Heather Harris lives and breathes music, so when
the chance to play piano on a cruise ship presents itself, she can’t wait to
play, to travel, to perform, and most importantly, to get away.
To get away and research what really happened all those years ago, when her parents
died and her little sister Harriet disappeared without a trace.
Spending her days combing through evidence she’s finally got the courage to find, acquired from her childhood years, she tries to drown out the violent memories she’s tried to forget about the years gone by, and once she does, maybe she’ll start to finally get her head above water and see what’s ahead for the first time in years. Because even after all these years , without Harriet there is nothing else.
“In my dream that night, we were both in a glow. Harriet and
me. Side by side, we shared it. First it came from flames that devoured a car;
then from the sun rising over the ocean; finally, it came from a theatre
spotlight, intense, blinding.
But really, we were the light.”
There is really is Nothing Else like the way Louise Beech makes you feel things.
A tale about devastating loss and trauma, and the lasting power of love and sisterhood. Visceral and emotive, we learn along with Heather as she reads through the records of her childhood and remembers her violent, neglectful childhood - and the day Harriet left their childrens home to never return.
Full of lyrical, poetic prose, this story flowed beautifully and blended the past and present to create a sense of desperation and desire for Heather to find her future. Everything was vivid and vibrant, I felt the terror of the children, smelled the sea from the boat, experienced the deep loss and hurt along with her.
This wasn't the story I expected. There were no sudden twists or dramatic turns, only painfully real time passing, and revelations not from a big screen but from the quiet, unspoken parts of real life that can be more heartbreaking than anything our imaginations can conjure. But despite the lack of explosions, the simmering sadness left an impact far beyond I expected.
A musical journey of love, loss and discovery that will stay in my head for quite some time.
About The Author:
Her novels have been a Guardian Readers’ Choice, shortlisted for Not the Booker Prize, and shortlisted for the RNA Most Popular Romantic Novel Award.
Her short fiction has won the Glass Woman Prize, the Eric Hoffer Award for Prose, and the Aesthetica Creative Works competition, as well as shortlisting for the Bridport Prize twice. Louise lives with her husband on the outskirts of Hull.
Follow her on Twitter @louisewriter
Thank you to Anne at Random Things Tours and Karen at Orenda for inviting me to take part in this tour. I was gifted a reviewers copy of this title in return for an honest review.
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