Adele Geras, A Hidden Life

This is Adele Geras' new book for adults, not yet in the shops. I was fortunate enough to get an advance copy which I have been reading with pleasure. It's a delightful story and will appeal to bookish people because books -- and one book in particular -- are at the heart of the plot. The story begins with Constance Barrington, the wealthy matriarch of a large and diverse clan, altering the terms of her will on her deathbed. When the will is read, everyone gets a shock. Most of her surviving family will still benefit to some extent, though some will get rather less than they expected. But Louise, her grandaughter, has been more or less disinherited -- all she is left is the copyright of her grandfather John Barrington''s books, long out of print and unread even by his own family. This is made all the more hurtful by the fact that Louise is the one person who Constance's money could really have helped. She is a single parent of a small daughter -- the product of an abusive relationship which has left her nervous and mistrustful of men -- and is struggling to keep her head above water financially by working part time as a reader for a small film production company. Struggling to comes to terms with the confused emotions that result from her disinheritance, Lou remembers how, when she was a small child, her grandfather used to read her extracts from his first, and most successful, novel, Blind Moon, and decides to start reading it. As soon as she does, she is struck by the power and fascination of the work. The background to the story it tells, of a young boy living in a North Borneo concentration camp in World War Two, is clearly based on the true experiences of her grandfather's own early life. Lou, who has always loved writing, makes a bold decision -- she will write a screenplay based on the novel. Soon afterwards, the chance discovery of an twenty-year-old letter  leads Lou and her father to a meeting in Paris with an old Frenchwoman, Mme Franchard, who turns out to be a close relation. Mme Franchard reveals facts about John Barrington's family and his early life which cause Lou to reassess Blind Moon as she comes to suspect that the book is probably more autobiography than fiction.

A Hidden Life is narrated with skill and sensitivity. Although the reader's interest and sympathy are centred on Lou and her journey to understanding and, we hope, happiness and success, the other members of her diverse family also have their own adventures, anxieties, pains and triumphs. Lou's father Matt struggles with his re-emerging sexual feelings for his first wife Ellie, her step-sister Nessa emerges from a failed marriage into a unexpected and astonishingly rewarding new relationship. Although at the end there are no easy answers, generally people have come to a better understanding of themselves and their closest family members. And yes, the book does have a happy ending!

Comments

[Ann Darnton]

I've skipped to the end of this, Harriet, because I'm half way through and don't want to read any 'spoilers'. I'll come back when I've finished.

[Harriet]

Oh yes Ann - I can see you wouldn't want to have the ending spoiled (though I've tried not to give anything much away!)

[tara]

Hello! Thank you for this wonderful review - this book sounds so absorbing. I have a copy of Geras' book Facing the Light on my bookshelf and I'm looking forward to reading it.

[Harriet]

Hi Tara -- yes, the book is certainly absorbing. Adele Geras is a really readable writer so I hope you become a fan!

[dovegreyreader]

I've skipped too as it's on my shelf and awaiting the right moment to read, looking forward to it.