1960. Thirteen-year-old Rebecca lives in fear of her father's temper. As a storm batters Seaview Cottage one night, she hears a visitor at the door and a violent argument ensues. By the time the police arrive, Rebecca's parents are dead and the visitor has fled. No one believes Rebecca heard a stranger downstairs...
2014. Iris, a journalist, is sent to cover the story of a new mother on the run with her desperately ill baby. But fatefully the trail leads to the childhood home of Iris's own mother, Rebecca...Seaview Cottage.
As Iris races to unravel what happened the night Rebecca's parents were killed, it's time for Seaview Cottage to give up its secrets.
Many thanks to Headline via NetGalley for my copy of The Lost Child to review and to Sharon for having my review on the blog.
The seemingly difficult second book following an outstanding début novel has not materialised at all for Emily Gunnis. Instead she has once again written an astonishing, engrossing read that captures you in its spell right from the opening line. I had such high expectations for The Lost Child as Emily's début The Girl in the Letter was one of my favourite reads from 2018 and she easily established herself as an author to watch out for in the future. This new book was every bit as good if not slightly better than her first and it is a story that you will readily lose yourself in as the characters and story come alive on the pages. It's tense, powerful and a read that becomes insanely gripping the further you delve into Rebecca's story as the race to unearth the secrets of what happened one night when she was only 13 intensifies with each chapter.
The story was inspired by a picture of a lunatic asylum which the author saw. She then visited said place and what she observed and heard there provided plenty of food for thought. Out of this visit sprung The Lost Child and what a story it proved to be. I can't believe seeing a photograph could spark such an incredible story full of jaw dropping moments, lots of surprises and twists and turns and of course that mind blowing twist that you never see coming unless you are very eagle eyed and can spot and connect all the subtle hints and clues. I noticed a few things but never fully joined all the dots together but that didn't bother me in the slightest because I love to be taken totally by surprise when the big shocking reveal does make itself known.
The book opens on the 19th November 1960 as Rebecca Waterhouse is being interviewed by police and immediately there is tension, suspicion, anger and upset in the air. The blood of her mother is on her hands and she is trying to recollect just what happened at Seaview Cottage that night which has turned her life upside down yet in some ways it has offered some relief. She is of course devastated that her mother has died but not so her father who was nothing but a brute, a bully and a man who ruled by his fist. Yet no one believes Rebecca when she says she heard a different noise downstairs apart from her parents arguing and soon the police come to the conclusion that Jacob killed his wife. Rebecca has faced trauma in her life but she must move on but how can she do this knowing she has suspicions as to actually what happened lingering on in her mind. She is taken in by her friend and neighbour Ted and his son Harvey with whom she feels more than a close connection and bond to.
The story then moves back and forth between Iris in 2016 and we soon see how she is connected to Rebecca and from 1945 onwards focusing on Harriet, Rebecca's mother, and the years following the war. Also there are chapters with no headings or dates which appear every now and again. We have no idea as to who is speaking, only that it is a woman and that she appears lost and cold. These scenes really won't make sense until near the end but I thought their inclusion was brilliant as it only fuelled many more questions and scenarios to add to the various strands of the story. They were like pieces of a puzzle but more like the ones you leave until last to slot in because you have no idea where they go or even if they are relevant. The various aspects to the story were easy to follow and moving back and forth between the past and the present worked seamlessly. The entire flow and pace of the novel was perfect throughout. Uncertainty and apprehension at certain times and then at others a sense of calm as various things were being explored.
In 2016, Rebecca is very different from the person we first met as a teenager. She trained as a doctor specialising in psychosis and had two daughters Jessie and Iris. She has no semblance of a relationship with Jessie but now that she is pregnant Jessie has made an attempt to connect with her mother. But maybe there is more behind it than just re-establishing the mother/daughter bond. Jessie came seeking answers and perhaps what she heard or suspected has caused something to trigger inside her which leads to a main plot within the book. The effects of what happened to Rebecca's parents still have a lasting impact on her and it has shaped how she views the world and the interactions she has with people. A shadow hangs over a broken family which will only grow further if Iris can't get to the root cause of exactly what went on and in doing so she must try and help Jessie too in her desperate time of need.
There is so much pain, hurt and misunderstanding embedded deep within the family and things are never up for discussion or to be broached out loud. But when time becomes of the essence Iris knows she is the one that has to bring these things to the surface. Things are very complicated with nothing straight forward and easy to decipher and I loved the sense of mystery that was unfolding. You never knew whom to believe and it was only as we neared the final chapters that you fully understood what a remarkable story Emily Gunnis had woven. She has such skill and talent in writing stories that capture your imagination and have you rooting for the main character the entire time. She is an expert at bringing the past to life to connect with the present in the most surprising and earth shattering of ways and I was riveted from beginning to end.
As for the chapters set during 1945 and onwards, they really helped connect what was happening in 2016 and also the reader the more they story developed really came to understand what the bigger picture was. That there were many serious issues at play and the stakes were high in terms of reaching the core of what had happened in the past. The truth needed to come to light and it did so in a truly tense and strained manner. Harriet is glad that the war has been declared over but she fears the changes in her husband will not led to the happy life she envisaged occurring once the war had ended. There are diary entries detailing her time with Jacob and they make for a fascinating and very insightful read. We come to know more about her life and the situation she finds herself in and how she was forced to keep Jacob's true nature and the reasons for it under wraps. She did her best to remain in the job she had during the war but the actions of her husband mean she is forced to leave.
New employment is found and the source of this new income will have a profound affect on the overall novel as various plot lines start to come to the fore. I couldn't make sense of everything or always decipher its relevance but with such clever writing Emily knew where she wanted to take the story and it proved to be brilliant when everything started to come together. Only as I neared the end did I truly understand that every character, scene and event were all relevant and needed and they all helped to form a powerful and highly impressive story. Both the scenes set in the 1940's and in 2016 were equally as strong as the other as often the case can be with a dual time line story one dominates the other but I was glad this did not occur here.
Without doubt The Lost Child is one of my reading highlights of the year and it has only made me more eager to read many more books from Emily Gunnis. I hope she can write as quick as possible and bring book three to us without delay as I am keen to see what thrilling story and journey she will take us on next.
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