Carys Bray

Ian is a Mormon bishop, married to Claire, who converted after she met him. They have three children and the youngest, Issy, dies of meningitis at the beginning of the story. Each of the characters grieves in their own way, but all of their behaviour and decisions are supposed to be regulated by their Mormon faith.

I thought the first half of this novel was excellent. Zipporah's efforts to accommodate her attraction to Adam, whom she could only marry after his two years of mission was show more particularly well done and Adam's character generally was excellent. All the scenes at church where the girls were encouraged to plan their weddings and the boys played sports were appalling and fascinating. Ian's prioritizing the demands of his congregation over the needs of his family (as his own parents modelled) was heart-breaking.

However, I couldn't really get to grips with Claire's decisions. Did she really accept everything about the Mormon faith so easily? Did she really want Zipporah to marry young and concentrate on the home and popping out babies? There were flashbacks to Claire not really wanting four children and she speaks out about repentance and forgiveness being more important than shaming, but on the whole she seemed determined to assimilate and accept the culture. Did she really love Ian (a man with no personality whatsoever) that much?

I wanted there to be a less open ending. I wanted Ian to ask forgiveness for his neglect, thoughtlessness and focus on appearances rather than honesty. I wanted Zipporah to go off to university and have a fulfilling career and forget all about marriage. I wanted Al to change his name by deed poll and become a football player after all. I wanted Claire to say, "I should have checked on Issy more carefully earlier and then she might not have died, but you, Ian, left me in the lurch and I was busy making up for your broken promises to Jacob." show less

I have just been utterly charmed by Carys Bray. This is the most lyrical and honest story of a young girl who just wants to find out more about the mother she never knew. It pulled every single one of my heartstrings and I found it to be quite beautiful and poignant, with many unexpected laugh out loud moments.

Clover has visited many museums in her short life and she gets the idea to create exhibits of her mother's possessions so she can find out more about her. Clover's mother, Becky, died show more when she was a baby so she is being brought up by her dad, Darren. Clover herself made a surprise entrance into the world as Becky didn't even know she was pregnant. Darren hasn't been able to part with any of Becky's things so Clover goes through them, without Darren's knowledge, to choose her prize exhibits.

This book really is more about feelings than events and Clover buried herself into my heart as each page turned. I also have a special place reserved for Mrs Mackerel, Clover's neighbour. She shouts all the IMPORTANT words but often gets her sayings all mixed up like looking in a HAYSTACK full of NEEDLES. I knew I was going to love Mrs Mackerel as one of the early lines was about Mrs Mackerel lending Catherine Cookson books to her friend and telling each other which supermarkets have gin on special offer. I wouldn't mind a friend like that myself.

I know A Song for Issy Bradley was one of the big hits of 2015, so after reading The Museum of You I can definitely see why there was so much excitement about Carys Bray's debut. I plan to add A Song for Issy Bradley to my book wishlist and if it's half as good as The Museum of You, it'll be a winner.

I received this e-book from the publisher, RandomHouse UK, via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. show less

I loved the dark humour in this climate fiction, slightly dystopian, family drama. "Global temperatures are rising. The climate of the Abrams' marriage is cooling". In a future Britain where there is widespread flooding, torrential rain, and frequent power cuts, Emma is finding her husband is becoming insufferable, obsessed with climate change he neglects his business and campaigns in the streets. The fact that he is right does not make it less embarressing and tiresome. The man will not show more shut up and even the teenage sons are finding his constant lecturing tiresome.

It all comes to a head on a disastrous Christmas Eve in a chapter entitled "The Fight Before Christmas".
Truly hilarious. show less

Several years ago I won an advance reading copy of Carys Bray’s first novel, A Song for Issy Bradley and found it an absorbing and moving work. Bray’s second novel is equally affecting and finely observed. The Museum of You tells the story of twelve-year-old Clover Quinn and her loving but emotionally wounded father, Darren, who live in a cluttered house in Merseyside. It is unclear exactly when Clover’s mother, Becky Brookfield, died, but the girl has no memories of her. Clover’s show more father is unable to part with any object even tangentially associated with his partner—mind you, this seems to be his relationship with all items: they could come in handy some day, couldn’t they?

This summer Clover does not need to go next door to be cared for by the Dickensian Mrs. Edna Mackerel; she’s old enough to be left on her own while her dad, a bus driver, does his regular route to Liverpool. Clover spends her days gardening in the Quinns’ allotment, sometimes accompanied by Dagmar, a Czech immigrant girl from school and the victim of bullying. Clover also occasionally visits her grandfather in his retirement home or her mentally ill Uncle Jim in his bedsit. However, her main project this summer is to unearth artefacts from the second bedroom in which all of her mother Becky’s belongings remain. Clover’s been to several museums, mostly with her school, and she’s even spoken to a curator. Now she wants to create a museum of her own, with exhibits that reveal who her mother was. In the process, she will be discard the flotsam and jetsam of the years that have accumulated in the house.

Little by little, a picture emerges of how Darren got to be the way he is and who Becky really was. There are a number of surprises. One of the most startling is that Becky’s was a “denied pregnancy”. She did not know she was pregnant until she went into labour. Mrs. Mackerel actually delivered the baby in Darren and Becky’s kitchen. The reader follows not only to find out how much Clover got right about her mum but also to learn how Darren will respond to the museum that tells not only Becky’s story, but Clover’s, Jim’s, and his own. This is an emotionally rich, sensitive novel. I’m glad to have finally read it. show less