Semi-Detached by Deborah Stone
| Semi-Detached by Deborah Stone | |
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| Category: General Fiction | |
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Reviewer: Jill Murphy
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| Summary: Bill and Amanda and Terry and Fiona are very different couples but the connections between them will echo down the years in catastrophic ways. A twisting, turning novel about betrayal that will hold your attention. | |
| Buy? Yes | Borrow? Yes |
| Pages: 311 | Date: April 2023 |
| Publisher: Independent | |
| ISBN: 979-8386990992 | |
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Bill and Amanda are living in a semi-detached house, stuck in a depressing rut of boredom and disappointment, when Terry and Fiona – glamorous, successful and very much in love – move in next door. Despite their different outlooks on life, the couples befriend each other and life appears to improve for both pairs. But all is not what it seems, and their increasingly interconnected relationships are fated for tragedy.
Amanda seems so unhappy. She's living in a controlling marriage to Bill, who works hard and earns good money but Amanda sees very little of it. They have no children. The house is unloved and miserable - and cold, thanks to Bill's parsimony. Starved of affection and company, Amanda finds it difficult to react to Fiona's overtures of friendship with anything but suspicion. Fiona and Terry's marriage - flirty, affectionate, indulgent - stands in stark difference to the staid and cold relationship between Amanda and Bill. But Fiona is persistent and gradually breaks down her barriers. Even Bill starts to become more sociable, beguiled by Terry's laddish and outgoing ways, and the couples' lives become more and more entwined.
But what lies below the surface? Told from the points of view of the main characters in turn, we gradually learn the motivations and true feelings and back stories of each. And this is a Deborah Stone novel, so nothing is at it first seems.
I really liked the structure of Semi-Detached but it makes it a little bit difficult to review without giving spoilers. Suffice to say that the first chapter gives you a clue as to what murkiness underlies the story but it also functions as a bit of a red herring. As the plot twists and turns, don't think you can predict how it will all turn out. Stone's too clever a writer for that and I promise you surprises. I was caught out for complacency and I should have known better.
None of the characters are truly likeable. Just as you think you're beginning to feel some sympathy for one or other of the main cast, they do or say something to let you down. It's a great skill to be able to write a novel with no-one for the reader to really root for and yet still produce something that your readers won't want to put down. Stone has managed it here. I read Semi-Detached in one sitting, unable to wait to see how it all turned out. And it didn't turn out the way I thought it would.
This is a novel about relationships going wrong, about betrayal and the various ways it echoes down the years. It's cleverly plotted and engagingly written. I thoroughly enjoyed it even if I'm determined to maintain a more optimistic view of human nature!
Recommended.
If Semi-Detached piques your interest, you might also enjoy The Lie Of You: I Will Have What Is Mine by Jane Lythell.
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You can read more book reviews or buy Semi-Detached by Deborah Stone at Amazon.co.uk Amazon currently charges £2.99 for standard delivery for orders under £20, over which delivery is free.
You can read more book reviews or buy Semi-Detached by Deborah Stone at Amazon.com.
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