Deeper into the Mirror by Diana Wells
| Deeper into the Mirror by Diana Wells | |
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| Category: Women's Fiction | |
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Reviewer: Sue Magee
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| Summary: A compelling read about two women and the struggles they face as marriages stutter and fail. I planned to read it over a long weekend but finished it in less than a day! | |
| Buy? Yes | Borrow? Yes |
| Pages: 486 | Date: [[:Category:|]] |
| Publisher: Independently published | |
| ISBN: 978- | |
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It was 1999 and Helen had left her husband, Daniel Wallace: the relationship had been poor for some time and Helen was glad that she'd made the decision. She had her cottage, her two cats, Moggers and Sylvia, as well as a good relationship with her three children. Melanie had left home and had a long-term boyfriend, James who was almost part of the family. Edward seemed less-inclined to settle down and Chris, the youngest, was still at home. Helen's friend, Jean, is keen to set her up with a new man and the latest is Philip Kilpatrick. He's ex-army and - like Helen - a keen golfer. His wife died some time ago. Jean can't see what's not to like about the man but Helen finds that middle-aged suitors bore her.
Veronica Broughton is married to Patrick. He's a librarian, but his life is built around his Catholic faith and his home is run on strict lines of religious and personal adherence. Veronica's accepted this all her adult life, but it's only as Mary, the eldest of the couple's four children, is about to leave home, that she begins to wonder if it's what she really wants. Mary encourages Veronica to make more of herself but Veronica is completely unaware that there's a beautiful woman hiding behind her careworn exterior.
One of the reasons that Helen finds middle-aged suitors boring is that she's still secretly hankering after the one who got away, the fiance who dumped her after a four-year celibate relationship. Charles Franklin had been adamant that his virtue and his Catholic faith meant everything to him: ultimately they meant more to him than Helen, who predicted that he would become fat and filthy rich. She was right about that.
The story is heavy on coincidence but suspend disbelief and you have a very good story. Diane Wells builds her plot layer by layer and you quickly fall into the 'just another chapter' trap. I originally planned to read it over a long weekend but finished it in less than a day, simply because I had to find out what happened. I didn't spot how it was all going to work out - and all I'll say about that is that my fingers are crossed for Helen...
There was one point where I howled with laughter: a man approached a Catholic priest and was given advice about his sex life - and took what he was told seriously. It's priceless. There's a thread of Catholicism running through the book and it did make me realise the harm which any form of religious extremism can perpetrate. It's very sensitively handled.
There is what seems like a cast of thousands and Wells does well to get as much definition between the seven children involved in the story and all the members of the parental generation. I felt that I should have liked Helen rather more than I did but she committed the (for me - unforgivable) sin of telling someone that he wasn't as good as her. She vacillates too - decides to do something and then immediately regrets it. I was cross when she got herself into difficult situations which she could have avoided - and then I realised that being so invested in a character is a sign of good writing and life would have turned out very differently for her if she'd been more circumspect.
I did enjoy the book and I'd like to thank the publisher for sending a copy to the Bookbag.
If you'd like to hear more from Diana Wells, we can recommend her Odes and Prose for Older Women.
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