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No Rhyme Nor Reason
Like all complicated things, it began very simplySarah Martin goes to university in York to study English and be free to reinvent herself. Soon, however, she finds herself locked in a tempestuous lesbian affair with Jules, whilst secretly lusting after her best friend Suzanne's boyfriend, Dick. Things get more complicated when her break up with Jules causes total writer's block and her writing professor threatens her with ejection from university if she doesn't turn in her major poetry project. Sarah discovers a secret store of Suzanne's poems and submits one as her own.Then Suzanne dies suddenly. Sarah marries Dick.Shifting from present to past and back, the pieces of Sarah's story start to fit together. Why is she so guilty? Where are the rest of Suzanne's poems? What happened the night of Suzanne's death?Interwoven with the action, the scenery of Yorkshire, the Lake District, Cornwall, Greece and Petra provide a stunning backdrop to the revelations that could destroy Sarah's marriage.
228 pages, Paperback
First published July 28, 2003
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May 10, 2013
It's become a cliche, but I couldn't put this book down. Reaching the final chapters, I hid away, ignoring the clock, the need to get the day started and fast-approaching deadlines. This is a haunting book that will ring many bells for anyone growing up in the 1960s-1970s. The scenes at University, especially the need to fit in, be accepted by others - and the lengths one would go to in order to achieve that - are particularly poignant.
The story is told in a variety of voices; the main one being Sarah Martin, whose unravelling life and ill-judged choices lead to the consequences that are gradually revealed throughout the book. Additionally, we see occasional contributions from her friend Suzanne and the man they both love, Dick. The continual switch between the present, the recent past and the distant past was initially confusing, but forms an important part of the book's structure and quickly became easy to follow.
This book is in parts funny, deadly serious, erotic and spooky. A wonderful read that I can thoroughly recommend.
The story is told in a variety of voices; the main one being Sarah Martin, whose unravelling life and ill-judged choices lead to the consequences that are gradually revealed throughout the book. Additionally, we see occasional contributions from her friend Suzanne and the man they both love, Dick. The continual switch between the present, the recent past and the distant past was initially confusing, but forms an important part of the book's structure and quickly became easy to follow.
This book is in parts funny, deadly serious, erotic and spooky. A wonderful read that I can thoroughly recommend.
Displaying 1 of 1 review