This
is a dark tale of a modern dysfunctional family.
Nick and Fran have moved to an old Victorian house on the edge of a
rough estate. They are hoping the bigger
house will give them the room they need to reconcile the different strands of
their respective families. The story
opens with Nick going to meet his teenage daughter who is coming to stay with
them while her mother, his first wife, recovers from an illness. Meanwhile, the heavily pregnant Fran is
trying to cope with their toddler, Jasper and her eleven year-old son,
Gareth. Gareth has behavioural problems
and is jealous of Nick and his step-brother.
On top of all this Nick’s grandfather, Geordie, a First World War
veteran, is dying and it falls on Nick to help care for him in his final days,
thus leaving Fran to cope with all the conflict on her own. Whilst redecorating the house the family
uncover a sinister painting of the Fanshawe family the previous Victorian occupants of
the house. Nick can’t stop thinking
about the grotesque painting and researches the Fanshawe family only to
discover that the youngest Fanshawe child died in horrific circumstances. At times, Nick fears that history may be
repeating itself. Meanwhile, he sits by
his grandfather’s bedside and tries to alleviate Geordie's suffering as Geordie
struggles to lay his own ghosts to rest.
I enjoyed seeing the situation through all the character’s eyes and the
different narrative viewpoints were handled in a seamless way. The writing is dark, but there is humour
too. The characters were strong and
believable. The story could have ended
in a more brutal way, but I’m glad it didn’t.
I thoroughly enjoyed Pat Barker’s writing style.
