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by Margaret Forster

Book Overview

Margaret Forster writes fiction that is convincingly, disturbingly real, rooted in the experiences of ordinary lives. As in Carol Shields’s Unless, this novel takes a heartbreaking look at a mother’s... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0099507668
• ISBN13: 9780099507666
• Release Date: January 2008
• Publisher: Vintage
• Length: 208 Pages
• Weight: 0.35 lbs.

Customer Reviews

Disturbing

I found this book to be a rather melancholy read, although superbly written and undoubtedly right on the mark. It's the diary of Louise, an infant school teacher and mother of three, one of whom, Miranda, drowned in a boating accident, three years previously. Louise's husband Don would never accept the possibility that the accident may have been solely Miranda's fault and descended into a kind of madness, an obsession with discovering the truth by questioning the boat builders, non stop, for three years. During this period, he lived like a zombie, ignoring the pain and suffering of the remainder of the family and generally acting as though he were the only one to feel the anguish of losing a child and sister. The story is of how Louise copes with this tragedy and how she tries to make herself realise that her feelings for Don have undergone a change, even while feeling pity for him. It's an emotional read and it would probably be best not to read it if feeling a bit fragile.