2 and a half. A dreary tale full of intense characters. ( )

Beautifully written gothic tale, replete with twists of truth and lies set in a sumptuous crumbling English country estate in 1969. A sultry, moody haze of wine, cigarettes and relentless suspense. The author never lessens her grip on the reader until the bitter end. Beautifully done. ( )

I don't love the format of "old person reflects back on the past, which is where the story actually takes place". It feels tired and doesn't add anything to the story. However, I can see that the author wanted to tease out the secret of Frances being in jail, slowly revealing it and then having it hanging over our heads during the final chapters of her time with Peter and Clara, rather than it being a big reveal in the ending chapters. I don't love that structure, but I understand why the choice was made and it didn't ruin the flow (as I had feared at first).

The story itself was good, although it got off to a pretty slow start. Once Peter and Clara have some weirdness on them things finally get interesting. The best part of the book by far was the ending, where we learn that Frances murdered her mother. I was not at all expecting it, and it one-upped my little fantasy revenges on Frances's behalf; I was left thinking "Oh ok, you've got this one handled, holy shit." The ending definitely left a good final impression. ( )

This story is revealed slowly, developing suspense as it proceeds to a shocking conclusion. From her death bed, Frances Jellico tells the story of the summer of 1969 when she, with Peter and Cara, a troubled couple, were commissioned to survey landscape and buildings of a once-grand country home that is becoming a ruin. Fuller beautifully portrays their fall into a summer of indolence as they neglect duties in favour of the well-stocked wine cellar. It's well-written but the story has too many unbelievable elements such as gourmet cooking when kitchen equipment consisted of tin cups and little else, or a massive furniture move that would have required a team of movers. And while some fanciful tales showed the unreliability of the characters, others were so far-fetched that like hiccups they hindered fluency and reduced the overall effect of a languid, dreamy summer. ( )

Bitter Orange, Claire Fuller’s third novel, is a literary mystery that fans of Sarah Waters, Daphne Du Maurier, and Shirley Jackson won’t want to miss.

The narrator of Fuller’s new novel, Frances Jellicot, is in her 60s in ailing health. Bits and pieces of her memories from a few fateful weeks in her past are scattered through her conversation with a visitor, as are hints about her current living situation. The tale she tells is of a love triangle gone wrong (do those ever go right?) in the creepiest of places, a decaying English country manor that has sat empty since World War II, during which the Army requisitioned it.

Read the rest of my review on Criminal Element.
( )