The Beauty of Impossible Things has pulled off a remarkable feat; Rachel Donohue’s second book is even better than her impressive debut, The Temple House Vanishing, which I enjoyed immensely. The Beauty of Impossible Things however, is in a different league. At times the writing reminded me of Meg Rosoff (How I Live Now), and this is not something I say lightly as she is one of my all-time favourite authors.
The Beauty of Impossible Things is set about 30 years ago in a small Irish seaside town, when Natasha is 15. Throughout her life Natasha has ‘seen’ things. She has visions of people’s future. This has caused a rift between Natasha and her mother, the beautiful bohemian Elizabeth; she does not wants to acknowledge this part of her daughter, preferring her to keep her ‘gift’ to herself, to avoid being seen as strange or different. During the long hot summer months, Natasha’s home town is visited by strange blue lights appearing in the sky. Natasha knows they are a portent of disaster and tries to warn her community of the tragedy and misfortune that is soon to follow. As she becomes inextricably linked with the lights, Natasha’s relationships with those around her, and the village as a whole, become highly charged and begin to fracture.
This is a superb book. Donohue’s writing is sparse, but also vivid; every time I started reading, within a few lines I was there in Natasha’s garden, or the promenade of the small seaside village. The story grabs you right from the start and raises so many questions: why is Elizabeth so reclusive, remaining aloof from the villagers; are Natasha’s gifts real and how powerful are they; what are the strange blue lights and what do they mean. The answers to these questions and more are slowly answered, skilfully wrapped in a strange and beautiful gothic tale. Interwoven with the mystery of the lights, is the tension that grows among the villagers, specifically between Natasha and those most important to her: her mother and her best friend Marcus. The latter is particularly poignant as Natasha is forced to accept that Marcus’ life is going in a different direction to hers. The characters are all well defined, with some showing traits that one would expect to see when emotions run high during difficult times.
Overall, this is a compelling, mysterious and heartfelt tale, which defines Rachel Donohue as an author to watch out for.
The Beauty of Impossible Things is set about 30 years ago in a small Irish seaside town, when Natasha is 15. Throughout her life Natasha has ‘seen’ things. She has visions of people’s future. This has caused a rift between Natasha and her mother, the beautiful bohemian Elizabeth; she does not wants to acknowledge this part of her daughter, preferring her to keep her ‘gift’ to herself, to avoid being seen as strange or different. During the long hot summer months, Natasha’s home town is visited by strange blue lights appearing in the sky. Natasha knows they are a portent of disaster and tries to warn her community of the tragedy and misfortune that is soon to follow. As she becomes inextricably linked with the lights, Natasha’s relationships with those around her, and the village as a whole, become highly charged and begin to fracture.
This is a superb book. Donohue’s writing is sparse, but also vivid; every time I started reading, within a few lines I was there in Natasha’s garden, or the promenade of the small seaside village. The story grabs you right from the start and raises so many questions: why is Elizabeth so reclusive, remaining aloof from the villagers; are Natasha’s gifts real and how powerful are they; what are the strange blue lights and what do they mean. The answers to these questions and more are slowly answered, skilfully wrapped in a strange and beautiful gothic tale. Interwoven with the mystery of the lights, is the tension that grows among the villagers, specifically between Natasha and those most important to her: her mother and her best friend Marcus. The latter is particularly poignant as Natasha is forced to accept that Marcus’ life is going in a different direction to hers. The characters are all well defined, with some showing traits that one would expect to see when emotions run high during difficult times.
Overall, this is a compelling, mysterious and heartfelt tale, which defines Rachel Donohue as an author to watch out for.