This is - in many ways - a very different book from the author's first, How To Be Brave. But it does share a lot that made that first book such a delight. First and foremost, there's the quality of the writing - and the author has an innate ability to make you care about and feel deeply for all her characters, a deft touch in writing about emotions and relationships, while also producing a real page-turner of a story.
Bernadette won my heart in the first few vivid scene-setting chapters - as well as capturing her anguish at the loss of "the book", we see a dissection of her relationship with her husband, gain a detailed picture of her home, and enough clues are left that this might not be the most perfect of marriages. The slow reveal of some of the incidents and exchanges that have brought Bernadette to this point in the story of her marriage - with more detail emerging as the story progresses - is exceptionally well done, with real insight into the realities of the less obvious kind of abuse to which she is subjected by her husband.
Then there is Conor, the child that Bernadette has befriended - but who has equally befriended her. He has a clear and endearing voice throughout, authentically childlike but reflecting the life experience that has shaped him, with his moving passion for everything to do with his hero Muhammad Ali for a whole range of believable and unbearably poignant reasons. Conor's story is a heartbreaking one, and the book's structure is the perfect way to tell it: the extracts from his lifebook, a documented history of a child's life within the care system, punctuate the narrative and provide all the background and context the reader needs. We gain an insight into Conor's earlier life and the lives of those people who have been key figures in it through the notes, extracts of reports and letters kept within its pages - these individuals have clear voices too, and in many cases we form opinions of our own about their actions.
There are lesser characters in this book - in the past and present day - that also leave an indelible impression. The taxi driver, Bob, was a particular favourite of mine, a bluff Yorkshireman not afraid of showing his feelings for someone he knows to be troubled. Conor's various foster carers leave their own impressions for a whole variety of reasons, with the most recent, Anne, with a love and warmth that radiates from the pages, achieved through the smallest of touches and observations. I really liked Jim, Conor's first social worker, too - we never meet him, but his badly handwritten notes recur within the lifebook and are a wonderful reminder that officialdom can, just sometimes, have a caring side.
The sense of place in this book is tremendous. Set primarily in and around Hull and East Yorkshire, the dark waters of the Humber are a constant presence, with the ominous foghorn heard at night, lightened only by the twinkling lights of the bridge. The claustrophobic Tower Rise apartment almost has the presence of another character - with its bookshelves, pantry, damp stain on the wall, and the line of trees that protect it and offer Bernadette solace.
And as if all this isn't enough, I haven't even mentioned the story that drives the narrative - perhaps not entirely unpredictable, but still a tense edge-of-your-seat thriller of a read where lives and futures are under threat, full of excitement and incident and unexpected twists and turns.
But for me, this book wasn't so much about the story at its centre but about the hopes, dreams and futures of the people who are part of it. Above all, it was about what might happen when the excitement is over - when Bernadette and Conor have overcome the mountains, and deserve a happy ending so much that you ache in the hope that it might happen. You may put the book down when it ends, but it will remain in your thoughts for a very long time thereafter.
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About the author
Thoughtful and intuitive
After several years of moving from one foster home to another, ten year old Conor has been settled with his latest foster mother, Anne, for five years. Both are very happy with the arrangement. His birth mother is unable to care for him but won’t agree to an adoption hence the foster care. Despite what he has been through in his short life, Conor has proved to be quite adaptable although he does understandably have issues. One of his passions is art, at which he excels. The other is Mohammed Ali, whom he hero-worships. I love the way Louise Beech has used Conor’s Life Book, written by social workers and other people who are important in Conor’s life, to tell his back story. Extracts from the book, a lot of them quite sad, are interspersed throughout the narrative. One such person is Bernadette, an unhappy young woman with a controlling and sometimes cruel husband. She has befriended Conor through volunteering, and they’ve become an important part of each other’s lives for the past five years. As the story opens Bernadette is leaving her husband, waiting until he arrives home to tell him. But the man who keeps to such a tight schedule, always arriving home at the exact same time, is late. That night three things go missing—Richard, Conor’s Life Book and Conor himself. On the face of it, three incidents with no connection. As Anne and Bernadette join together in a desperate search for Conor, details of Bernadette’s story are slowly revealed as we also get Conor’s view of his experiences. Chapters are short and move the storyline along revealing the intricate layers. Wonderful and distinctive characters people a thought provoking tale that explores the emotive topic of neglect and the complexity of families. Conor stole the show for me, I couldn’t help but be moved by his situation and courage. It brings home how many children must be in a similar situation. Louise Beech writes with perception, and empathy for her characters who are all fully rounded and very realistic. The research that must have been undertaken with regard to child services and foster care is meticulous. Although the story covers distressing subjects including neglect, rejection and abuse, it also showcases compassion, the fact there is always hope and the true meaning of family. A very thoughtful and intuitive read.
Top reviews from United Kingdom
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- Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 1 August 2016
- Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 24 January 2017
- Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 23 August 2021
Top reviews from other countries
- Gwendy P.Reviewed in Canada on 24 May 2023
one of the most boring books I've ever read
