I read 'After You'd Gone', the first novel by Maggie O'Farrell, about 8 years ago and I can remember thinking, as I constantly tried to find a quiet part of the house to escape to, so as to give it the attention it deserved, that I would love to have written it myself.
It's the story of Alice Raikes, a young woman living in London, who takes an unplanned trip home to Scotland and, before she even leaves Edinburgh station, witnesses something which changes her life. The book allows us, gradually, to understand this incident and get to know Alice's life, family and the man she loved and lost.
It's the story of Alice Raikes, a young woman living in London, who takes an unplanned trip home to Scotland and, before she even leaves Edinburgh station, witnesses something which changes her life. The book allows us, gradually, to understand this incident and get to know Alice's life, family and the man she loved and lost.
It's not a straightforward read - the narrative seems a bit disjointed at first, coming to us from different and, at times, confusing points of view but, eventually, everything combines to reveal Alice's story.
Since 'discovering' her work, I've read other books by Maggie O'Farrell (My Lover's Lover, The Distance Between Us, The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox and, most recently, The Hand Which First Held Mine) and have enjoyed them all but none has quite managed to draw me in like her first.
The thing now is that writing about the book has reminded me how good it is, so I might have to give it a 2012 airing!
Which book do you wish you'd written?
Since 'discovering' her work, I've read other books by Maggie O'Farrell (My Lover's Lover, The Distance Between Us, The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox and, most recently, The Hand Which First Held Mine) and have enjoyed them all but none has quite managed to draw me in like her first.
The thing now is that writing about the book has reminded me how good it is, so I might have to give it a 2012 airing!
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