BY EMMA POWELL

 

Set in both the past of 1972 and the present day, cleverly switching between both, this is a surprisingly intriguing novel which envelopes the reader in the characters lives, engendering a range of emotions.

To 11-year-old Byron Hemmings his mother is perfect, and his best friend James Lowe agrees. Beautiful, immaculately dressed and incredibly organised, Diana Hemmings is a housewife and mother dedicated to her family and seemingly 'perfect' until an accident in her car acts as a catalyst to unforeseen tragic circumstances which change Byron's life and future forever.

When Diana drives her new Jaguar through an area that her husband has warned her against, unbeknownst to her, she hits a young girl on a bicycle. Witnessing this, Byron is thrown into a state of anxiety and a need to protect his mother from this knowledge and so 'operation perfect' is born where Byron and James set out to make things right again. Unwittingly as a result of operation perfect, the opposite outcome results and Diana's life begins to unfold when she forms a relationship with the mother of the girl in the accident, who exploits Diana and her vulnerability until she begins to unravel with tragic consequences.

While we are embroiled in the Hemmings family's dramatic unfolding we are also introduced to the isolated, lonely figure of Jim, in the present day. Jim suffers from obsessive compulsive disorder and fears the world, desperate to prevent terrible things from happening by having a daily crippling routine to follow. The characters appear unconnected until snippets of Jim's past are revealed and we realise that Jim is in fact at the heart of the Hemmings family and his fate is a result of striving for perfection.

This novel is both sad and uplifting and looks at families, relationships, mental illness, loneliness and love. The reader is taken on a journey from heartbreak to hope in this compelling story and I thoroughly recommend it.

 

This book was published by Black Swan and is available to buy for £7.99. It can also be borrowed from The Hive as well as other Worcestershire libraries. Click here to check availability and check it out.