WOW! WOW! WOW!This book is fantastic - an astonishing read. 2006 really is proving a bumper year for books as far as I'm concerned.
There's a gripping story, some dazzling if very unconventional writing, lots of laughs, and ideas that stop you in your tracks.
The plot is pretty unbeguiling - an unpleasant, almost witch-like, young woman gatecrashes the Norfolk holiday home of this highly dysfunctional family and proceeds to turn everyone's lives upside down. But in the end they all attain some sort of redemption.
In interweaving chapters each of the family members tells their story in their own literary style. 12-year old Astrid talks in a splurge of stream-of-consciousness. 16-year old Magnus is plagued by guilt. Eve is a successful author. Michael, the children's stepfather, is a philandering English lecturer.
It's an exhilarating, mind-bending read. I devoured it in two days when I was off work, sick. I could hardly put it down.
A great book. Thanks J&R for recommending this one. I would just say get through the first chapter. Its written from the perspective of the young daughter and I found myself thinking "here we go again - a kids view of the world written in the 1st person by an adult - yawn yawn" As you can see I found the chapters on her the least good - but the rest are brilliant.
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