The Couple at No. 9 by Claire Douglas
Written by Ashley Kelmore, Posted in Reviews
4 Stars
Best for:
Mystery fans who enjoy jumping back and forth across time.
In a nutshell:
Saffy and her husband Tom live in a bungalow gifted to her by her grandmother Rose. While making some renovations, two sets of remains are found buried in the garden.
Worth quoting:
N/A
Why I chose it:
I read one of Douglas’s previous books earlier this year and found it to be interesting and well written.
Review:
Ah, I love a book where we hear from different perspectives and jump around in time. As this is a mystery, I’ll share the set-up and characters, and provide a little bit of information on what made me like the books.
Perspective Chapters from:
Saffy: In her early 20s, who lives in the house her grandmother Rose gifted to her via her daughter Lorna.
Lorna: Saffy’s mother, who had her at age 16 and who now lives in Spain.
Rose: Saffy’s grandmother and Lorna’s mother, who is in a care home and now has Alzheimer’s.
Theo: A chef in his 30s who doesn’t understand why his father is so interested in news of the discovery of human remains in a town far away
There are also others who play a big role in the book, including Theo’s father, a woman named Daphne, and Saffy’s husband Tom, but they don’t tell things from their perspectives.
The characters in this one – especially the women – are well developed. Theo doesn’t have as much space in the book, but we do get a sense of who he is and his relationship with his father.
I appreciate how the author plays with the idea of memory – what we see, what we know. What two different people might remember, and what happens when our memories become mixed up with other things, or start to fade altogether.
I think this book is different enough from the previous one that I’ll probably check out more of her work when I’m looking for something to read while I have a bunch of chores to do.
What’s next for this book:
Recommend to folks who might enjoy it.
