As she looks at the baby wriggling in her father’s arms, a bolt of recognition goes through her and she takes a step back. And it’s in that moment that she begins to protect her father’s secrets.1934, Weirfield-on-Thames. Connie Burroughs loves living in the orphanage that her father runs. Exploring its nooks and crannies with her sister, hearing the pounding of a hundred pairs of feet on the wooden stairs, having a father who is doing so much good. But everything changes the day she sees him carrying a newborn baby that he says he found near the broken front gate. A baby she recognises…
Present day. Arriving at her father’s beloved cottage beside the river, Sarah Jennings is hoping for peace and quiet, to escape her difficult divorce. But when she finds her father unwell and hunched over boxes of files on the orphanage where he was abandoned as a child, she decides to investigate it herself.
The only person left alive who lived at Cedar Hall is Connie Burroughs, but Connie sits quietly in her nursing home for a reason. The sewing box under Connie’s bed hides secrets that will change Sarah’s life forever, uncovering a connection between them that has darker consequences than she could ever imagine.
Many thanks to Bookouture via NetGalley for my copy of The Orphan House to review and to Sharon for having my review on the blog.
The Orphan House is the first book that I have read by Ann Bennett and I have to say it was a brilliant read with a really good plot packed full of suspense, intrigue, tension and emotion. The first few pages made me think oh this is just going to be another run of the mill saga book with nothing that really sets it apart from all the rest, one that you enjoy reading at the time but it doesn't leave much of a mark on you when finished. But delving further into a couple of chapters I soon came to realise that this book had real depth to it and that it was more so set in the present day and every so often it ventured to the past through Connie's memories and also diary entries from a character whose true importance only becomes apparent from around the midway point. Even more so I didn't expect to be taken to India within this story and that added an extra dimension to what was already shaping up to be a book that would become hard to leave out of your hands. I certainly wasn't expecting such a roller-coaster of a read that has you rapidly turning the pages because you so keen to uncover the mystery and secrets that permeate each of the pages.
Two women are the focus of the book Sarah Jennings and Connie Burroughs. Sarah's life has imploded as she flees from the marital home following revelations and surprising visits which she had never believed could be possible. She knows now her marriage to Alex is over as she cannot comprehend nor forgive what has come to light. As she travels to her father's home seeking refuge and to take stock of what has just happened, she stops for a break from the drive and in the village of Weirfield she spots a house which instigates some niggling memories. Cedar Hall is now on the market and then it comes to her what is now a housing estate next to it was once an orphanage. In fact the orphanage was where her father William was placed as a foundling. The full circumstances of which he never uncovered but now he wishes to do so given he himself has some news that will change everything for him.
By chance the estate agent arrives and shows Sarah around. Two sisters Connie and Evie Burroughs once lived there but now Evie has passed away and Connie is in a nursing home due to a fall. The house stirs something in Sarah but she can't quite put her finger on what it is. At this pivotal turning point in Sarah's life she starts to comprehend that for too long she has been smoothing over everything in her life on the surface, refusing to accept that anything is wrong and maybe now a new opportunity is being afforded to her. As she makes contact with Connie and beats the developers in their offer she becomes the new owner of Cedar Hall and sets about renovating it. I did think all of this was very sudden and out of the blue and that money seemed to be no issue. She did own a restaurant with her husband but still does money become that readily available so easily? Anyway, that is a minor issue and not relevant over all to the plot. More so it is an observation on my part.
As Sarah begins stripping back the house to decorate in a way which suits her she uncovers some things that pose many questions. There is a sinister feeling that she just can't shake, just what has happened here in the house in the past? Why were the things she found hidden away? Can she get through to Connie and make her reveal and explain as to what exactly went on and why? If Sarah can do this maybe sleeping dogs can be finally be allowed to lie? I enjoyed the relationship between Sarah and her father and the further I read the more I came to understand that her buying the hall was a way to help her father but also a way to aid her own recovery from what had to have been very traumatic experiences.
It was almost as if the house had been waiting for Sarah to take ownership of it and that it was breathing a sigh of relief as all the secrets and goings on within it were now going to come to light and that confidences and mysteries were finally about to reveal themselves. Sarah was the bridge between the past and the present and she had the tools and the methods in which to unlock the secrets if she followed the right path and joined the dots together. Having a bit of romance on Sarah's part also offered some light relief when I felt things were really reaching that point of no return once things were out in the open.
Connie is in her 90's and though she has suffered a setback with her fall, she has all her faculties about her and her mind is as sharp as a pin and maybe that is what torments her the most. That she remembers and is holding onto things close to her chest that really she should have admitted to many years ago. But the power someone still exerts over her dominates her every thought and action and I thought she was being meek and submissive instead of following the right path and listening to her conscience. But on the other hand I suppose one can't easily change a viewpoint or stance that has been held for practically a lifetime if they have lived in fear of retribution and punishment for so long. But now with Sarah stirring things up I hoped that Connie would find the guts to admit what she knew because it was evident from the very beginning that she was laying many cards close to her chest.
Past events have not been spoken about by Connie for many years if ever and her thoughts and dreams are terror filled. The past is a force that both controls and frightens her but you would think at this stage of her life what has she really got to loose by unburdening herself from a lifetime of constraints. She was consumed by guilt but yet a grip and control was still exerted over her that she didn't think she could shake off. The arrival of someone from her past to live in the nursing home combined with Sarah buying the hall is another motivation for her to share everything. But she is willing to take the risk and let everything be known or is she still too fearful of the repercussions?
The Orphan House drip feeds the reader clues and hints as to what is going on. You can never fully guess with certainty as to what is happening but from the descriptive language used and the sinister and tense images conjured up you just know that it can't be all good. Transporting the reader to India through the diary entries brought another dimension to the story and again the author showed that no matter what setting she was writing or what point in time she had the knack of transporting the reader and showing another side to the overall story. There are so many dots to join together and conundrums to decipher but it was a thoroughly enjoyable reading experience as you journey with both Sarah and Connie to do so. The Orphan House is a compelling story where you are quickly transported to the heart of things and are not released until the very last moment. It's well worth a read.
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