KimRating:
Review
Esme Lennox was born before her time, because by today’s standards, she is merely a strong-willed and outspoken young woman. Tragically that sort of behavior was frowned upon when she was young, and her high strung nature lands her in a mental institution for the next 60 plus years. When the hospital decides to close its doors, Iris Lockhart is called to take in her great-aunt Esme, but the problem with this is that Iris never even knew her grandmother had a sister. I found Esme’s voice in this story compelling and I very much enjoyed her, even during the few sad parts, but I’m torn with the ending. I liked one small part of it, but wish there had been more as it has left me to wonder what Esme is up to now.
Best Line:
“Watching the earth around the muscular trunk of the banyan tree boiling with ants.”
SuzanneRating:Review
A captivating book - I kept raising my eyebrows as I read through it. Iris Lockhart, a young woman in Scotland, gets a phone call saying her great-aunt Esme, who she’s never heard of, is being released from a mental institution known as Cauldstone Hospital. Iris’s grandmother Kitty always said she was an only child, but at this point Kitty has Alzheimer’s and is in a care facility herself. Iris finds herself in the uncomfortable position of being the sole relative left who can assist this elderly aunt she never even knew existed in her transition back to the outside world. She already has a big secret affair of her own she hasn’t dealt with, too, which is a bit of juicy story in itself. The truth behind a horrible family betrayal unfolds via flashbacks to Esme and Kitty’s childhood. O’Farrell does a superb job of depicting the profound differences between generations, as when Esme asks Iris if anyone minds that she’s not married. The story kept surprising me and making me think.
Best Lines:
“And do you love them? These lovers?” (pg. 112)
