I liked the historical element to the story. I must admit I fell in love with the writing style from page one, there was an easiness to the prose, almost a languid confidence that took the reader right to the heart of the action – be that WW2 trenches, 1940’s London or a Mediterranean island – without once tripping over the prose.

This book is cleverly constructed, it hops back and forwards, again with a confidence that carries the reader along in its presence. The protagonist is Robert Hendricks, an English doctor, whose memories of WW2 are a rich and varied story in themselves from tragic events to an intense love story, Hendricks is a walking novella. Add to the mix, his Mediterranean host, Alexander Pereira, and his tales of his time in WW1 with Hendrick’s father – a man who was a stranger to his son – and the trip through time becomes a gripping tale.

There’s so much to love here, and this is a writer who clearly loves his craft. The historical attention to detail was effortless. The characters sparkled with life and the narrative was clever and clinical and engaging throughout.

I’m so glad I took the plunge with this author and have already made plans for the next.


You’ll enjoy this if you like: Anthony Doerr, Ian McEwan, Rose Tremain.


Avoid if you don’t like: War stories and personal journeys.


Ideal accompaniments: Iced tea and salad Nicoise.


Genre: Contemporary


Available on Amazon