Hidden Knowledge

by Bernardine Bishop

'Outdoes Muriel Spark and Evelyn Waugh' Margaret Drabble, Observer Accused of child abuse, Father Roger Tree confesses at once; it masks a darker secret. Meanwhile his sister Romola faces a future without their beloved brother, the novelist Hereward Tree. Can she live with the ending of his last book? And then there is Hereward's much younger lover, Carina, who takes fate into her own hands. But it is Betty Winterborne, forced to re-examine the death of her son Mark twenty years before, who has the courage to face the truth. There are the lies we tell others, and the lies we tell ourselves. This is a story about the difference.

Genres: Fiction

384 pages, Hardcover

First published June 5, 2014

Reviews

[Corinne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Crikey. That was bleak, but amazing. The economical prose meant that every word mattered: no filler, all impact. And yet, despite it all, a reassuring testament of our own resilience. The echoes of this one will linger for some time.

[Ben Bergonzi · Rating 5 out of 5]

A novel about people in two families and the secret shames that link them - a peadophile priest, a novelist in a coma from which any recovery would leave him unable to write, a mother and a daughter, the novelist's childless sister as devoted as any wife, his girlish fiancee, and others. The writing is superbly assured and so beautifully economical. Every word is superbly judged to bring just the right amount of weight to incident and character. The plot is as fast moving as many thrillers, the people in the story, with their foibles, obsessions and secrets, are human and often funny. The material is dark, ultimately bleak, yet you finish the story with hope and a lot of sheer admiration at the survival of the human spirit, human resilience and creativity, against the harshest odds. Knowing this to be posthumously published, my hope takes on a prayerful gratitude.

[David Proffitt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Despite this books seemingly dark and serious subject matter, Hidden Knowledge is a surprisingly upbeat and interesting read.

The story itself centres around two families, the Trees and the Winterbornes, each dealing with tragedies both old and new. Roger Tree is a Catholic priest facing an accusation of child abuse ten years previously. He confesses at once to the crimes but there is a much darker secret that he cannot bring himself to admit to anyone. His brother, a famous writer, lies in a coma and he find himself supporting his sister, Romola, who is struggling to come to terms with life without he beloved Hereword, and his brother’s much younger fiancé, Carina.

Life for the Winterbornes is also facing great upheavals as mother and daughter, Betty and Julia, find themselves reassessing their own relationship in the face of the challenges they both must face.

The story of the two families are linked by the tragic death of Julia’s brother Mark on a school trip twenty years earlier. It is Betty Winterborne’s decision to re-examine her son’s last days that bring her some hope of closure.

For me, Hidden Knowledge proved to be something of a hidden gem. It is not the kind of subject that would normally attract my interest, but I am glad I did.

It seems that Bernardine wrote just three novels in her retirement after a varied and full life. I am certainly going to look out for the other two on my travels.

Child abuse is not an easy subject to write about, but Bernardine does it with great compassion and empathy. As the story unfolds it is easy often to forget that Roger is the abuser. There is no getting away from the serious nature of his crimes, but for the duration of the story Roger is the rock that supports his family.

We all have secrets, some we keep from those closes to us, some we try to hide from ourselves. Each of the characters in Hidden Knowledge find themselves confronting their own demons. Some are more profound than others, but are equally demanding emotionally.

In the end, Hidden Knowledge is a book about ordinary people having to face extraordinary truths. It is a powerful story told with skill and experience. It is a much easier and more satisfactory read than I had imagined it would be. It challenges the reader, but doesn’t overwhelm.

[Gary Knapton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Classy and fresh. Contains every moral dilemma going yet never feels forced and the style is down to earth so you don't feel the heat of high drama.

A patient evolution of characters and inter-relations. And the novel contains cool words including obloquy, munificence, censorious and sleuthing.

Imagine Stephen Grosz or M Scott Peck or dare i say it Jonathan Sacks had written fiction rather than diary accounts of their clients in the fifty minute hours. Et voila.

Gently provocative, astute on the intricacies of how we juggle and weigh and struggle with moral dilemmas. It would be easy to attempt such a novel and get it all wrong yet Bishop hits the perfect sensitivity and tone.

I loved it.

[Ruth Bonetti · Rating 2 out of 5]

Memo to self: Don't list a book on Currently Reading if it's a possible fizzer.
I stayed with this author because her biog looked interesting. Lady Chatterly trial, married to pianist Stephen Bishop.
But. I admit I skim read the last half. Thought to flag it as abandoned.
So many characters introduced that it was hard to keep up.
Yes, gripping topics. But...

[Anne Goodwin · Rating 2 out of 5]

In the space of twenty-four hours, Romola Tree, a middle-aged English teacher, is given painful news about both her brothers: the elder, successful novelist Hereward, her soulmate since childhood, lies in a coma having suffered a stroke during heart bypass surgery; the younger, Roger, a Catholic priest, seeks refuge in her house while awaiting trial for the sexual abuse of a teenage boy several years before. Meanwhile, Betty Winterborne struggles with loneliness on the first anniversary of her husband’s death. Her daughter, Julia, a successful dermatologist desperate for a baby, befriends the gay carpenter she’s commissioned to fit some much-needed shelving in her flat. For some reason best known to himself – and perhaps his therapist – Tony feels compelled to tell her (and, off the page, several others) of his childhood abuse by Roger Tree. While Julia doesn’t disclose this to her mother, when Betty reads in the newspaper that Father Tree has been charged, she remembers how, twenty years before, the priest attempted and failed to rescue her son, Mark, from drowning. Each of these characters has some “hidden knowledge”, something they have done or thought for which they feel guilty or ashamed. The novel addresses the difference between the things we keep private from others and what we won’t admit, even to ourselves.
Full review http://annegoodwin.weebly.com/annecdo...
http://annegoodwin.weebly.com/annecdo...

[Jack · Rating 1 out of 5]

About halfway through this on Kindle and I'm pretty bored with it. Holiday over now so I may not actually finish it. Disappointing as I enjoyed another of BB's books last year. The writing is good, the story is implausible and I cannot find much sympathy for any of the characters.

[MaryAlice · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of those books that I seem to only find in a bookstore in London. Very good writing, characters and story. If you like this sort of thing. Which I do. Reminds me a bit of Penelope Lively and that's a good thing.

[Renita D'Silva · Rating 3 out of 5]

Beautifully written, in sparse, stark prose, this story of families and secrets is one that will stay with me for some time.