The Other Half of Augusta Hope by Joanna Glen

I think this is an absolutely fantastic book, made even more impressive by the fact it is Joanna Glen’s debut novel.  It is a completely absorbing and compelling read.  At nearly 400 pages long I read it in one weekend.  I have recommended it to several people and just could not stop talking about it.

The story centres on, and is told by, two different characters, Augusta and Parfait.  Every other chapter is written from their perspective and there is often a lovely mirroring of topic or phrase despite the vast differences and distance between them.

The story begins when Augusta and Parfait are children.  Augusta has a twin sister Julia and lives in, and is suffocated by, English suburbia.  Parfait lives in Burundi, amidst the danger and devastation of civil war.  As the story progresses you learn about their families, their particular circumstances, their struggles, uncertainties and the life-changing decisions they make.

One of the joys of Augusta’s life, and something she spends a lot of time learning, is language and in particular, words.  I think this is very clever as surely most readers are interested in words and their meanings and subtle nuances, so this makes me immediately warm to and side with this central character.  She is quite a quirky and unusual child, precocious, strong-willed and ambitious and therefore completely lovable and endearing.

Her relationships with her family and neighbours are well drawn and their characters and the suburban setting are convincing and realistic.  We feel Augusta’s irritation at her father’s irrational fears and awkwardness and urge her on in her determined friendship of Graham Cook.  She defies her parents and seeks her independence yet is also drawn back by her fierce loyalty to Julia.

Parfait, by comparison, is more sensitive and considerate and less suited to the leadership position he is thrust into.  We don’t get to know his family to the same extent, only getting glimpses into their different characters for the short time they feature in the plot.  Nevertheless they still resonate and Parfait is a powerful and thought-provoking character.

This is an amusing, heart-warming, shocking, distressing and beautiful book.  Glen manages to effortlessly convey tragedy and heartbreak in the simple straightforward honest language of the two voices.  Without needing overwrought emotional or heavily descriptive language I was choked up and brought close to tears on several occasions.  This is incredibly impressive, especially in a debut novel.  The writing is well balanced and restrained yet the characters are vivid and expressive.

**SPOILER ALERT**

All the information we receive is filtered through the perceptions and understanding of Augusta and Parfait, so the reader’s knowledge is sometimes hindered, to great effect.  We can infer and suspect certain events have occurred outside of the storyteller’s knowledge, and can perceive other characters’ feelings from their behaviour, that the storyteller is sometimes oblivious to or unable to grasp.  This is deliciously clever and the narrative style does not hinder or stifle the breadth of the story.

Whilst the ending is somewhat inevitable – Augusta and Parfait are destined to meet the second Augusta picks Burundi as her favourite country – I did not find it overly coincidental or annoying.  There was enough character history and logical reasoning to justify them both being in Spain to make their meeting believable and timely.  It does not feel like a forced and sickly sweet “happily ever after” ending, there has been too much tragedy and heartbreak.  But there is hope in the life they are building together and I was pleased with the ending.