'Compelling and fine and rich, I devoured it' TESSA HADLEY 'A writer to watch' FRANCIS SPUFFORD A stunning new novel of power, desire and the secrets all families carry, from the acclaimed author of Nightingale, Marina Kemp. When fledgling writer Zoe arrives at the Sicilian holiday home of famed novelist Don Travers, she feels that she has made it. And yet as the week unfolds it is not Don but his children and unknowable wife, Lydia, who come to intrigue Zoe most. On the fringes, Don's youngest, Nemony, watches as her older siblings begin to navigate the treacherous waters of the adult world. When her adored oldest sister makes a terrible mistake, the holiday ends suddenly, shattering the fragile balance of their parents' marriage and the siblings' lives. Many years later and in the wake of loss, the events of that summer continue to haunt. Nemony, now a lonely new mother herself, strikes up a chance friendship with Zoe. With her support, Nemony attempts to grapple with the casual damage enacted by her father. But as their relationship deepens, she is soon forced to question the true extent of Zoe's fascination with the Travers family. Tracing their lives through Sicily, London and the old mining towns of Appalachia, Nemony must uncover the stories untold - about her implacable father, her troubled mother, and the siblings she might still do anything for. 'Exquisitely written, subtle and transporting' SUSSIE ANIE, author of To Fill a Yellow House 'Ambitious, immersive' OLIVIA SUDJIC, author of Sympathy 'Complex and nuanced...I adored it' LUCY CALDWELL, author of These Days 'Unflinching, magnificent' KAREN POWELL, author of Fifteen Wild Decembers
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The Unwilding
By Marina Kemp
'Compelling and fine and rich, I devoured it' TESSA HADLEY 'A writer to watch' FRANCIS SPUFFORD A stunning new novel of power, desire and the secrets all families carry, from the acclaimed author of Nightingale, Marina Kemp. When fledgling writer Zoe arrives at the Sicilian holiday home of famed novelist Don Travers, she feels that she has made it. And yet as the week unfolds it is not Don but his children and unknowable wife, Lydia, who come to intrigue Zoe most. On the fringes, Don's youngest, Nemony, watches as her older siblings begin to navigate the treacherous waters of the adult world. When her adored oldest sister makes a terrible mistake, the holiday ends suddenly, shattering the fragile balance of their parents' marriage and the siblings' lives. Many years later and in the wake of loss, the events of that summer continue to haunt. Nemony, now a lonely new mother herself, strikes up a chance friendship with Zoe. With her support, Nemony attempts to grapple with the casual damage enacted by her father. But as their relationship deepens, she is soon forced to question the true extent of Zoe's fascination with the Travers family. Tracing their lives through Sicily, London and the old mining towns of Appalachia, Nemony must uncover the stories untold - about her implacable father, her troubled mother, and the siblings she might still do anything for. 'Exquisitely written, subtle and transporting' SUSSIE ANIE, author of To Fill a Yellow House 'Ambitious, immersive' OLIVIA SUDJIC, author of Sympathy 'Complex and nuanced...I adored it' LUCY CALDWELL, author of These Days 'Unflinching, magnificent' KAREN POWELL, author of Fifteen Wild Decembers
Popular Reviews(1)
Reviewed by DeniseEin Sommerroman, der von der ersten bis zur letzten Seite eine dichte, mystische Atmosphäre aufbaut. Im Zentrum steht eine Familiengeschichte, die durch geschickt verzögerte Enthüllungen enorme Spannung erzeugt – gerade weil zentrale Details erst spät preisgegeben werden. Diese Erzähltechnik funktioniert über weite Strecken hervorragend, sorgt an manchen Stellen aber auch für Längen, wenn die Auflösung zu lange auf sich warten lässt. Die Vielzahl an Erzählsträngen macht den Roman streckenweise unübersichtlich: Manches klärt sich erst zum Ende hin, und selbst dann bleiben einige Fragen offen. Besonders eindrücklich gelingt die Zeichnung einer männlichen Figur, die die Familie fest im Griff hat und trotz ihrer Abwesenheit immer wieder tiefe, belastende Gefühle in den Protagonistinnen auslöst. Eine Nebenhandlung um eine Autorin, die einst ins Familienleben eintritt und Jahre später erneut Kontakt aufnimmt, um dieses literarisch aufzuarbeiten, verleiht dem Buch eine zusätzliche, reizvolle Ebene. Insgesamt ein Roman mit einer ungewöhnlichen, bislang so nicht gelesenen Erzählweise – anspruchsvoll und atmosphärisch dicht, wenn auch nicht immer leicht zugänglich.