I had quite high hopes for this one! My cousin and nan had enjoyed it and been passing it around the family, so that must count for something, right?
The synopsis is as follows:
"The stunning new novel from Costa-Novel-Award-winning novelist Maggie O'Farrell: a portrait of an Irish family in crisis in the legendary heatwave of 1976.
It's July 1976. In London, it hasn't rained for months, gardens are filled with aphids, water comes from a standpipe, and Robert Riordan tells his wife Gretta that he's going round the corner to buy a newspaper. He doesn't come back. The search for Robert brings Gretta's children - two estranged sisters and a brother on the brink of divorce - back home, each wih different ideas as to where their father might have gone. None of them suspects that their mother might have an explanation that even now she cannot share."
"The stunning new novel from Costa-Novel-Award-winning novelist Maggie O'Farrell: a portrait of an Irish family in crisis in the legendary heatwave of 1976.
It's July 1976. In London, it hasn't rained for months, gardens are filled with aphids, water comes from a standpipe, and Robert Riordan tells his wife Gretta that he's going round the corner to buy a newspaper. He doesn't come back. The search for Robert brings Gretta's children - two estranged sisters and a brother on the brink of divorce - back home, each wih different ideas as to where their father might have gone. None of them suspects that their mother might have an explanation that even now she cannot share."
I must have missed something here! I just don't get it! I didn't find any of the characters like-able and the story seemed so slow and 'dithery' (stolen this word from a GoodReads reviewer which I loved!) The climax just completely fizzled out really. I ended the book feeling lost and confused!
Despite all this though, I still gave this book 3 stars on GoodReads! It's a weird sensation, because even though nothing seemed to happen, I didn't dislike it and kept feeling compelled to pick the book up! Maybe that's Maggie's charm? Whatever it is, I would definitely pick up another of her books to see if I can work it out! :)
Have you read this book? Let me know your thoughts below: are all Maggie's books like this?
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