I knew
nothing about this book before starting to read it so had no idea what to
expect. I had also not read anything by
Setterfield before so was not familiar with her writing style or genre. I was therefore delighted to be immediately
captivated by the story and characters and fell in love with Setterfield’s style.
The novel is
set in the nineteenth century in Oxfordshire and takes place along the banks of
the Thames. The river is central to the
story and to the characters’ lives. They
have a complicated relationship with the water, as it is both a life-giving
necessity and a life-threatening danger.
Setterfield cleverly uses the river to drive the story and also reveal
aspects of her characters’ personalities.
The crux of
the story is that a 4 year old girl’s body is pulled out of the river. This has a profound impact on everyone in the
local community and they spend a great deal of time pondering, speculating and
attempting to work out who she is and where she belongs. From this one pivotal moment several key
characters emerge who are more deeply impacted, and the story follows each of
them, whose lives become ever more intertwined.
As we learn
their backstories we discover the implications the girl has and why she affects
them so momentously. I enjoyed getting
to know each of the characters and Setterfield smoothly transitions between
their perspectives and thoughts, dividing the book equally among them and not
dwelling with any one character for too long.
There is also sufficient plot and action in the present day to keep the
story moving.
The mystery
that surrounds the girl and the secrets and lies of the characters are
eventually revealed and I was not disappointed that some of my conjectures were
correct. I found the ending satisfying
if a little neat, and although I had grown fond of several of the characters I
was happy to leave them there. It is not
a short book, around 500 pages, but it only took me a few days to read and I
was captivated throughout. The
descriptions of the Thames and surroundings are beautiful and haunting and the
characters, whilst quite obviously categorised as either “good” or “bad” are
pleasing and interesting.
Alongside
the main plot and the centrality of the river, the novel also contemplates the
value and role of storytelling. Stories
are used to create and bind communities, they attempt to make sense of the
world and bring pleasure and diversion to both the listeners and the
teller. But like the river they are also
fluid, they change with each re-telling and are difficult to control. There are some mystical elements to the
stories too which infiltrate the plot and I enjoyed this overlap between folklore
and reality and the way in which different characters engaged with scientific
reasoning and explanation.
I would say
that the main theme of the book is family.
Each character has a different experience and response to family and
whilst there is a lot of sadness and loss in the story there is also hope and
love. There is a sweetness to the book
and I found it a very atmospheric and satisfying read. I look forward to enjoying more novels by
Setterfield.
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