Irene and Lily are best friends. Lily grows up the adored child of older parents while Irene’s family life is less than ideal or stable. Trouble with boys leads the girls to be separated when Lily’s stricter parents send her to school at a convent, while Irene continues to attend the same school that both girls had attended together. Lily is forbidden to see or speak with Irene again.
When Lily’s parents intend on taking her on vacation, they make the mistake of saying that Lily can bring along whomever she chooses, and of course Lily chooses Irene. Supposedly the girls haven’t seen each other in two years, but after their trip it will be a lot longer than that before they see each other again. After a mysterious and fateful island trip, Lily will always wonder what became of her friend the day they went out to the lake.
I so enjoyed this novel and being completely immersed in the new to me mythology of a different culture along with its accompanying mores and customs, even though sometimes I had no idea what was going on. The descriptions of the family life and and their relationships with each other along with the explorations into the personal lives of the family and seemingly unrelated characters and their contributions to and takes on the story were fascinating. Beautifully written, I savored the reading of this novel and tried to solve the mysteries of who was related to each other and how. Everyone had a reaction on what had happened to Irene and I loved discovering their thoughts and placing them in the back of my head to mull over.
There was a heady surreality blended with the barest hints of magical realism that made it hard to pin this story down, and just when I had come one conclusion a different set of possibilities were presented for consideration. Though the ending of the novel could be construed as ambiguous and as having been left up for interpretation by the author, it isn’t that straightforward as that, and ultimately every reader has to decide whether they were given enough information to know what happened to Irene, and what is true and what amounts to speculation. Amidst all of the chaos, I was very satisfied with the conclusions I was able to draw.
Read More Reviews At:
FTC Disclosure – I am an Amazon Associate. Review copy provided by the publisher
Other reviews and posts:
Great review! The book sounds very good but I have to admit that I really don’t like that kind of endings. I want answers when I read LOL
I think I have heard of this book but now, after your review it will definitely stay in my mind and the book itself sounds interesting enough that I might want to put it on my list of books to read in 2010.
.-= lilly´s last blog ..Time to be honest. =-.
I enjoyed this book, too, but a lot of it was over my head. I do think it would be a great book club read, because there’s a lot to discuss in there. Thanks for the link to my review.
.-= Kathy´s last blog ..Review: Push =-.
This was a very complex book. I remember wanting to “talk” about it with someone because I really wanted to vent my thoughts with someone!
.-= Julie P.´s last blog ..Review: The Pillow Book of Lotus Lowenstein =-.
YOu brought this one back to my attention after quite a few months. I was quite taken with it when I first started blogging. I will definitely look out for it.
.-= vivienne´s last blog ..Uninvited by Amanda Marrone =-.
I love being able to draw my own conclusions, just as long as I can talk to someone about it. You’ve done a great job of summarizing what seems to be an enigmatic book!
.-= Sandy´s last blog ..Wifey – Judy Blume =-.
Wow–this sounds really good! I will have to check it out.
Very interesting sounding and kind of creepy.
.-= Jodie´s last blog ..Throne of Jade – Naomi Novik =-.
Sounds like an interesting read that would lead to some good discussions. I like a good mystery and if there is a twist or interesting setting or premise, I’m in!
.-= Kathleen´s last blog ..The Sunday Salon That Passed Me By! =-.
What an interesting, intricate-sounding book! It sounds like it has so many layers to it.
.-= Belle´s last blog ..My New Disclosure Policy =-.
I agree with Belle’s comment. It does sound interesting, especially the many layers. I will have to look for this one. Thanks for your great review, Nicole!
.-= Literary Feline´s last blog ..The Search for the Perfect Gift – Virtual Advent Tour =-.
This sounds really good, it is going right on my wishlist!
.-= Jen – Devourer of Books´s last blog ..Saffron Dreams – Mini Book Review =-.
I’m definitely adding this to my TBR list. Thanks for the review.
.-= S. Krishna´s last blog ..The Girl Next Door – Elizabeth Noble =-.
I love reading books that are set in different new to me cultures as well. Add some mystery, and I am in. Glad this book was good, although an up in the air ending is usually not my thing. Thanks Nicole.
.-= jennygirl´s last blog ..Sunday Reflections (Dec. 20) =-.