BY CATHERINE ARMITSTEAD

 

A TRIO of disparate characters come together when circumstances and life events threaten their stability and mental health.

The stories of Abby, Michael and Karen are revealed in snatches of detail. Rayner keeps the reader alert and entertained as she swaps between their three viewpoints in the narrative.

The author demonstrates insight as she shows each person struggling to cope in adversity. It is as though she knows how mothers like Abby feel, trying to be strong while caring for her autistic son, even though her marriage is breaking up. Callum is a ‘livewire’ and ‘Zebedee’, whose mind Abby tries hard to understand when he does not communicate in the same way as other children.

Through another character, Karen, we see the impact of grief and guilt as she helps her elderly parents, one with Alzheimer’s. Meanwhile, Michael faces financial difficulties at his florist shop, highlighting the unfairness of the situation for someone who has worked long hours for years to build up a small business.

The author’s sympathy and awareness help us to understand her subjects’ feelings and moods, their anxiety and sadness. We are intimate with Michael’s thoughts and how awful it fees when ‘everything’s sort of misty and unreal’ and he feels cut off, resistant to opening up and panicky, ‘shell-shocked and shaking, like an animal in fear for its life’.

The carefully structured text builds to flashpoints, as we anticipate how these individuals will react. We watch them coming together at Moreland’s, a private clinic, where meetings help them to form connections, and we see parallels between their stories.

Side characters, such as other patients and therapists, introduce more interest and some humour. For instance, when giggling in a relaxation class or dancing to disco music. The poignant and sad tone does not linger too long or become too bleak.

There are nods to Rayner’s other books but this novel, like her characters, reveals an increasing maturity and sophistication. She has taken topical themes and woven them into a human story.

Rayner deals with a serious subject in a realistic and sympathetic manner. Rather than leave us feeling depressed, she shows us characters that change, confront problems and wrong thinking, with the help of therapists and mutual support. She has therefore created an uplifting and helpful book, reflecting our times and perhaps some of our own life experiences.

 

This book was published by Picador and is available to buy for £7.99. It can also be borrowed from The Hive as well as other Worcestershire libraries. Click here to check availability and check it out.