I was given a free e-copy of this novel by NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion.
When a close relative falls ill, Hannah Larson and her young son, Nicky, join him for the summer at Ashton Hall, a historic manor house outside Cambridge, England. A frustrated academic whose ambitions have been subsumed by the challenges of raising her beloved child, Hannah longs to escape her life in New York City, where her marriage has been upended by a recently discovered and devastating betrayal.
Soon after their arrival, ever-curious Nicky finds the skeletal remains of a woman walled into a forgotten part of the manor, and Hannah is pulled into an all-consuming quest for answers, Nicky close by her side. Working from clues in centuries-old ledgers showing what the woman's household spent on everything from music to medicine; lists of books checked out of the library; and the troubling personal papers of the long-departed family, Hannah begins to recreate the Ashton Hall of the Elizabethan era in all its color and conflict. As the multilayered secrets of her own life begin to unravel, Hannah comes to realize that Ashton Hall's women before her had lives not so different from her own, and she confronts what mothers throughout history have had to do to secure their independence and protect their children. (Goodreads synopsis)
I have not read any books by Lauren Belfer prior to this one.
You absolutely will cry with this novel. There are so many emotions with Hannah, but also with Nicky, Isabella, Matthew, Janet, and others. The novel has a big impact of how individuals and the public view neurodiverse individuals. I have a neurodiverse relative and I know what Hannah and Matthew have experienced. The stares, lectures, and fear.
I enjoyed the mystery of Isabella Cresham and the weaving of her life into Hannah Larson’s. I enjoyed seeing Hannah and Nicky develop with each new discovery. Hannah also balances those discoveries with her own challenges, as she faces so many people who all have an opinion about her potential divorce, how to handle her son, and her career. At the beginning of the novel, I was worried about Hannah because she seemed to have an “I am a victim” mentality, and it bothered me so much. Her development alone was worth the reading.
Overall I rate this novel 4 out of 5 stars, and feel that people who think they know neurodiverse individuals, and what motherhood really means should read this book.
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