Tell Me Where You Are

by Moira Forsyth

Frances spent thirteen years not wanting to hear her sister’s name.

The last thing Frances wants is a phone call from Alec, the husband who left her for her sister thirteen years ago. But Susan has disappeared, abandoning Alec and her daughter Kate, a surly teenager with an explosive secret. Reluctantly, Frances is drawn into her sister’s turbulent life.

352 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2010

About the author

Moira Forsyth is the author of five novels, and short stories and poetry published in a range of magazines and anthologies. She lives in Muir of Ord, in the Highlands of Scotland.

Reviews

[Cathy]

Missing wife, mother, sister, daughter….in Tell Me Where You Are, Susan hovers just out of sight of the reader, ever present in one sense but physically absent.  The reader’s view of her must therefore be formed through the differing perceptions of others.  Is she victim, villain or simply a troubled soul?

Don’t expect resolving the mystery of her disappearance to be the focus of the book.  Instead it’s more about the impact of her disappearance on others.  As time goes on, the gap she’s left in the lives of others seems to contract as other events take centre stage and it appears history or (depending on your view) mistakes of the past and their consequences, may be repeating themselves.   It certainly made this reader question whether things would be improved or made worse by Susan’s return.

The author creates some really believable female characters, in particular Susan’s sisters, Frances (from whose point of view the reader observes most events) and her sister, Gillian.  I also really liked the relationship that forms between Frances and her niece, Kate, who is Susan’s daughter by a previous relationship and step-daughter of Alex, Frances’s ex-husband.  Yes, in this family, things can get complicated.  The daily minutiae of family life is also well evoked: who’s picking up who from the station, friend’s house, school or university; shopping trips; preparations for guests and family gatherings.

Tell Me Where You Are is an acutely-observed exploration of the often complex dynamics of family relationships, sibling rivalry, motherhood, the disruption that can be caused by things left unresolved and why sometimes the best thing is to look forward, not back.

[Linda Hill]

Frances has no contact with her ex-husband, Alec, after he left her for her sister Susan, but that is about to change.

I think if readers are looking for a visceral thriller with several twists and turns Tell Me Where You isn’t the book for them. However, I found Tell Me Where You an intimate and sensitive portrait of family life, sibling rivalries and our desperate need to be loved and to belong and I thoroughly enjoyed reading it.

I thought the title was inspired because although ostensibly it refers to Susan throughout, who is missing, many of the characters are looking for happiness, their own identity, a relationship and so on, giving Tell Me Where You are multiple meanings. I don’t wish to sound patronising, but I do believe readers need a level of maturity (which isn’t necessarily linked with age) fully to appreciate the nuances of family dynamics explored by Moira Forsyth. I thought her perception and presentation was spot on.

Reading Tell Me Where You Are felt a bit like viewing a kaleidoscope because the different characters’ perceptions acted as refracted light, and the patterns and dynamics within Frances’s family shifted and changed like the pieces of a kaleidoscope so that I understood the balance within the family perfectly. I felt Moira Forsyth had observed the people in her narrative every bit as closely and effectively as does Austen in Mansfield Park for example. There’s bigotry, disappointment, resignation, stoicism, jealousy, love and so many other emotions that bubble and surface, subside and simmer, that add depth and interest to this family story.

There’s considerable care and thought that has gone into the creation of character by the author. I loathed Alec. He made my skin crawl and had I been Frances I think his treatment might have been very different! Frances is a real Everywoman. She tries to manage the demands of being both mother and daughter, sister and individual in a way so many readers will relate to. Even though I have never been a mother, I was able to comprehend her perspective completely because of the successful way she is drawn by Moira Forsyth. Susan, on the other hand, brought out the very worst in me. Whilst she has mental health issues to which I felt I should be sympathetic, I also found her behaviour selfish and hurtful at the best of times so she didn’t gain my empathy and this made me uncomfortable. It doesn’t sit well with me not to have sympathy for those with mental health issues and Moira Forsyth has got under my skin and made me doubt myself. This is such clever writing. I found Tell Me Where You Are both thoughtful and thought-provoking.

Tell Me Where You Are is a book that somehow seems to be more than the sum of its parts. It is insightful, providing so much for the reader to consider. Moira Forsyth doesn’t provide all the answers by the end of the narrative and I liked the story all the better for that because life isn’t always neatly resolved and packaged to our satisfaction. I’ve finished Tell Me Where You Are with a feeling that these characters live on outside the book as real people. I rather hope I’ll meet them again some day.

[Vanessa]

Didn’t enjoy this book…

This story is of 3 sisters Frances, Susan and Gillian. The middle sister the wild child. Unmarried sister with a teenage daughter Kate.. she stayed with Frances and her husband Alec. When Frances boys were small. When Susan and her daughter moved out of the house Frances shared with her husband Alec, he left with Susan Also. He made the choice to leave his wife for her sister. And abandon his kids.

13 years later, Christmas Frances receives a call from
Alec and he is stopping by he needs to talk to her. No contact with him or Susan for years and he calls out of the blue?! Kate and Alec show up & the last thing she expects to hear is “Susan is missing”…

Does she care, should she care?! It’s been 13 years and nothing from Susan and now she is suppose to help Alec?
A tangled web we weave.. Just felt like
Frances was to nice, always having to fix everyone’s problems. The story fell flat at then end. Felt like maybe there is a second book will have to see if there is. Just the ending felt rushed.
Happy Reading📖

[Deborah Sowery-Quinn]

First, I should say how much I loved the writing in this novel - perhaps reminded me of Iris Murdoch ? tho it's been a long time since I read one of her novels. The story is about a family, predominantly 3 sisters & how certain choices cause a rift. It's about love, trust, rifts, secrets. I found it a rich, enjoyable read tho the ending was just okay but endings are hard to craft I imagine!

[Amy]

Frances’s estranged sister has vanished and this book focuses on her and the other family members left behind. An intriguing story with interesting characters, but slow moving at times. This book has an unsatisfying ending.

[Ginny Hodges]

First book I've read from this author, it was recommended in a magazine. It was interesting, but not sure I'd rush out to buy any more.

[Nikki]

This book was amazing very interesting read this book

[Emma Lévesque]

It was a pretty good book. I liked the plot but nothing really happens. There was also a lot of typos in the book (Example : naming one of the caracter Alex instead of Alec a couple of times)

[Chelsea Goodwin]

Felt like it progressed slowly at times. The spelling errors and continuity errors were distracting at times.

By the end it really felt like very little happened or was actually wrapped up.

[Aman]

The story line is fairly good however the book had so many spelling errors it was almost comical. It even misspelled a character's name when used twice on the same page.

[Tania]

From the blurb on the back cover of the book I understood this story to be a mystery, looking for Susan. However, it turned out to be about the impact her disappearance had on her family.

Well written, but disappointed about the lack of mystery.

[Ailsa Britain]

Family saga nicely imagined.

[Claudia]

some situations are kind of funny, but all in all the whole book is really really boring...