The Middle Place

by Nicci Gerrard

Marnie has a settled life working in a London puppet museum when she gets a phone call telling her that a once-loved friend is dying. She leaves the puppets in the care of her ditzy former stepdaughter and sets off for an isolated cottage in the Scottish Highlands. There is unfinished business between Marnie, the dying Ralph and their friend Oliver. Will Ralph say what needs to be said? It’s a kind of thriller of the emotions that keeps you guessing and questioning to the end.

Genres: Fiction, Roman, Thriller, Romance, Adult, Drama, Mystery

First published January 1, 2008

About the author

Half of the writing team known as Nicci French . Nicci Gerrard & Sean French also write separately.

Gerard still works as a journalist for the Observer, covering high-profile trials.

Novels include Things We Knew Were True (2003), Solace (2005) and The Moment You Were Gone (2007), The Winter House (2009) and Missing Persons (2011).

Reviews

[Belinda · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 sterren - Nederlandse paperback 🌹🦋🌹
Hoe kan het toch zijn dat boeken gelezen en her-lezen vaak bij mij een verschil in beleving geven? Is het de tijd, wat er om je heen gebeurt of is gebeurt? Ik kan er de vinger niet op leggen maar dit is zo een boek. Ik wilde bij dit boek deze keer niet stoppen met de volgende pagina lezen. Toch dwong ik mezelf om het zo nu en dan een uur of twee - drie weg te leggen. Niet omdat het te snel uit zou zijn maar gewoon om het gelezen stuk zijn plek te geven. In geen enkele familie speelt het grote K woord niet. Zo ook coming of age, karaktervorming door omgeving en de verschillende mogelijkheden die deze gebeurtenissen op een persoon heeft. Niet alleen voor de persoon zelf maar ook voor de mensen om hen heen. Hoe beïnvloedbaar zijn we en bij wie? En overwint liefde alles? Bij de een wel maar bij de ander niet. De karakters in dit boek zijn zo mooi beschreven dat je ze meeneemt. Hoe verder je in het boek komt hoe meer laagjes de hoofdpersonen krijgen. Ze dragen voor mij dit boek. Grote aanrader van mij. Al hoewel de beleving van dit boek zeker voor vele anders zal zijn. 🌹🦋🍀

[Mari Biella · Rating 4 out of 5]

The plot of The Winter House is simplicity itself - a group of old friends (one of whom is dying) get together and reminisce. Think you've heard it before? You have. After all, the friends you make during the earthly hell of school and adolescence are often the best friends you ever have, and who can resist some misty-eyed nostalgia, especially when they're standing on the grey shores of encroaching middle age? A lot of writers certainly can't, and so the "old friends get together and remember" thing has been done many times before. What sets The Winter House apart is just how well it's done.

Marnie, the most unheroine-like heroine, finds her rather boring life turned upside down when a sudden telephone call summons her to the remote Scottish Highlands. Her old friend Ralph is dying of cancer, and is being cared for by their mutual friend and Marnie's one-time boyfriend Oliver. As Ralph slips away - a process described in occasionally grim detail - Marnie reminisces about their shared past, and her memories are interspersed with Ralph's own, more lyrical, take on them.

It seems a strange thing to say about so sombre a story, but this is essentially quite a happy novel - full of resilient optimism and, to use a term I loathe, life-affirming. While Gerrard certainly doesn't sentimentalise the process of dying, she does nevertheless allow us to salvage some sense of hope and purpose from it. Moreover, she's very good at unearthing the beauty and meaning present in the most normal of lives. Marnie is an average woman, not beautiful or exceptional in any way, yet her life is presented as a thing of importance and interest. There's also some beautiful writing here too, with everything from the icy Scottish winter to the windswept Eastern English coast brought to immediate and glorious life by Gerrard. A good, if sombre, read.

[Virginia · Rating 3 out of 5]

I might have given this more stars if I'd been prepared for a show-motion romance rather than the thriller I'd been expecting from the cover blurb. On closer inspection the blurb, written by some eminent entity called The Times, actually reads "Wonderfully atmospheric... a thriller of the emotions that keeps you guessing to the end." None of which is in any way true. The only atmosphere on display here was at the puppet museum, it wasn't particularly emotional for me, no guesswork was needed about how things were going to turn out, and there wasn't a thrill to be had anywhere. I did enjoy what there was of the plot although I am mightily tired of reading about doormats, which Marnie, for the most part, was. Each of the characters was introduced by their hair - in fact that's usually the first thing you learn about anyone here: floppy, tousled, soft, heavy, tangled, wild, silky, in need of washing. By their hair shall ye know them. 3 stars.

[zenbren · Rating 4 out of 5]

My first read of 2010. I loved this book and read it over 2 nights. The story challenges the reader to confront the issue of mortality and the fraility of the human condition. It moves easily through the different stages of development from childhood to adolescence as seen through the eys of middle age. You can almost feel the icy coldness of the Scottish landscape which houses the 3 main characters as the play out their final days together and the inevitability of death.
The move from the thoughts of the living to the dying are remarkably poignant. A great read and one which gives hop but not in a sentimental or cloying way.

[Roman Clodia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Firstly, this is very different from the psychological thrillers written under the Nicci French name. Marnie is 40 when she receives a phone call from Oliver to say that their mutual friend, the mercurial Ralph, is dying. Having not seen each other for twenty years, her journey to Scotland is also a journey into their shared past and the ties that both bind them and separate them.

This is an emotionally-intense book that manages to deal with big and difficult subjects - adolescence, love, death - without ever descending into the sentimental or maudlin. The characters are well-drawn and avoid many of the usual clichés: they're not all glamorous or beautiful, in fact they're rather geeky and all the more interesting for it. Also rather than concentrating on the university years, this introduces the main characters as children and follows an unobvious path.

At its heart, this is a story about love: not just romantic, passionate love but also the love between a mother and daughter, and between friends both male and female. This isn't a plot-driven book, instead it's an intimate, detailed, sometimes painful, always tender evocation of inner lives. The deserted cottage in wintry Scotland becomes almost a character in the book and is a fine setting for the unearthing of the human heart.

[Sam · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am actually rather surprised by how much I enjoyed this book, which I think is testament to Gerrard's ability to write about real, relatable characters that develop well even through the storm driven reminisces of those faced with death. This is very much a character and emotion driven story that doesn't hold back from the mistakes and realities of the many stages of life and how the smallest actions can have lasting repercussions through the decades.

[Shannon Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was beautifully written.

It's not often that I actually feel for the characters but Marnie felt real. She felt like a person I knew. When reading this I didn't feel like I was an outsider observing her story but that I was her. You feel her pain, her joy and her anguish.

[Hannah · Rating 2 out of 5]

Well written but I found all the characters so dislikeable. And honestly all that fuss and really not much happened to make a fuss over! Not my kind of story basically.

[Jacki Percival · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not what i expected. Well written with well developed characters.. but just maudlin..maybe thats too strong but I was glad when i finished it, and would not bother passing it on to friends.

[Belinda Vlasbaard · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 sterren - Nederlandse paperback
Die 'suspense van een thriller' heb ik echt nergens gevonden, maar een prachtige roman is het zeker. Wat spanning hier en daar wat zeker te waarderen valt. Nicci Gerrard weet op een zeer mooie manier te verwoorden wat onzegbaar is en zich nauwelijks laat beschrijven. Drie jeugdvrienden zijn er voor elkaar aan het sterfbed van één van hen.
En dan ja dan. Herinneringen, herkenbaarheid, groei en hard volwassen worden.

[Marie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of my favourite books with one of my favourite characters (Ralph) from one of my favourite authors. So. That's all you need to know.

Here's what I wrote about it elsewhere in 2011:

"I got this one from my sister and have been sneaking around it until it was the perfect time to pick it up. And man, I'm glad I picked it up just now. What can I say about Nicci Gerrard's writing that I haven't said already? She takes you into her worlds and you just become part of them. She manages to make you feel like you really are there with the characters, watching, listening. There's no difference in this one and of course you get the whole emotional bundle that the topic comes with shoved into your face. It's impossible not to cry when Ralph shares his uncensored thoughts with you - and not with Marnie or Oliver - when his voice or courage (or both) fail him. You first meet Ralph as this dying man and you don't know what's so special about him, or quiet, concerned Oliver for that matter, until you get to know them better via the shared memories Marnie retells Ralph on his death bed. I don't think I've seen many characters are beautifully broken as Ralph is. You just want to hug him and take him home and take care of him. By the end you're simply so in love with the man yourself that you mourn him when he has to let go of life and his pain eventually. If you haven't already, you should definitely pick this one up, it's beautifully sad and wonderfully written."

[Bowerbird · Rating 4 out of 5]

We meet Marnie in middle-age as the past comes back to her through Ralph, now dying. When Oliver, an old flame who is also Ralph's friend requests her help, she journeys up to Ralph's house in a remote part of Scotland. Together as the three await the end they recall their teenage years and we begin to understand why they all went their separate ways. Nevertheless the strength of their ties is still strong and they are able to build on this to give a satisfactory ending.
The book is well written with beautiful descriptions of the snow outside and the true warmth within.

[Jane Cross · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautifully written. Full of atmosphere with a great story of friendship and loss.

[Els De Laere · Rating 4 out of 5]

'Had hij ooit het geluk gevonden? Rust? Liefde? Was zijn leven een teleurstelling geweest? Ze kon zijn antwoord bijna horen, het antwoord dat hij haar in verschillende vormen had gegeven in de loop van hun tienerjaren: dat het niet draaide om geluk. Het leven was een reis, zei hij altijd. Je moest openstaan voor ervaringen; alles draaide om hartstocht en ontdekkingen. Ze zag in gedachten zijn donkere ogen schitteren en zijn magere handen uitbundig gebaren. Je moest trouw blijven aan datgene waarin je geloofde, je hart volgen, je niet laten beperken, ervoor waken dat je iemand werd die je zelf niet mocht. Maar Marnie had hem nooit helemaal geloofd wanneer hij dat zei. Ze wist hoezeer hij had verlangd naar vastigheid, liefde, een thuis. Wanneer hij bij hen aan tafel had gezeten en Emma voor hem had gezorgd, was hij dolgelukkig geweest. Hij was de meest behoeftige, gretige, eenzame persoon die ze ooit had gekend. '

[Lia · Rating 4 out of 5]

a beautiful book about love, friendship, loss and all the same happiness

[Gerda · Rating 2 out of 5]

A book written by a bestselling author: technically good, but the ideas are too ‘formatted’, and the contents too sentimental. And there’s a complete lack of wit or humour, not one sentence in the whole book. I know, I know, someone is dying, but what about all the good memories that could have triggered some form of comic relief? No discussion of ideas, or art, which is all the more strange because the main character Mandy becomes an artist later on in life. It’s like a housewife attempt at Romeo and Julia – tragic teenage love –with a semi-happy ending. Probably meant for desperate housewives watching Oprah or reading ‘Elle’ or Vogue, who want to try something ‘serious’. But it is no literature at all and I cannot help but compare this to a Philip Roth novel – Indignation – which I read a couple of years ago. The ‘theme’ is more or less the same: someone is dying and reviews his life. But the audacity, the wit, the indecency and the surprising structure with which Roth handles this put it altogether in a different league. And as a personal afterthought: it was certainly not one of my more brillant ideas to read this immediately after my operation when nausea hit me like a wave. Let’s just say it did not put my mind off things and made me even identify more with Ralph.
In short, not too bad a story, a rich vocabulary, but stick to the detective genre.

[Sue G · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm a huge fan of the Nicci French books, but someone told me I therefore probably wouldn't enjoy Nicci Gerrard's solo books. How wrong they were. Although the subject is very dark and I did end up dabbing my eyes on the train I loved this book and couldn't put it down.
The story is contemporary and follows forty-something Marnie as she is called to Scotland to the bedside of a dying friend. The story of the friendship is told as Marnie talks to Ralph while he lays bedridden and Ralph's thoughts tell you his own perception of the events. Over a few days you find out how they met in their teens and their subsequent relationship.
What I paticularly enjoyed was Nicci Gerrard's language - she has a real way with descriptions - I could picuture exactly the setting she described - the sight and sounds and smells, but the descriptive passages never got in the way of the story.
I found the subject quite thought-provoking and it has made me think about the relationships I had in my teenage years.

[Boyana · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story is about a man, named Ralph, who is ill from cancer. His illness gathers tree out of four old friends back together - Ralph, Oliver and Marnie.
Long ago Ralph, Oliver, Marnie and Lucy were really close. But then something happens and their friendship is broken. Lots of things are left unsaid, lots of deep feelings are buried.
As Ralph`s disease increasis he wants Marnie to remind him the beginning of their friendship and also what happend that it fell apart.
Filled with love, pain, dissapointment, regret and betrayal this book reveals what happens when no body is sure what he actually wants and is scared to go after it.
But even if you do, what are you supposed to do when your bestfriend loves somebody who loves you....and you love someone else?
What happens when you are young and want to love and be loved, but you are afraid of losing something much more priceless - so is it worth risking the love of one friendship for the pure, uncoditonal love that we all need at some point?

[Steve lovell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Death - will it come quietly and humanely in the night? Will we go at peace with a life well lead and long, or will it take us raging at the unfairness of it all? Will it be long, drawn-out and befuddled in the arms of Morphia? The latter was certainly the cse with Ralph - it was novel length in coming. 'The Winter House' was a journey through three main lives entwined with two lesser players. The still strong ties of long lapsed friendships drew Marnie north to an isolated house in a frozen Scotland to watch over the departure of one of those friends, Ralph, in the company of another who was slightly more. Gerrard draws us into their lives skilfully leaving the reader entranced and caring. Not sure though that the italicised dying thoughts of Ralph exactly worked as a device, but I wish Nicci Gerrard would give up her shared mystery writing with her hubby to produce more of this ilk. I have similarly enjoyed her previous fine solo efforts.

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of my favourite books! It is also the first book that actually made me shed a tear! It is extremely emotional and I really felt what the characters were feeling.
Ralph - who is dying of cancer is such a likeable character, I couldn't help but want him to just be OK and for him and Marnie to put the past behind them and live happily ever after!

The book made me feel so many emotions and I love the way it makes you think "if you want something, go get it while you can".
Excellent read!!

[Tricia · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is about a man who is dying and the friends that come to him to be with him in his final days. They had a falling out in the past and had not seen each other for a long time.

I thought the book was ok. It was not what I was expecting and I thought that the falling out was going to be a really big thing, but it was not anything I personally would have completely cut people out of my life for.

This book is a bit of a slow burn so you need to be patient with it.

[Sanne Wurzer · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really like how Nicci Gerard can make a novel into a book full of suspense, almost like a thriller - even when the topic is (finding) love, and no cruelty or crime takes place in the story at all. This woman is a born storyteller and I like to see how well she performs on her very own, very well done in my opinion.

[Donnah Brown · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although I have read this book I'm not sure about it, it wasn't what I expected. The characters are mostly believable, although on occasions you feel annoyed by their actions. I think it was the all devouring, overwhelming weight of their entangled love that at times made it uncomfortable to read.

[Elly Elst · Rating 5 out of 5]

Een ontroerend mooi boek.

[Malivai · Rating 3 out of 5]

mooi boek, emotioneel maar niet té. Eerste dat ik lees van Nicci Gerrard en benieuwd naar de rest van haar werk.

[Lobke · Rating 4 out of 5]

Zelden gevoelens zo goed verwoord gezien, alleen al daarvoor de moeite om te lezen. Het begin was wel lastig om er in te komen.

[Ann Artois · Rating 4 out of 5]

mooie beschrijvingen - over echte vriendschap

[Helena Wildsmith · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was beautiful but heart-breaking. I absolutely loved the characters and the ending was perfect. I definitely need to read something funny to cheer me up now though!

[Helga Beuckelaers · Rating 4 out of 5]

zo mooi, verstild en gelaagd...

[Adelyne · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars rounded up.

I’ll say upfront that I came into this book with completely the wrong expectations, given that Gerrard co-writes crime novels as Nicci French with her husband, and I was expecting something more thematically along those lines. It quickly becomes obvious that this was not to be the case – we open with a scene where Marnie finds out that a friend of hers is terminally ill, and she goes to Scotland to be with him as he sees out his days. The relationship between characters here is kept (possibly deliberately, I’m not sure) vague, and at this stage I was quite invested in figuring out how everyone fit together into the grander scheme of things.

Once she gets to Scotland, she’s put up in the house where Ralph (the terminally ill man) is living, together with Oliver, another friend of them both. The relationship between the characters is then told in alternating viewpoints between present day of what is happening in the Scottish house, and earlier in their lives. I did like that plot device, I thought it could have gone really well, but the style that the author went for (of not actually specifying the perspective in some instances, relying on the reader to pick up the different characters voices) really didn’t work for me.

The other thing that drove me nuts was how roundabout the story was, with Marnie just flitting back and forth and back and forth between the boys, which wasn’t fair to them (or Lucy for that matter, who was in a stable relationship with Ralph). It is alluded to in the reading group questions at the back of the book – and really, I should have worked this out from reading the story not having to rely on discussion points in the back – that Oliver was meant as her “true love”, but the Marnie that is depicted doesn’t actually show it that well. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with a love triangle, and she can’t be blamed for the fact that a pair of best friends are both in love with her, but I thought she could have taken a bit more responsibility in actually making a bloody stand rather than leading them both along. That was something else that really annoyed me – there were so many scenes whereby she was described as doing something (not necessarily always sexual) that clearly sent the wrong signals to Ralph, only to immediately backtrack and say she never had feelings for him. Seemed like a bit of a cop-out from someone who wanted her cake and to eat it too .

My favourite part of the book (and this says a lot, since it’s not even part of the actual book) was the author interview at the back of my copy. Because of this I bumped the score up a little, it was firmly headed for a 2* before. I thought the interviewer did brilliantly with asking the right questions, and I did like hearing Nicci’s thoughts about how the novel built up and where she was looking to take the story. She also discusses how she chose / shaped her characters’ voices, and the unique, rather subtle, mechanism of perspective shifting. I appreciated the sentiment / effort, but that’s one of the main things that fell short for me – I just didn’t like any of them, and they were clearly written for the contrary. I’m fine with books where the characters are simply written to be unlikeable, and I can enjoy them as they are in that case, there just was a disconnect here as I felt like this story relied on the reader at least relating to the characters’ feelings, and the writing didn’t bring their voices out sufficiently for that.