Author: Imogen Clark
Genre: Women’s Fiction
Publisher: Lake Union Publishing
Publication Date: April 29, 2021
Book Description: Pip Appleby seems to have it all, with her prestigious job as a human rights lawyer and her enviable London home. But then a tragic accident stops her life in its tracks, and in an instant everything changes. Retreating to her family’s rural farm and the humble origins she has been trying to hide, Pip is haunted by what she has done.
When she discovers the diary of actress Evelyn Mountcastle in a box of old books, Pip revels in the opportunity to lose herself in someone else’s life rather than focus on the disaster that is her own. But soon she sees parallels—Evelyn’s life was also beset by tragedy, and, like Pip, she returned to Southwold under a dark cloud.
When Pip and Evelyn’s paths cross in real life they slowly begin to reveal the hidden stories that are holding them back. Can they help each other forgive what happened in the past and, perhaps, find happiness in the future?
Rating: 4 Stars
Review: Pip Appleby was a successful barrister in London, but at the start of the book we witness a tragic accident when she hits and kills a little boy. Reeling from this incident she is unable to work and temporarily moves back to the farm her parents own. Working at a charity shop, she finds a diary from 1983 that sets up the entirety of this novel.
Evelyn is who wrote this diary and we know she was an actress, who ended up pregnant just after she receives her big break and decides instead to move back home with her sister and have the baby. Several years later tragedy ensues and Evelyn is more or less a recluse who has a bit of a hoarding issue.
Pip and Evelyn come together that is beautiful and healing to both of them. This is a very simple story this is just beautiful. The biggest takeaway is forgiveness, for yourself and each other. Told through diary entries and conversations Clark gives us lovely story that will stay with you awhile and maybe even make you reflect on some of your pasts. I recommend this one highly.
Thank you NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for an Advanced Reader’s Copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
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