I wasn't so keen on this book. I am a huge fan of Alice Hoffman to
begin with, and this is not a recent novel. And it is written in
her usual evocative style, but, somehow, it left me a little
cold.
Mostly, I believe it was because there was no typical Hoffman magic
or mystery to the story. A woman named March returns to her home
town with her daughter when her housekeeper dies. After the
funeral, she finds herself drawn towards a young man who was raised
in her household by her father, with whom she had a strong, nigh
co-dependant relationship with in her youth.
They start an affair, the relationship definitely takes a sombre
turn (or three), and then, all at once, the book sort of ends. The
ending was almost trite, actually. Much like 'Second Nature,' this
one didn't do much at all beyond mundane and angry relationship
angst, and it left me a little tired on behalf of all the
characters concerned. Indeed, there wasn't a single character in
the tale for whom I felt relief, or gained a sense of 'they've been
saved' about, which is something I adore about Hoffman usually.
Even the language seemed less lyrical and immediate.
Perhaps I just need a break from her, but either way, this in no
way reached the intense wonderful levels of writing I know and love
Hoffman for, like in 'Blue Diary,' 'River King,' 'Practical Magic,'
'Local Girls,' and 'The Probable Future.'