This book arrived yesterday and I have read it non-stop since.
I thought it was going to have a bittersweet ending but the last 3 lines changed my mind about that.
The narrator of the story is Emily, the youngest of three children, who lives in London and is the illustrator of children’s books. She returns to her childhood home in New Zealand when her father’s neighbour, Raewyn, contacts her about her father’s deteriorating health.
The descriptions of how Alzheimers is affecting Felix, a well respected retired GP, were so vivid and poignant. (I also cared for my father in similar circumstances and can remember entering random numbers and letters in Sudoku and crossword puzzles when Dad could no longer work out the correct answer.)
Emily’s return coincides with the 25th anniversary of the mysterious disappearance of Raewyn’s daughter, Leah. Emily extends her visit in order to spend more time with her father but she becomes aware that her father may have been complicit in Leah’s disappearance. When Felix also goes missing, Emily has a difficult decision to make about whether to reveal the truth about what happened 25 years previously or not.
This book really pulls on your heartstrings as it deals with several difficult conflicting subjects.
The ending is just right - I loved it.
I thought it was going to have a bittersweet ending but the last 3 lines changed my mind about that.
The narrator of the story is Emily, the youngest of three children, who lives in London and is the illustrator of children’s books. She returns to her childhood home in New Zealand when her father’s neighbour, Raewyn, contacts her about her father’s deteriorating health.
The descriptions of how Alzheimers is affecting Felix, a well respected retired GP, were so vivid and poignant. (I also cared for my father in similar circumstances and can remember entering random numbers and letters in Sudoku and crossword puzzles when Dad could no longer work out the correct answer.)
Emily’s return coincides with the 25th anniversary of the mysterious disappearance of Raewyn’s daughter, Leah. Emily extends her visit in order to spend more time with her father but she becomes aware that her father may have been complicit in Leah’s disappearance. When Felix also goes missing, Emily has a difficult decision to make about whether to reveal the truth about what happened 25 years previously or not.
This book really pulls on your heartstrings as it deals with several difficult conflicting subjects.
The ending is just right - I loved it.