Reviewed by Emma Crowley
Tamsin and her grandmother Morwenna are the only residents of the wild and isolated Merwin Island. Morwenna refuses to live anywhere else, and Tamsin has never known why… but she likes her quiet life here as a botanist, studying the rare plants and trees that make up the ancient woodlands.
Everything changes when investigator Arthur arrives by boat. He has questions for Morwenna about the real reason she won’t leave. And about a troubled young girl who disappeared years ago…
Tamsin won’t allow her grandmother’s peace to be disturbed. But when a wild Atlantic storm traps them all together, what Arthur discovers about the island’s dark past becomes impossible to ignore – and could tear all their lives apart forever.
Many thanks to Bookouture via NetGalley for my copy of The Botanist’s Secret to review and to Sharon for having my review on the blog.
A woman is crying as she digs in an ancient woodland on Merwin Island. Once she had had everything she had ever wanted but everyone she has loved was gone. So begins the new book by Liz Eeles, The Botanist’s Secret which is a real departure from her previous books as I found it to be much darker, atmospheric and tension filled with a decades old mystery at its heart. Admittedly, I found the first half of the book very slow and drawn out but the second half definitely made up for this. The plot is condensed into a couple of days although the secret at its centre has been kept by someone for many many years but now with the arrival of a stranger to Merwin Island who is seeking the truth will the mystery at last be revealed and if so what would be the consequences for all involved?
Liz Eele’s new book right from the get-go is very moody and evocative with a focus on botany, woodlands, landscapes, weather, plants and folklore. I wasn’t really expecting this despite the title as I am used to the feel good fiction that she has written in the past. Do I like this new path she is treading? Yes, but I feel a better first half would be needed if she chooses to write again in this vein in the future. Set on Merwin Island off the Cornish coast which is only accessible in the right weather conditions, The Botanist’s Secret focuses on Morweena and her granddaughter Tamsin who are the last remaining residents. Morweena, at 83 years old, refuses to leave the island despite her advancing years as she feels that she is the guardian of the island and with its rich history, heritage and abundance of plants, wild life and folklore she has a connection to the landscape that she refuses to break. I admit I wouldn’t be the biggest fan of botany, plants and trees etc but the author works her magic and draws you into this aspect of the story. Similar to Morweena on her isolated outcrop the reader becomes immersed in the story unfolding despite the slow start as the glades, streams, trees, woodland and flowers are all richly and vividly described as is the folklore that surrounds the island.
Tamsin studied botany at university and is very protective of the her grandmother and the island and its folklore. She now passes on her knowledge to groups of students who come from all over the world and with the arrival of a new group, alongside them comes Arthur. Arthur, a former police officer turned private investigator, is searching on behalf of Ruan for a woman named Jana who has not been seen or heard of in 30 years. His queries have lead him to the island which arises Tamsin’s suspicions and incurs nothing but hostility from Morweena. In fact Morweena is very antagonistic odd and closed off for most of the book. She doesn’t come across as friendly at all and much prefers to inhabit her own world of plants and medicines and spending her days at the binding tree. A very special oak which has stood for hundreds of years in the middle of a glade. I couldn’t warm to Morweena at all and even now I have finished the book she was a character who didn’t appeal to me at. She has a weight constantly bearing down on her but remained evasive and stand offish throughout.
I admired Arthur in that he was dogged into digging deeper in order to complete his task. He is initially gruff and unreadable but he initiates a cascade of events that change the lives of both Morweena and Tamsin forever. He is the catalyst who stirs up the past despite certain people wanting it kept quite and as a violent storm approaches the island leaving them cut off Arthur chooses to stay whilst the botany group leave but will his decision prove fruitful or fruitless? Arthur has a brash exterior but the more Tamsin gets to know him she encounters vulnerability as she uncovers some secrets that he too has been hiding. Tamsin herself is a devoted and loyal granddaughter and is wary of Arthur upsetting Morweena but in the second half she starts to show a bit of spirit. Initially she is reluctant to accept things but as the plot develops there is a growing need within her to understand the truth and to confront and solidify the evidence being presented to her. The truth which has been kept secret for so long and yes some of this you could see coming from a mile off and was therefore predictable but then other aspects there was the shock and surprise factor. I’m being purposefully evasive around the secret and how the investigations begin to uncover things as it would ruin the story. There is not an awful lot to say because anything I would say could give a hint as to the details surrounding the mystery.
Is this my favourite book by Liz Eeles? No it’s not but it is still very much worth a read. I can see she is heading more in the direction of suspense filled novels as opposed to romance and I applaud any author trying out something new. I just feel that with more time every aspect will be nailed. A sharper first half would help with this. The atmosphere is here throughout the book and the themes of complicated family relationships and the past emerging into the present does work very well. Guilt and the lasting consequences of keeping secrets all feature heavily and I enjoyed that there was one last little twist kept until the bitter end.Do give this one a go I’d be very interested to see what other readers make of it.
No comments:
Post a Comment