So Pretty by Ronnie Turner
When Teddy Colne arrives in the small town of Rye, he believes he will be able to settle down and leave his past behind him. Little does he know that fear blisters through the streets like a fever. The locals tell him to stay away from an establishment known only as Berry & Vincent, that those who rub too closely to its proprietor risk a bad end.
Despite their warnings, Teddy is desperate to understand why Rye has come to fear this one man, and to see what really hides behind the doors of his shop.
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Ada moved to Rye with her young son to escape a damaged childhood and years of never fitting in, but she’s lonely, and ostracised by the community. Ada is ripe for affection and friendship, and everyone knows it. As old secrets bleed out into this town, so too will a mystery about a family who vanished fifty years earlier, and a community living on a knife-edge.
Teddy looks for answers, thinking he is safe, but some truths are better left undisturbed, and his past will find him here, just as it always has. And before long, it will find Ada too.
My Review
Part way through this I had to make a family tree so I could remember who was whose son or daughter. There are some unsavoury characters in each family – Teddy’s father, Ada’s mother and her mother’s mother. Then we have Mr Vincent, who is creepy and evil – at least that is what the townspeople think. I don’t disagree. He owns a shop called Berry & Vincent, but no-one goes in or shops there. Many years ago there was an antique shop in Cheltenham called Summerfields. It was jam-packed with stuff and he never sold anything. When he passed away, it turned out he was a millionaire. But I digress. I’m certain he was a very nice man and a trust was set up in his name.
When Teddy arrives in Rye, he hopes no-one will recognise him and it appears they don’t. He sees a job advertised in the window of Berry & Vincent and applies. He gets the job immediately. All he has to do is dust and keep the place tidy. There are no customers to serve.
At first we feel sorry for Teddy. He’s looking for friendship. He’s very stressed all the time – he keeps scratching till his skin bleeds. But he is nice to Ada and her four-year-old son Albie.
Ada is also looking for friendship, but no-one wants to be friends with her. Except Teddy. They go for walks, take Albie to the park, have lunch together, until things start to take a sinister turn.
I loved this book so much. It is unique and brilliantly written, and asks so many questions. Can Teddy escape his father’s legacy or are we predestined to inherit our parents’ genes? I hate to think you can never escape your destiny and that nurture can never win over nature. Secondly, do people really blame the spouse – the ‘Devil’s Mistress’ as they called Teddy’s mother – or do they see her as yet another victim. The idea that the wife always knows and keeps quiet really bothers me. Think Peter Sutcliffe (his wife Sonia had absolutely no idea that her husband was a serial killer), and not Rose West who was as bad as her husband.
My final query is why Rye? It’s a lovely place if you are referring to the real one. I presume you are, as the nearest town/city is Hastings, which is mentioned more than once.
I feel that we are going to hear a lot more from this author. I certainly hope so.
Many thanks to @annecater for inviting me to be part of #RandomThingsTours
About the Author
Ronnie Turner grew up in Cornwall, the youngest in a large family. At an early age, she discovered a love of literature and dreamed of being a published author. Ronnie now lives in the South West with her family and three dogs. In her spare time, she reviews books on her blog and enjoys long walks on the coast. Ronnie is a Waterstones Senior Bookseller and a barista, and her youth belies her exceptional, highly unusual talent.
Orenda Books is a small independent publishing company specialising in literary fiction with a heavy emphasis on crime/thrillers, and approximately half the list in translation. They’ve been twice shortlisted for the Nick Robinson Best Newcomer Award at the IPG awards, and publisher and owner Karen Sullivan was a Bookseller Rising Star in 2016. In 2018, they were awarded a prestigious Creative Europe grant for their translated books programme. Three authors, including Agnes Ravatn, Matt Wesolowski and Amanda Jennings have been WHSmith Fresh Talent picks, and Ravatn’s The Bird Tribunal was shortlisted for the Dublin Literary Award, won an English PEN Translation Award, and adapted for BBC Radio Four ’s Book at Bedtime. Six titles have been short- or long-listed for the CWA Daggers. Launched in 2014 with a mission to bring more international literature to the UK market, Orenda Books publishes a host of debuts, many of which have gone on to sell millions worldwide, and looks for fresh, exciting new voices that push the genre in new directions. Bestselling authors include Ragnar Jonasson, Antti Tuomainen, Gunnar Staalesen, Michael J. Malone, Kjell Ola Dahl, Louise Beech, Johana Gustawsson, Lilja Sigurðardóttir and Sarah Stovell.
