A bleak, unforgiving landscape provides the perfect metaphorical background for this tale of male, predatory aggression, and the secrets, to hard to give voice to.
Is this a thriller? Yes, in every sense of the word. A chiller too as we read of unspeakable acts. Three women from different continents merge as one almost as their lives intertwine and collide. Cora, Freya and Angel, innocent of the links that bind them all but all seeking truth and, maybe, retribution. Cora and Freya, mother and daughter, one with experiences of the past she just can’t burden her daughter with, and Freya all too aware that her mother is in possession of something dark and frightening. And Angel? Feisty, strong and resourceful, observant and perceptive, has her part to play in this triangle of intrigue. We get the perspectives of all three women, and they come across as very real, not perfect by any means, but shaped by their pasts. Perhaps a sub theme too, is the art world. Cora is an exhibiting artist, so we see both sides; the creative process, and the commercial side of art.
A well paced and tautly written narrative, the Eye of the Beholder picks its readers up and carries them along desperate for redemption by the novel’s end. Do they get it? Oh no. I’m not offering any spoilers. Have a read for yourself.
My thanks to Canongate Books for a gifted copy and a very enjoyable read along.
No comments:
Post a Comment