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2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
''You could find out his whole life from his novels, yet not find it out at all.", 1 Dec 2007
With the death of successful author and Booker Prize nominee Gerald Candless, his family, living on the fog-shrouded coast of England, has a variety of responses. His wife Ursula, who has suffered his sexual rejection since the birth of their two daughters, now in their twenties, is at last free of his domination. His daughters, both of whom have been doted upon by their father, are devastated, and resentful that their mother, whom their father ignored, seems far less bereaved than they are. When older daughter Sarah, a college professor and writer, has her proposal for a biography of her father accepted by a major publisher, she expects this to be a healing experience. After all, her father kept journals and drew on his experiences for plots for his books--the raw material for a memoir is all there.
When Sarah begins her research, however, she discovers that her father's identity is as dark and fog-shrouded as the coast on which they live, that his name, parentage, upbringing, early work experiences, and entire past life may not be what she and her family have always believed. As Sarah delves into the past, this novel by Barbara Vine (the pseudonym used by Ruth Rendell for her most "psychological" novels) becomes a genealogical investigation into the life of a most mysterious man. Sarah's discoveries often come with a hard price, emotionally, affecting the memories she and her sister have of their revered father but, in many ways, liberating their mother and allowing the sisters to know her in new ways.
Vine reveals the mysteries of Gerald Candless in slow increments, her careful construction allowing the reader to share in the discoveries as information comes to Sarah through her research and that of an assistant she hires to act as a detective. The characters she meets along the way, while not fully developed, are nevertheless vibrant and individualized, and they keep the reader's interest high. While Sarah's own sexual behavior fails to ring true, her mother Ursula's confusion regarding her rejection by Gerald and her behavior after his death are both poignant and understandable. Fast-paced and filled with atmosphere, this mystery and the character at the heart of it will fascinate the reader who loves mysteries based on human relationships and human failings. Mary Whipple
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by Barbara Vine
by Barbara Vine
by Barbara Vine
by Barbara Vine
by Barbara Vine
