Beware of the quiet ones
When Edie Budd arrives at Phyllis Collier’s run-down London boarding house, she brings with her a terrible secret that could affect them all. However, Edie is not the only one in the house harbouring secrets.
Phyllis herself is trying to forget a traumatic incident in her past, made even more humiliating by her husband’s infidelity with a former tenant. Then there is Tommie, Phyllis’s other tenant, who is leading a double life. During the day she cooks and panders to the whims of an eccentric old lady, while at night she gives in to her addiction for seedy Soho nightlife – including a man who takes what she willingly offers but gives nothing back in return.
At first, the three women avoid interacting with each other, but as Edie’s past begins to catch up with her, the others are reluctantly drawn into her web of lies – especially Tommie who, by helping Edie, must now consider the course of her own future.
As I was given this book to read by a friend, I was not sure what to expect. However, I soon found myself fully absorbed in its intriguing storyline and interesting characters.
There are two timelines running parallel to each other, which alternate throughout the book. The first begins in London, October 1958, and follows the chain of events set in motion by Edie’s arrival at the boarding house. The second begins five years prior to Edie’s arrival, which describes the events leading up to her desperate decision to seek lodgings in such an obscure and dilapidated establishment.
As the two timelines begin to merge and the full extent of Edie’s situation is revealed, the lives of the three women suddenly collide, leading to a dangerous discovery for Edie, a surprise reunion for Phyllis and a potential life-changing decision for Tommie.
Phyllis herself is trying to forget a traumatic incident in her past, made even more humiliating by her husband’s infidelity with a former tenant. Then there is Tommie, Phyllis’s other tenant, who is leading a double life. During the day she cooks and panders to the whims of an eccentric old lady, while at night she gives in to her addiction for seedy Soho nightlife – including a man who takes what she willingly offers but gives nothing back in return.
At first, the three women avoid interacting with each other, but as Edie’s past begins to catch up with her, the others are reluctantly drawn into her web of lies – especially Tommie who, by helping Edie, must now consider the course of her own future.
As I was given this book to read by a friend, I was not sure what to expect. However, I soon found myself fully absorbed in its intriguing storyline and interesting characters.
There are two timelines running parallel to each other, which alternate throughout the book. The first begins in London, October 1958, and follows the chain of events set in motion by Edie’s arrival at the boarding house. The second begins five years prior to Edie’s arrival, which describes the events leading up to her desperate decision to seek lodgings in such an obscure and dilapidated establishment.
As the two timelines begin to merge and the full extent of Edie’s situation is revealed, the lives of the three women suddenly collide, leading to a dangerous discovery for Edie, a surprise reunion for Phyllis and a potential life-changing decision for Tommie.
No comments have been added yet.
