House of Silence

House of Silence by Linda Gillard.

Paperback: 288 pages
Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform 
ISBN-10: 1479237086

Book Description

Orphaned by drink, drugs and rock n' roll, Gwen Rowland is invited to spend Christmas at her boyfriend Alfie's family home, Creake Hall - a ramshackle Tudor manor in Norfolk. Soon after she arrives, Gwen senses something isn't quite right. Alfie acts strangely toward his family and is reluctant to talk about the past. His mother, a celebrated children's author, keeps to her room, living in a twilight world, unable to distinguish between past and present, fact and fiction. And then there's the enigma of an old family photograph...
When Gwen discovers fragments of forgotten family letters sewn into an old patchwork quilt, she starts to piece together the jigsaw of the past and realizes there's more to the family history than she's been told. It seems there are things people don't want her to know.
And one of those people is Alfie

I am sure I was more then ready for this book!

Totally, totally enjoyed it!  It was fast reading and in the beginning it was simply girl meets boy and it begins to get serious.

Then..

He takes her “home” for Christmas. 

Then we meet “his family”.  Seemingly quite odd family. And Alfie himself changes into someone Gwen doesn’t know..and maybe doesn’t like.

Enter the gardener.

Maybe someone is sane here after all?

The story is pretty straight forward and you begin to wonder where this “mystery” is, other than maybe hiding the fact Alfie’s family is nuts.  Then Gwen notices a photo of Alfie when he was young, playing Cricket.  But Alfie was holding the mallet in his left hand….but Alfie is right handed. hmmmm…..and so begins the mystery of the secrets of the family………………….

Once the secrets begin to come out.. they literally pour out!  And just when you feel that’s it…..even more comes out!  I actually enjoyed that it all came out so quickly and then added the little twists and turns you didn’t expect at all!  I will look for more books by this author, because I certainly enjoyed this book!

This is a short book,a quick read, and something one might take along with them on a trip because it needs no deep thoughts. Even though the cover looks as if it would be a deep Victorian thing it is not..but it is a good read!

 

(and believe it or not I finished this yesterday so my very poor showing of books read for February is 3. ugh. and the page count is 1733)