As ‘The Women’s Prize for Fiction’ shortlist has been announced, I have a joined a great bunch of wonderful bookstagrammers in reading the titles before the winner is announced.
Our first book was ‘Unsettled Ground’ by Claire Fuller. This is a book I am still thinking about because, as I read it, I wasn’t sure what I thought about it. I could not put it down as I was totally caught up in it all, but I could decide if I actually liked the book. It was quite a conflict for me as I read it.
‘Unsettled Ground’ is beautifully written, and that draws the reader in from the first page – and quite a devastating start. Jeanie and Julius have the world they know turned upside down after the death of their mother. They realise that the world they have known for 51 years may not be quite as it seems. Both almost have to work out how they can survive and if they both see the future the same way.
This is almost like a coming of age tale for an older generation as the twins start again. Jeanie finds a world beyond the cottage of their childhood and Julius tries to work out how their world can continue.
This is an emotional read and the characters show resilience in a world that they realise they may not have fully fitted into before.
So, after my ramblings and stepping away from the book, I did enjoy it. Because it stayed wth me after the last page was finished, it made me think and it is truly beautifully constructed.
This is a book I may not have read without my book buddies and I cannot wait to see what the other titles have in store for us.