JESS JUST READS

A BOOK REVIEW BLOG

The Silk House by Kayte Nunn

Weaving. Healing. Haunting. The spellbinding story of a mysterious boarding school sheltering a centuries-old secret…

Australian history teacher Thea Rust arrives at an exclusive boarding school in the British countryside only to find that she is to look after the first intake of girls in its 150-year history. She is to stay with them in Silk House, a building with a long and troubled past.

In the late 1700s, Rowan Caswell leaves her village to work in the home of an English silk merchant. She is thrust into a new and dangerous world where her talent for herbs and healing soon attracts attention.

In London, Mary-Louise Stephenson lives amid the clatter of the weaving trade and dreams of becoming a silk designer, a job that is the domain of men. A length of fabric she weaves with a pattern of deadly flowers will have far-reaching consequences for all who dwell in the silk house.

Kayte Nunn’s The Silk House is scrumptious historical fiction set against the backdrop of the eighteenth-century silk trade. Switching between POVs, we meet three women whose lives intersect with the mysterious Silk House in very different ways.

In the present, Australian teacher Thea takes up residence in the house to manage the first intake of female students for a nearby boarding school.

In the late 18th century, Rowan Caswell is a maid in the silk house. She’s got a talent for brewing herbal concoctions that soon earn her a reputation. Mary-Louise Stephenson is an artist and designer who is struggling to build a career as a silk designer. She’s working in a man’s industry and no one will take her seriously.

“Rowan rubbed her eyes and blinked in the dim light of Prudence’s taper. There was no sign of Alice; indeed, the other side of the bed appeared as if it had not been slept in, the sheets pulled tight and the thin pillow smooth, but Rowan thought she had felt someone next to her when she rolled over in the night.”

Setting is one of the biggest strengths in this novel — the silk house is eerie and mysterious, alive and haunting. Secrets are buried within the walls and slowly, page by page, we come to understand the dangers and hidden mysteries embedded in its history.

The Silk House is rich with evocative imagery and compelling characters. Moments of supernatural and witchcraft pepper the story, enough to intrigue the reader but not too much that it feels too divergent from the genre we’re reading.

“It was all Thea could do not to gasp aloud as she pulled open the door to the library and stepped inside. The building was cavernous, with high ceilings and shadowed shelves that seemed like they might make excellent hiding places. Wall-to-wall books, some leather-bound, their spines cracked and worn, looked as old as the school itself.”

Kayte builds tension incredibly well, but she also implements a strong sense of foreboding with each passing chapter. Readers will sense the unease in all of the women’s lives, and each chapter builds to a really surprising climax.

Feminism and the female experience are explored throughout the book. Each of the main characters are female, and they’re all strong and determined in their own right. They’re working to succeed in a world dominated by men.

Thea wants to prove herself and is passionate about uncovering the mysteries of the Silk House. Rowan is incredibly skilled at brewing medicinal drinks and pills, and she is also incredibly savvy and intelligent. Mary-Louise is set up to fail, but pursues her love of designing and forges a career on her own.

“Mary tucked her sheaf of drawings, embroidery samples and dot patterns under her arm and prepared to knock on the door of every master weaver on Spital Square, Old Artillery Ground and beyond. Few would admit her. Some drew their shutters at her approach, as if they had been forewarned of her purpose.”

Admittedly, Mary-Louise’s story didn’t feel as dominant in the novel. She’s an integral part of the story, and her actions have lasting effects on the others in the house, but she doesn’t get as much real estate in the book as the other two women and so Mary ends up feeling a little lost in the pages. Truthfully, sometimes I completely forget about her until her POV turned up again.

Gothic mystery at its best, The Silk House is recommended for fans of literary fiction and historical fiction.

Thank you to the publisher for mailing me a review copy in exchange for an honest review.

The Silk House
Kayte Nunn
July 2020
Hachette Book Publishers

When Rain Turns to Snow by Jane Godwin

A runaway, a baby and a whole lot of questions…

Lissa is home on her own after school one afternoon when a stranger turns up on the doorstep carrying a baby. Reed is on the run – surely people are looking for him? He’s trying to find out who he really is and thinks Lissa’s mum might have some answers. But how could he be connected to Lissa’s family – and why has he been left in charge of a baby? A baby who is sick, and getting sicker …

Reed’s appearance stirs up untold histories in Lissa’s family, and suddenly she is having to make sense of her past in a way she would never have imagined. Meanwhile, her brother is dealing with a devastating secret of his own.

A beautiful and timely coming-of-age story about finding out who you are in the face of crisis and change.

When Rain Turns to Snow is an emotional coming-of-age children’s novel by Australian author Jane Godwin. It’s Winter in Ballarat and a young teenager named Reed turns up on Lissa’s doorstep with a hungry baby and a quest to find his biological mother.

13-year-old Lissa is headstrong and resourceful — she’s confident and she’s determined to uncover the truth. She doesn’t pander to the mean girls at school. She doesn’t believe what they’re saying about her brother. And her maturity means that she goes above and beyond to help Reed and this little baby, even though she has no obligation to.

“I open the door. He’s shivering, there are half-circle shadows under his eyes. Almost blue. The heavy bedraggled blanket over his shoulders. He steps into the back room, holding Mercy partly hidden in the blanket like a small nocturnal animal, the backpack half falling down his arm. His runners are wet, like sodden, they leave little puddles on the wooden floor.”

Friendship is a strong theme in the book. Lissa is trying to adapt to life without her best friend Hanna, who has just moved to Western Australia and seems to be growing distant. Additionally, she’s fallen into a new friendship group at school and Lissa isn’t sure if they actually have her best interests at heart. Toxic friendship is a universal issue that most teenage girls will be able to relate to, not just in Australia but anywhere in the world.

Readers will love the mystery that underpins the novel. Who is Reed and who are his real parents? What’s going to happen to baby Mercy? Lissa’s brother is closed off and hiding things from her, and she doesn’t know why they’re not as close anymore. And Lissa doesn’t seem to have any real friends at the moment…

“I don’t really understand that, and it actually made me feel sick, seeing people write that stuff about my brother. I mean, Harry can be a pain, but he’s not all the things that people who don’t even know him are saying.”

There were a few gripes I had with the story. The language didn’t always resemble a teenager. Sometimes, the dialogue felt forced — it felt like the characters were saying what they should say instead of what they’d actually say in the moment. Lissa seemed wise beyond her years, Reed’s passion for climate change and the environment seemed over-the-top preachy, and not at all reflective of his age.

Additionally, Lissa’s relationship with her brother grows problematic at certain points of the novel. Her brother is accused of starting an online social media account and posting pictures of vulnerable young girls. Lissa believes he’s innocent and feels sorry for him, and on a couple of occasions Lissa communicates that she intends to support him and stick by him even if he did do the horrible things he’s accused of. I found Lissa to be quite unlikeable during these scenes.

Lastly, one of the characters seems to be grappling with their sexuality and seems to be hiding the fact they’re gay. But this storyline is never fully explored in the book so it felt very strange that the author hinted at it? Why weave it in if you’re not going to address it?

“We sit there in silence. We both know that sooner or later we’re going to get around to the topic of Reed going home. I feel tired now, too. Exhausted. I look towards Harry’s room.“

Recommended for children aged 12+

Thank you to the publisher for mailing me a review copy in exchange for an honest review.

When Rain Turns to Snow
Jane Godwin
July 2020
Hachette Book Publishers

The Spill by Imbi Neeme

In 1982, a car overturns on a remote West Australian road. Nobody is hurt, but the impact is felt for decades.

Nicole and Samantha Cooper both remember the summer day when their mother, Tina, lost control of their car – but not in quite the same way. It is only after Tina’s death, almost four decades later, that the sisters are forced to reckon with the repercussions of the crash. Nicole, after years of aimless drifting, has finally found love, and yet can’t quite commit. And Samantha is hiding something that might just tear apart the life she’s worked so hard to build for herself.

Winner of the 2019 Penguin Literary Prize, Imbi Neeme’s debut novel The Spill is an exploration of family, sisters, memories, and how the past can sometimes unconsciously define our futures.

We meet Nicole and Samantha after their mother — Tina — loses control of the car in remote Western Australia and their father is forced to come and pick them up. It is assumed that Tina was drunk, or at least had been drinking, when she lost control of the car. Nicole and Samantha’s parent split soon after, and the accident causes a noticeable ripple affect within the family.

The Spill toys with memory and past events very well. As readers would understand, people can’t always remember events from their past very clearly. Conversations get misquoted and events get distorted over time.

As we move between past and present and come to understand more about Nicole and Samantha’s adult lives, they often bicker or disagree over memories from their childhood. Was Tina actually drinking that day? Why were they on a remote West Australian road? Where were they going? Why did their parents split up?

“Samantha closed her eyes and tried not to think of her husband drinking wine back in the dining room, or of the wine itself. But after a few seconds, the sound of rapid gunfire on the television made her open her eyes again.”

Imbi has crafted an incredible cast of characters in The Spill, each one incredibly fleshed out and three-dimensional, with layers of complexity and depth.

Characterisation is a key part of the story, and it would be incredibly important from Imbi to capture these two sisters differently. The narrative moves between past and present, but it also shifts focus between the sisters. And over time, we come to understand just how different each of these women are.

Both of them blame Tina’s alcoholism for her death. They both had strained relationships with their mother, and only after her death do they start to fill in some of the gaps in Tina’s life.

“Given how many career drunks were in attendance at Tina’s wake, precious little alcohol was being served. All around our large front living room, people were nursing empty glasses, their eyes occasionally darting towards the kitchen.”

The biggest ‘relationship’ explored in the novel, is that of Nicole and Samantha. Sisterhood is a funny thing. There sometimes seems to be more hate than love, particularly during childhood and adolescence, and then there’s a time in your adult lives where you might be too different to ever feel like you fully understand the other.

In The Spill, sometimes it’s the thing left unsaid that speak volumes. Samantha harbours a secret she feels she can control on her own, and Nicole has evidently struggled in past relationships but is reluctant to open up.

The shift between past and present allows for a slow build-up, a well-structured release of tension as secrets start emerging and buried conflicts rise to the surface.

“Their eyes met briefly and then Samantha looked away. She didn’t know why she’d brought up that Christmas. She knew neither of them wanted to think of the fight they’d had and how she’d gone to Nicole’s without him.”

The Spill is an incredibly satisfying, engrossing read. A warm, moving portrait of family and sisterhood. There are moments of humour and lighthearted fun, but there are also moments of tenderness and heartbreak, events that force you to really take stock and reflect as a reader.

Recommended for fans of literary fiction, family sagas, and quality Australian literature.

Thank you to the publisher for mailing me a review copy in exchange for an honest review.

The Spill
Imbi Neeme
June 2020
Penguin Random House Publishers

The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett

The Vignes twin sisters will always be identical. But after growing up together in a small, southern black community and running away at age sixteen, it’s not just the shape of their daily lives that is different as adults, it’s everything: their families, their communities, their racial identities.

Ten years later, one sister lives with her black daughter in the same southern town she once tried to escape. The other secretly passes for white, and her white husband knows nothing of her past. Still, even separated by so many miles and just as many lies, the fates of the twins remain intertwined. What will happen to the next generation, when their own daughters’ story lines intersect?

From author Brit Bennett comes The Vanishing Half, another powerful, epic novel that weaves multiple strands and generations of one family, spanning the Deep South of the United States to California and New York, and set between the 1950s to the 1990s.

In The Vanishing Half, we meet identical twin sisters Stella and Desiree, who grow up in the small town of Mallard, Louisiana — it’s inhabited by people who strive to marry lighter. When they’re sixteen, the twins stage their runaway and settle into a new life in New Orleans. However, Stella soon disappears to lead her own life and the book documents how their lives progress over the next couple of decades.

The Vanishing Half explores identity, and the impact of decisions and choices, and how childhoods and adolescent years have a lasting influence on how a person shapes the rest of their life. While Stella and Desiree both came from the same family and the same small town, the stark contrast between their adult lives — Desiree is a single mother running from an abusive husband, and Stella is trying to pass as a white woman in an affluent, all-white LA neighbourhood — illustrate how differently they regard their origins.

“Leaving Mallard was Desiree’s idea but staying in New Orleans was Stella’s, and for years, Desiree would puzzle over why. When the twins first arrived in the city, they found work together in the mangle room at Dixie Laundry, folding sheets and pillowcases for two dollars a day.”

The writing is exquisite — poetic and lyrical, and so incredible I felt absorbed in the story from beginning to end. Brit has a way of weaving sentences together; they’re paired back and they hit the reader straight, but they also evoke incredible imagery and emotion.

The novel weaves between past and present incredibly well, inviting the reader into Desiree and Stella’s childhoods to explain why they left, where they went, and how they separated. The Vanishing Half does span decades, allowing us to meet the girls’ children. Desiree returns home to Mallard with her eight-year-old daughter Jude, and a decade later, Jude is pursuing a career as an athlete when she meets Kennedy — Stella’s daughter, an aspiring actress.

“She felt pathetic, drinking alone in the middle of the day, but what else could she do? She needed a job. Money. A plan. But those children staring at her daughter. The deputy dismissing her. Sam gripping her throat. She waved over Lorna again, wanting to forget it all.”

The Vanishing Half features a cast of characters who are all fleeing in search of a better life. There’s Desiree and Stella, and their children Jude and Kennedy. Additionally, Jude meets and falls in love with a trans man called Reese, who has run away from his unsupportive family.

Brit draws parallels between many of the characters.

Stella and Desiree’s plights are noticeably reminiscent in their children’s lives. Jude leaves Mallard to pursue bigger dreams, much like her mother, and Kennedy spends a lot of time trying to better understand her mother and her origins — Stella is incredibly closed off, and reluctant to share information on her childhood.

The Vanishing Half is a crisp examination of racism in 1950s-1980s America. Stella’s decision to “pass” as white allows her to forge a comfortable, safe existence with considerable wealth. Stella’s life improves after she casts her family aside and starts pretending to be a white woman, but Desiree — who marries a black man and gives birth to a “blueback” baby — goes through incredible torment and pain before fleeing back to Mallard to live with her mother again.

“The landlady grew silent after that, then said she had to go. A coloured man asking after a white woman — she’d already said too much. But not enough for Early, who hadn’t even found a forwarding address.”

Rich and riveting, The Vanishing Half will have you enraptured and mesmerised. Recommended for all readers, particularly fans of literary fiction and stories that sweep across generations of family.

Thank you to the publisher for mailing me a review copy in exchange for an honest review.

The Vanishing Half
Brit Bennett
June 2020
Hachette Book Publishers

The Half Sister by Sandie Jones

Her arrival will ruin everything.

Kate and Lauren. Sisters who are always there for each other. But as they gather for their weekly Sunday lunch, a knock on the door changes everything.

The new arrival, Jess, claims to be their half-sister, but that would mean the unthinkable . . . That she’s the secret daughter of their beloved, recently deceased father Harry. Their mother Rose is devastated and Kate and Lauren refuse to believe Jess’s lies.

But as the fall-out starts it’s clear that each is hiding secrets and that perhaps this family isn’t as perfect as they appear.

Where there was truth, now there are lies and only one thing is certain, their half-sister’s arrival has ruined everything . . .

Set in London, Sandie Jones’ The Half Sister is a psychological family drama that kicks off when an illegitimate sibling turns up to a Sunday lunch family gathering.

Until the tail end of the book, this reads like a family saga more than the thriller we’re promised. Kate and Lauren buried their father one year earlier, and are shocked when “Jess” turns up and claims to be their half sister. Kate refuses to believe their father was unfaithful to their mother Rose. Lauren welcomes Jess with open arms, desperate to believe her.

The premise is intriguing and will capture a reader, and there are elements to the story that readers will enjoy. The ‘psychological thriller’ doesn’t weave its way into the novel until at least halfway, but the tension between family members is engaging enough to maintain interest.

“When Simon was working, the pressure eased off a little, as Lauren didn’t need to worry so much about where the next penny was coming from. But on the occasions he was laid off, which as a labourer on a building site were often, both their purse strings and Simon’s moods, Lauren noticed, were more difficult to manage.”

Kate is envious of her sister’s life, because Lauren is married with three children and Kate is desperately trying to conceive a baby with her husband. Lauren is envious of Kate because Lauren’s husband is controlling and abusive, and Kate’s life seems incredibly glamorous and not weighed down by children. Each sister doesn’t realise just how much the other is struggling.

Kate and Lauren can both be pretty unlikeable. Lauren is trapped in a loveless marriage and clings to a complete stranger for friendship. Kate is incredibly dismissive to the possibility she has a half sister — her relationship with Lauren has no resemblance of chemistry or familial bond. I found both characters — and Simon — to be like cardboard cut-outs.

“Whilst Lauren worked twelve-hour shifts on nigh-on minimum wage, Kate had gleefully regaled her with regular jet-setting jaunts to meet the stars. If she wasn’t in LA interviewing A-listers, she was on tour with pop stars. Lauren has lost count of how many times Kate had attended the red carpet at the Oscars.”

Whilst the novel as a whole is interesting and you will keep reading to find out whether Jess really is who she says she is, there were some flaws that were hard to ignore. The ‘villain’ of the book was obvious from quite early on, so when the murder mystery does present itself the reader will already feel like they know who is responsible.

Not only did Simon feel stereotypical, but the climax and resolution of his character was brief and unsatisfying. There’s a lot of build up for his character to really explode, and then he disappears rather quickly — the ‘danger’ no longer present.

There was a distinct lack of believability to Jess and Lauren’s friendship. I believed Kate’s reaction more than Lauren’s, because Lauren’s decision-making felt farfetched and unrealistic.

Lastly, it’s awfully convenient that Lauren has a childhood memory of her Dad and a woman with a pram. That one memory pushed the story forward quite a few times and it seemed a little too good to be true.

“Lauren is on cloud nine when she wakes up and realises that the plethora of dreams she’d had were just a realistic extension of the evening she’d had. She smiles, desperate to stay in her happy cocoon for just a little bit longer.”

Recommended for fans of family sagas and family dramas.

Thank you to the publisher for mailing me a review copy in exchange for an honest review.

The Half Sister
Sandie Jones
June 2020
Pan Macmillan Publishers