Author: Rosalind Brackenbury
Genre: Literary Fiction
Publisher: Delphinium
Published: July 23. 2019
Book Description: When her old friend Hannah doesn’t show up at her house in the south of France, everyone assumes that Claudia, who has known Hannah since their shared years at boarding school, will know where she is, and what has happened. But as Claudia travels from the USA to France to help Hannah’s husband and children conduct their search, she is forced to deal with her old jealousy of Hannah, as well as her own relationship in the present with her French lover, Alexandre. As events unfold, Claudia begins to wonder if Hannah and Alexandre may have had an affair and if that has had something to do with Hannah’s mysterious disappearance. In this exquisitely written, Ferrante-esque novel the question of whether or not Hannah will come back becomes urgent and bewildering. And if she doesn’t come back, what will the lives of her friends and family be without her?
Rating: 4 Stars
Review: When I received this book, I saw the comparison to Elena Ferrante, I mean how do you even to compare anything to her. I started reading this and was like oh man, the author is trying replicate My Brilliant Friend, however if you can get through the first 25% of the book Brackenbury develops this story into a book that rightfully stands on it’s own.
The book is narrated by Claudia, she has been life long friends with Hannah. They met in boarding school in England, and while their friendship ebbs and flows they always find their way back to each other.
Claudia is teaching in Virginia when she receives a distressing call from Hannah’s husband that she is missing and she flys to Avignon to help find her. Like My Brilliant Friend this goes between their their younger years as friends to current times.
This story does have elements of mystery in there that will definitely keep you reading. When the story is over you heart will be aching. This is a very nuanced story from Brackenbury and I just loved it. I found myself rereading passages. I am looking at reviews and can’t figure out why there is not more press around this book. This should be on the front table of every book store.
Thank you NetGalley and Delphinium for an Advanced Reader’s Copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Obsessed Bookaholic 