Family Likeness
When Rosie arrives in the
lives of Jonas Murrey and his two children, he can have no idea of what is to
come. Because for Rosie this isn’t just about landing a new job as a babysitter;
it’s an attempt to find herself in ways that will only become clear as the
story progresses.
Rosie’s narrative alternates
with that of a small child called Muriel who, in the 1950s, is abandoned by her
mother and left to the not-so-tender mercies of the children’s home system. The
two narratives are linked by a number of themes: identity and belonging;
missing parents; race and genetic roots. They weave around and echo each other
as the story progresses and the links between the two women and their respective
situations are revealed.
As with her previous novel,
'The Ghost Of Lily Painter', Caitlin Davies has also woven in a historical strand based on reality, in this case the true
story of the life of Dido Elizabeth Belle. In the novel it is seeing the
portrait of Dido, a young black girl living in an aristocratic white family in
the 18th Century, which leads Rosie, and Jonas’s young daughter Ella,
to research and reflect on some of the issues of race, equality and identity
that also feature in their own lives. By doing this the historical thread adds
a different facet to the story and shines a brighter light on the central
themes.
Full of intrigue and
suspense this novel really does keep you guessing what its ultimate outcome will
be right until the very end. Along the way it avoids taking the story in
obvious directions in favour of more subtle and unexpected outcomes. A mix of
compelling family story, exquisite historical detail and layers of mystery,
this is a very satisfying novel indeed.
One of this summer’s must
reads!
Many thanks to the publisher
for a review copy of this book.
You can find out more and
buy a copy here.
You can find my review of Caitlin’s
previous novel, 'The Ghost Of Lily Painter' on Bookersatz.
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