An underwhelming read (Fault Lines - Nancy Huston)

Member Name: eilidhcatriona

Product:	Fault Lines - Nancy Huston
Date:	29/05/09 (18 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Well written, good story

Disadvantages: Built up tension then let me down

This was the last book I read for my monthly book group, and I thought I would share my thoughts on it. Due to a library hiccup, I had to go out and buy a copy just a few days before we met. I bought it in paperback from Waterstones for £7.99, but you can definately get it online cheaper.

A few interesting facts about Nancy Huston. She is Canadian, but not French Canadian. She moved to Paris many years ago, and now writes her novels in French and English, effectively translating her own work.

Fault Lines is the story of four children from the same family, going back through time to World War II. We start wth Sol, go to his father Randall, his mother Sadie and end with her mother Kristina, also known as Erra. It is an interesting way of writing the story, moving backwards instead of forwards to reveal the family's secrets.

At first it is strange reading the narrative written from a childs point of view, and all the children are only six years old. They seem older however. Interestingly, the children become nicer and their stories easier to read as we move backwards. The first child Sol, in the present day, is extremely unpleasant and very messed up. Not that he knows that, he has a bit of a God complex. The first section made for very uncomfortable reading, and I was glad when the story left Sol and went back to his father.

Randall, a child in the 1980s, is a little more pleasant than Sol, but still seems to know a lot for his age. When the book reaches Sadie in the 1960s, it is much easier to read as she is a much nicer child, although not a nice presence in the lives of Randall and Sol once she is an adult. She has problems but all she wants from life is to live with her mother, a rather simple wish really. Her mother, Kristina, a child during World War II, is the nicest of the bunch, a proper six year old whose biggest concern is playing with her sisters doll.

I found that I kept having to flick back to check on things that were revealed in later times about characters which appeared in earlier sections. For example, the fate of a character who appears in Sadie and Kristina's sections was revealed by Randall in passing. It was a confusing read, but I kept going because it really built up the tension. The sections end just as things seem to be happening, so I kept going, sure that it would all explode and everything would become clear at the end.

I have to admit that I was disappointed. Underwhelmed is the best word. Everything becomes clear, but it's not quite the explosion I expected. The general consensus of my reading group was the same, along with a musing of "should we now read it back to front?"

It's an interesting read, but not one I'd go out of my way to recommend. Try it if you like to have to think about what you're reading, but as I say, the ending is not satisfying. The book is well written, and the story is good, but I think I expected too much. Perhaps if you try it after reading this review, you'll enjoy it more!

One tip if you do read it - pay attention. Details about the past that are revealed in the early sections will matter!!

Summary: Don;t expect too much