Unsettled Ground by Claire Fuller
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This book was a bit of a strange one for me. I really, really enjoyed the writing, but I found, by the end of the book, there was something deeply unsatisfying in how the story played itself out.
Another book from the Women’s Prize Shortlist 2021 (and the second of those I have read so far that centres twins) the story begins with a lie and a death. These are compelling hooks to grab the reader’s attention, and as a reader, I found myself somewhat immersed in the story. But… but, the story teetered between the unbearably bleak and the implausible, and I found myself struggling to want to continue reading.
I don’t want to say too much more about the book because otherwise I would need to start dropping spoilers. I just wish that the reader was given more answers as to why Dot behaved in the way she did – why she let one of her children believe she was gravely ill, why she kept both her children with her as dependents. There was something just too sad in two 51 year olds struggling to deal with the realities of life and death following the loss of their mother.
As mentioned – this is the fourth of the Women’s Prize shortlisted books I have read. This one comes in at number 3 out of 4 for me.
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Deborah Siddoway 