Seesaw

by Deborah Moggach

Take an ordinary, well-off family like the Prices. Watch what happens when one Sunday seventeen-year-old Hannah disappears without a trace. See how the family rallies when a ransom note demands half a million pounds for Hannah's safe return. But it's when Hannah comes home that the story really begins.

Genres: Fiction, Thriller, Swedish Literature, Relationships, British Literature

400 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1996

About the author

Deborah Moggach is a British writer, born Deborah Hough on 28 June 1948. She has written fifteen novels to date, including The Ex-Wives, Tulip Fever, and, most recently, These Foolish Things. She has adapted many of her novels as TV dramas and has also written several film scripts, including the BAFTA-nominated screenplay for Pride & Prejudice. She has also written two collections of short stories and a stage play. In February 2005, Moggach was awarded an honorary Doctor of Letters degree by her Alma Mater, the University of Bristol . She is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature, a former Chair of the Society of Authors, and is on the executive committee of PEN.

Reviews

[Anni · Rating 5 out of 5]

“I like setting up a seemingly happy family and then planting a stick of dynamite in the corner of the room. Light the touch paper and watch what happens”. (Deborah Moggach)

Once again the inimitable Deborah Moggach succeeds in her declared aim to surprise the reader with every novel. Her plots are always character-based with unpredictable storylines which test the readers imagination as much as any detective novel, reflecting the arbitrary nature of fate as in real life. I admit that I can never tell how the story will end.

If there is any common pattern to be found in her fiction, it is the one displayed most obviously here in her eleventh novel, where the ups and downs of fortune, from hubris to nemesis is the underlying theme. (The seesaw motif was possibly overplayed a bit too literally, but at least the message wasn’t lost).

Seesaw was scripted originally as a TV drama with David Suchet and Geraldine James. Moggach even had walk-on parts in it, appearing about six times – as Woman Getting Into Mercedes, Woman driving expresso in Camden Lock, Woman Worshipper at Pentecostal Church in Harlesden and so on.

Now for the next one ...

[Plum-crazy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Usually in a book, or on TV/film, the story generally ends once the kidnapped victim is found (dead or alive!)....so to read about the aftermath of the kidnap & how it affected the victim, her family & even the kidnappers themselves, made a refreshing change - I loved it!

It had me hooked from the start & I had to keep on reading as I couldn't workout how it might end.... ....& when it came it was unexpected - I do like an ending that surprises me! :o)

[Claire Collignon · Rating 5 out of 5]

I reviewed this book under the name Final demand

[Charlotte · Rating 2 out of 5]

What an odd book. Starts so well and then descends into chaos. Also full of really bizarre racial stereotyping.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Take an ordinary, well-off family like the Prices. Watch what happens when one Sunday seventeen-year-old Hannah disappears without a trace. See how the family rallies when a ransom note demands half a million pounds for Hannah's safe return. But it's when Hannah comes home that the story really begins. Now, observe what happens to a family when they lose their house, their status, all their wealth. Note how they disintegrate under the pressures of guilt and poverty and are forced to confront their true selves. And, finally, wait to hear about Hannah, who has the most shocking surprise in store of all."

A really good, gripping read.

[David · Rating 2 out of 5]

I nearly gave up early on. Not at all like a normal story from this author. It was all done this done that. A boring family are plunged into a nightmare when their daughter is kidnapped. All been done before. However, when the book turns to the lives of the kidnappers, Jon and Eva, it suddenly gets much, much better. Then by numbers once again describing the kidnap.

I felt the author was much more at home telling us about the relationship between Jon and Eva. There were sections which, on their own, proved once again that Deborah Moggach could write great human drama. Especially in the final quarter. But then the much less interesting thriller stuff gets in the way.

[Anne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Twisted Love

A moderately affluent family of five win a trip to Florida and are photographed for the local paper. The article convinces a damaged young woman that the family are fabulously wealthy and she decides to kidnap their daughter, hoping to get some easy money and cement her relationship with a boyfriend she fears is tiring of her. A ransom is raised and the girl goes home. But the destructive ripples of this crime change the lives of the girl, her family and the kidnappers themselves. The plot and its aftermath are credible and the characters are both flawed and credible.

[Kathy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wonder why this book was written. Presumably a money spinner, as it seemed more like the idea for a film script. I didn't like the people in it and I took a long time to finish the last fifty pages because I basically didn't care what happened to any of them. I sort of committed to reading it for a book group, otherwise I would have discarded it after the first few chapters. Not really my cup of tea.

[Belle · Rating 5 out of 5]

An old-school psychological thriller in the mould of Ruth Rendall and as beautifully written as you would expect. Few contemporary genre writers do half as good a job when it comes to developing rounded characters even if they aren't always likeable. That said a sensitivity reader would have a field day with this book and some of the language is quite jarring for a modern reader. It just goes to show how far we have come since 1996.

[Sean Ollett · Rating 1 out of 5]

I tried but the characters were not engaging or likeable or realistic. To much descriptive padding and then the story took a stupid turn. That was it, I gave up. I was left wondering how much better book it would have been if written by Jodi Picoult. So many British writers don't pace their books wll, to plodding or uneven.

[Gill C · Rating 4 out of 5]

An easy and enjoyable read which explores the reactions and repercussions within a well off family when their daughter is kidnapped and they are forced to sell their home and business to pay the ransome.
The hapless kidnappers also experience a huge change in their circumstances when they find themselves richer than they'd ever imagined but they too discover that life isn't all about money

[Hilary Sinclair]

The North London setting was so familiar to me that I felt spooked as if being watched. The time of publication of the novel was when my own kids were growing up. It felt nostalgic to read about consumer goods thought to be important and encouraging to see how values change over time and circumstances.

[Louise · Rating 3 out of 5]

My first Deborah Moggach... and rather an odd story. I love the writing style, but the story events are far-fetched and unlikely. There is a surreal air hanging over the novel, but the novel is written in a realist and literary style. So there was something of a mismatch, I think. It didn't quite work, for me.

[Moirad · Rating 4 out of 5]

A kidnap and its aftermath - the novel recounts how the family whose daughter was kidnapped and the kidnappers themselves react and respond to their new circumstances. Well observed characters, milieu and satisfying resolution.

[Anita Alton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thoroughly enjoyed this book. The writing was great - like REALLY good. The story was….also really good. Like so many layers….so much emotion and so much REALITY. Like - honeslty - what would you do……??? I’d recommend this book - and this author.

[Sarah Yarnmugs · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting look at families, relationships and class, following the kidnap and ransom of Hannah. An easy read but it didn’t provide me with any emotional response. I enjoyed the story and was curious what would happen.

[Anna Maria · Rating 1 out of 5]

I must send myself a reminder ''Do not buy any books by this author''. I have tried many times to read, and enjoy these books I just cannot do it.

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

A moral tale

[Jayne Charles · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a good 'what if' story: What if....your teenage daughter is kidnapped and a ransom demanded. What if, instead of involving the police, you find the money and pay it. And she comes back. But that isn't the end of it. Another excellent read from Deborah Moggach - she knows how to dramatise everyday life, and she writes with great wit and perception.

[Elien · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was my first Moggach book, and I enjoyed it very much. It was an easy read, with well built-up characters, a great view on the subject of kidnapping, and not your average plot. Not your average kidnappers, either. I would recommend this for a cold night of cosily curling up under a blanket in front of the fireplace with a mug of hot chocolate.

[Nicki · Rating 4 out of 5]

In the end I really enjoyed this but it did take while to get going. It's written very well with good characters that I didn't like at first. Its got a really interesting plot and makes me what to read more books by this author.

[Evy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Deborah Moggach writing is captivating from the starts to finish. It's full of suspence and she makes her characters wonderfully alive.

[Sue · Rating 4 out of 5]

Moggach has a fast-paced way with words that's quite amazing.