Publisher's Weekly Review
At the start of this engrossing tale of love gone wrong from British author Norton (Holding), Elizabeth Keane--a New York divorcée with a 17-year-old son, Zach--returns to her childhood home in Buncarragh, Ireland, after the death of her mother, Patricia. While going through her mother's possessions, Elizabeth discovers a box containing love letters written to her mother from her father, Edward Foley. All Elizabeth was previously told about her father is that Patricia left home to visit Edward and, after months without communicating with family or friends, returned widowed with an infant, Elizabeth. When her mother's solicitor informs Elizabeth that she has inherited Castle House, the Foley family manse, she decides to visit there to see what she can learn about her father. Talking to people who knew Edward, she learns more about her mother's tragic love affair with him and past misdeeds. Meanwhile, Elizabeth's relationship with Zach is put to the test as secrets he has been withholding from her are gradually revealed. Norton subtly portrays how Elizabeth's understanding of her past and present undergoes fundamental change. Only marginally a mystery, this one will appeal to fans of sensitive character studies. (Aug.)
Kirkus Review
A daughter discovers layers of secrets surrounding her parentage when she returns to Ireland to settle her mother's estate.University professor Elizabeth Keane flies to Ireland to clean out her mother Patricia's house in Buncarragh and ready it for sale. She discovers a box of letters from Edward Foley, the father she never met and whom she was told had died when she was an infant, and realizes she has little idea who Patricia was outside her role as a mother. Nearly all grown children realize this truth at some point, and yet it hits Elizabeth at an especially timely moment, as she's a single mother to her son, Zach, who is nearing adulthood, and she faces a life just as alone as she perceived her mother's to be. To complicate matters, her mother's lawyer informs Elizabeth that she has inherited a second property, her father's house, which prompts a new round of investigation. Interspersed with the chapters about Elizabeth's questions, other chapters flash back to detail Patricia's initial correspondence and later relationship with Edward. These sections become increasingly tense as Patricia visits his home and glimpses the sadness and dysfunction that grip him and his mother. In the present moment, Elizabeth's life also becomes uncertain as she discovers Zach is lying about visiting his father and keeping secrets of his own. Irish television personality Norton (Holding, 2017, etc.) has crafted what turns out to be an ominous mystery for his second novel as two stories about motherhood unfurl simultaneously. At times, the characters seem to almost be running to keep up with the plot twists, which leaves little time for full development or more than surface-level insight into their motivations. Unlike Norton's first novel, focus is on the plot as the site of intrigue, but affinity with the characters is the cost.A page-turner well suited for readers seeking a light domestic thriller. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
After her mother, Patricia, dies, Elizabeth Keane drags her feet returning to Buncarragh, Ireland, knowing there is nothing in her childhood home that she wants. Among the musty clothes and encroaching wildlife, she finds a set of love letters written to Patricia in response to a lonely hearts ad. Elizabeth never knew Patricia to want anyone's company other than hers, but the letters and a call from a local solicitor ignite her curiosity: could this farmer in remote Muirinish be her father? After the death of her mother, Patricia decided to look beyond Buncarragh for companionship. Edward Foley's letters were romantic and charming, nothing like the man himself who, in person, could barely string two words together. By alternating between the two time lines, Norton slowly doles out clues even as the plot gets stranger and stranger. The darkly funny writing style prevents this Alexander McCall Smith-style tale with a hint of Hitchcock from getting too gothic. As he did with Holding (2017), Norton peels back the cozy layers of small-town Ireland to reveal its dark, lonely heart.--Susan Maguire Copyright 2019 Booklist
Library Journal Review
Norton scores another winner with his sophomore novel (after Holding), weaving a captivating tale of loneliness, love, and family. When her mother dies, Elizabeth Keane returns from New York to the Irish village of Buncarragh for the first time in 20 years. Clearing out Patricia's house, Elizabeth discovers a cache of letters that partially reveals the truth about her parents. Intrigued, Elizabeth travels to the tiny village of Muirnish to uncover the secrets of her mother's marriage and her own birth 40 years ago. A deliciously gothic tone permeates Patricia's story, which unfolds in chapters alternating between Patricia then and Elizabeth now, drawing readers into the creepy setting of Castle House, an isolated farm by the sea in the shadow of a ruined castle where dark deeds inevitably ensue. Elizabeth finds herself through tracing her mother's story, a story validating the value of family and love, in whatever configuration. VERDICT Norton is a teller of beguiling tales, but the author's true strength is in his grasp of human nature, giving emotional authenticity to his characters. Anyone who enjoys a well-crafted novel, skillfully imbued with drama and gothic sensibility, will love this book and clamor for more from Norton. [See Prepub Alert, 2/4/19.]--Barbara Clark-Greene, Westerly, RI
