Unsettled Ground

Unsettled Ground by Claire Fuller
Reviewed by Mimi
📘📘📘📘

A 51-year-old set of twins who live with their mother in an off-the-grid cottage suddenly have to wisen up to the real world when she suddenly dies. How did these two come to be here? Julius seems to be looking for an escape but his sister Jeanie is trying to make sure nothing changes. What becomes clear is that their mother was not honest with them and the crushing realisations are just that, crushing. Jeanie is so stubborn and is so defensive every time there is any sort of accusation against their mother. She hates the meddling community who try to help. And yet, for all her flaws, she remained confident that she could continue to live the life she wanted. There was a strange and magnetic determination to her that made her particularly fascinating. Julius is the opposite, he just wants to live his life with the freedom he didn't have in the first 51 years.

There is so much to this book, sibling relationships, parental trust, the concept of home and as the story goes on, abuse. This is a smartly written novel with vibrant imagery (I could totally see the cottage) and engaging, rich characters. It really challenges what a family unit looks like and how trust builds and is then destroyed.

Very much looking forward to seeing if this wins the @womensprize!