By Miranda Cowley Heller
SPOILER-FREE
It is a perfect July morning, and Elle, a fifty-year-old happily married mother of three, awakens at “The Paper Palace”—the family summer place which she has visited every summer of her life. But this morning is different: last night Elle and her oldest friend Jonas crept out the back door into the darkness and had sex with each other for the first time, all while their spouses chatted away inside. Now, over the next twenty-four hours, Elle will have to decide between the life she has made with her genuinely beloved husband, Peter, and the life she always imagined she would have had with her childhood love, Jonas, if a tragic event hadn’t forever changed the course of their lives. As Heller colors in the experiences that have led Elle to this day, we arrive at her ultimate decision with all its complexity.
REVIEW
THEMES: EMOTIONAL, FAMILY SECRETS, BETRAYAL, MEDIUM-PACED.
Heller’s writing is incredible, the layered relationships, complex characters and unexpected conclusions – are all so well explained and planned out.
The story follows Elle a daughter, wife and mother. It jumps between past and present tense, providing context on her background and relationships. Whilst there are some ends that were left untied – and it was not entirely clear whether that was deliberate – the story flowed well.
The events that take place are intense, Heller explores sensitive subjects and themes that arouses the emotions and piques curiosity.
The relationships are a realistic representation of a fractured family, where each character has their own respective outlook. Heller allows all the characters to make mistakes without persecuting them and painting them in a negative light.
Be prepared for some confronting subjects that involve sexual abuse.
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