.png "The Secret of the Brighton House, a novel told over two timespans")
This book will be released on November 1st, 2024 and I thoroughly recommend grabbing it. It is a novel told from two timelines, in the first one we have Joanne who is 28 weeks pregnant when she discovers a photo of her mum holding her as a newborn. This doesn't sound strange until you find out that Joanne has been told her entire life that her mother died giving birth to her.
When she confronts her father about it he says well actually she died a few days later of a heart attack, but it was related to childbirth so it was just easier to say she died in childbirth. When Joanne looks further into it she finds her mother's death certificate and discovers that she actually died two years after Joanne was born. What happened during those two years and why will neither her father or stepmother give her any more information?
The other timeline in the book is that of Joanne's mother, Grace and this is told from Grace's POV from the 1970s as she prepares to give birth to her daughter. The description of Grace and her friend puffing away on a Silk Cut while being pregnant and her mother's horror at her making a rag rug for the nursery really does take you back in time.
The timelines go between Joanne's determination to find out what happened to her mother before she gives birth and Grace in the lead up to Joanne's birth and the following couple of years of her life.
I think the author does a great job with the characters, especially Grace. The book does deal with issues that can be very emotive such as miscarriage, IVF, traumatic births and outdated 1970s postnatal practices.
The book really resonated to me on how much women's health care has evolved in my lifetime. If you do get to read the book (and I hope you do) the part that really tugged at my emotions was when they opened Grace's suitcase.
I'm going to leave the review there as I don't want to ruin the 'secret' for you. I will definitely be adding Cathy Hayward's other book - The Girl in the Midnight Maze to my TBR list though.
I do love a book that holds on so tight you can't put it down until it is finished! I am quite intrigued to find out what really happened to Grace and what was in her suitcase.
ReplyDeleteThis does indeed sound like a fascinating read. Thanks so much for reviewing and recommending "The Secret of the Brighton House", Louanne.
ReplyDeleteI, too, am intrigued by your description of the storyline and characters. I definitely want to know what was in Grace’s suitcase and whether she died of lung cancer (I assume Silk Cut is a brand of cigarettes?) or something else.
ReplyDeleteThis sounds very thought provoking. Sounds like an interesting read.
ReplyDeletethis sounds like an interesting book that must go on my to read list.
ReplyDeletesounds like an excellent book - certainly when you have to read the whole book at once, you know it's good!
ReplyDeleteThanks Lou, I have another book to put on my list of Must Reads. That's okay because I love it when someone finds a book that needs to be re-read! It tells me that I know I'll enjoy it!
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