Review: The Sudden Departure of the Frasers by Louise Candlish
I was looking through my review notebook (which in reality is an old notepad full of jumbled ideas and half-asleep handwriting), and found a handful of short reviews, some of which are only a few sentences, that have yet to see the light of day. Life has been getting in the way of blogging lately for me, so writing up these thoughts on a few books seems like a good way to get back into the swing of things.
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My name is Amber Fraser. I've just moved in at Number 40, Lime Park Road. You'll come to think of me as a loving wife, a thoughtful neighbour and a trusted friend.
This is a lie.
When Christy and Joe Davenport are handed the keys to Number 40 on picture-perfect Lime Park Road, Christy knows it should be a dream come true. How strange though that the house was on the market for such a low price. That the previous owners, the Frasers, had renovated the entire property yet moved out within a year. That none of the neighbours will talk to Christy.
As her curiosity begins to give way to obsession, Christy finds herself drawn deeper into the mystery of the house's previous occupants - and the dark and shocking secret
that tore the street apart . . .
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I had been wanting to read this for ages, and while it didn't quite live up to expectation I still enjoyed it. I found the parts of the story told from Amber's perspective much more engaging than Christy's - most likely because they are written in the first person. As Christy becomes increasingly frustrated about not knowing what happened to Amber I was beginning to feel the same - right up until the truth was revealed I wasn't even sure myself! It's not exactly suspense packed but it contains enough of a hook to keep you reading - even if I didn't actually like any of the characters (although I suspect this is intentional). What I do love is Louise Candlish's writing style - she excels at drawing the reader in and keeping them guessing righ until the very end.
3/5 stars: The dark side of suburbia.
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My name is Amber Fraser. I've just moved in at Number 40, Lime Park Road. You'll come to think of me as a loving wife, a thoughtful neighbour and a trusted friend.This is a lie.
When Christy and Joe Davenport are handed the keys to Number 40 on picture-perfect Lime Park Road, Christy knows it should be a dream come true. How strange though that the house was on the market for such a low price. That the previous owners, the Frasers, had renovated the entire property yet moved out within a year. That none of the neighbours will talk to Christy.
As her curiosity begins to give way to obsession, Christy finds herself drawn deeper into the mystery of the house's previous occupants - and the dark and shocking secret
that tore the street apart . . .
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
I had been wanting to read this for ages, and while it didn't quite live up to expectation I still enjoyed it. I found the parts of the story told from Amber's perspective much more engaging than Christy's - most likely because they are written in the first person. As Christy becomes increasingly frustrated about not knowing what happened to Amber I was beginning to feel the same - right up until the truth was revealed I wasn't even sure myself! It's not exactly suspense packed but it contains enough of a hook to keep you reading - even if I didn't actually like any of the characters (although I suspect this is intentional). What I do love is Louise Candlish's writing style - she excels at drawing the reader in and keeping them guessing righ until the very end.
3/5 stars: The dark side of suburbia.
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