Pathways

by Katie Ward

Lady Constance was born into great privilege; her family home was the vast estate of Knebworth, and her father was Viceroy of India. So how did this woman travel from her cosseted upbringing to a punishment cell in a Liverpool gaol, where she was known only by her nom de guerre of 'Jane Warton'? In an epic feat of the imagination, Katie Ward recreates Constance's journey, as towards the end of her life she confides her secrets, her triumphs, her hopes, dreams and disappointments to her psychiatrist, Homer Lane. The portrait that emerges is of a lively, intelligent, vivacious and energetic woman who was prepared to fight to the death for what she believed in - not only against the forces of reaction, but also against those she held most dear.

Genres: Fiction

448 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 4, 2024

About the author

Katie Ward is an award-winning author from Suffolk UK. Her new novel, Pathways, is published by Fleet (Little, Brown UK 2024). Pathways is contemporary fiction: about Cara, a neuroscientist trying to make a contribution to the field; and Heather, her almost-stepdaughter, trying to find ways to express herself. Set partly in the research labs of Cambridge – and partly on the luminous streets of Las Vegas – these two different worldviews seem irreconcilable. Fascinating, perceptive and intimate, Pathways is a novel of both the heart and the head.

Katie’s debut novel, Girl Reading, was published in the UK (Virago 2011), US (Scribner 2012) and South Korea (박하 Bakha 2014). It was a Cactus TV Book Club selection and a book of the week on the Oprah Blog. In 2013 Katie received the Clarissa Luard Award from Hilary Mantel.

Katie says this: ‘Novels are intimate. They are an opportunity to share a point of view, to show and feel what cannot easily be explained. Some ideas are too intriguing and multifaceted to ignore: you stick with them because there is more you need to know. You’re trying to get as close as possible to your characters and story, until they are revealed. You can struggle with a manuscript for years, and eventually it’s finished because you’ve found the answers you were looking for. Then your novel goes out into the world and it becomes a mystery again.’

Reviews

[RIta Goddard · Rating 5 out of 5]

In ‘Pathways’, as in her debut novel, ‘Girl Reading’, East Anglian writer, Katie Ward, showcases the elegance of her prose, her wry humour and originality of thought. The plot, a nexus of a love story and the world of neuroscience, will keep readers turning the page while the universality of its themes, including the links between people and the difficulties we have communicating with each other, cannot fail to resonate. Katie Ward’s skill as a storyteller and her expansiveness of mind shines through on every page. Those who loved ‘Girl Reading’ as well as those new to her work cannot fail to be moved by this fascinating and important second novel.

[Pauline Winter · Rating 5 out of 5]

So Interesting

The story is so sensitively written. The story is kind of hypnotic and the characters draw you in. I really wanted to know what happened in the end. It is a good story.

[Susannah B · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just love this novel. I found it utterly compelling from the very first page. It’s filled with flawed but wonderful and believable characters that I couldn't wait to get back to.
The relationships - particularly those between the women across three generations - were so beautifully portrayed. I was at times moved to tears and at others burst out laughing.
I loved how Ward peels back the layers of what it means to have a human body, how it can delight and betray us. And all the different roles women play. What it is to be a (step) daughter, a (step) mother, neuroscientist, muse, sex worker.
The author is creative with the structure and the prose but with such a light touch you hardly notice. The narrative flows between the characters, driving the reader on between chapters.
I was rooting for the main character Cara and her stepdaughter Heather. They meet, they part, are separated by continents, lost in the crazy worlds of Las Vegas and Cambridge. (I loved losing myself in those places alongside them). They have no blood ties and yet…. They are such a contrast but they were there for each other and I was holding my breath praying for them to meet again in their all-too-human, clumsy yet loving way.
I was gutted when it ended. I had grown so fond of the characters I did not want to leave them…. It’s a novel that is still reverberating in my nerve cells…

[Leonie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This novel genuinely felt like being led down a pathway that frequently surprised me. I liked that there were loose ends, much as we experience them in life. That people sometimes just dissolve from our lives without warning and for reasons that we might never discern. And I loved that my little island city in the Fens got a mention!

[Tony Lawrence]

This is Katie’s, delayed, second book after Girl Reading, partly explained in the acknowledgments. This time it’s a full length novel, which reminded me a bit of Donna Tartt, Rachel Joyce, and Carol Shields, although admittedly I don’t read much in this genre to compare. But in all cases there is rich plotting and characterisation, an empathy with flawed individuals (aren’t we all), and in this case themes of psychology, science (brain chemistry I think!), and the deeper analysis of [human] connection, communication, and contentment. The chapter headings and neural Pathways as a metaphor went over my head (pun intended), but I enjoyed the main story of Heather and step-mother Cara as they make their very different journeys, make mistakes, and reach a tantalising compromise.

The double triggers of a death and flight, Heather’s mother and father, respectively, launch Heather (and alter ego Clare) on her journey to find herself, and pull on a thread from her mother’s earlier life. Meanwhile Cara struggles with relationships, her partners, her mother, but mostly her work and high expectations of herself; she hasn’t got room to develop a deeper empathy with Heather, or even sustain a working female bond. This is the deepest sadness in the book, amongst many others. However, it is not a maudlin book, nor does it follow a straightforward redemption/atonement arc, there is fun in the sparky dialogue between the leads, with a special mention for Cara’s mother Glenda. The unsung stars for this reader are places I really like, the otherness of Las Vegas and Cambridge, and other East Anglian Easter Eggs … I smiled at the Aldeburgh gravel (pebble) beach simile :) I wonder what non-Brit readers will do with that reference?

As with all good books - great books - the lives of Cara and Heather will stay with me for a long time, their journeys exist beyond the pages. Not that I expect ‘prequels’ and ‘sequels’, but I would love to know what happens and happened to them, hope that they are happy and fulfilled, and also to know more about Paul, Ruth & Reg, and others on the periphery of the main story. And a final word for all of us goldfish; it’s nice to swim alone, but companions and fellow travellers in this hard life are good too!

[Lizzie Howard · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have only just restarted my reading journey, and this book is not typically in the genres that I gravitate toward. I really enjoyed the author's use of tone and style. There was a sparseness but I found this to be gentle, rather than aggravating. I can see this book becoming a real comfort read for me in the future.

One of my favourite elements was how I felt sympathy for the characters in different points in the book. the author led me on a journey where at some points I felt the most sympathy for Cara and others for Heathers. I could see their flaws, but understood their actions - in some ways, it felt just like being in the middle a family argument. There is, however, a light touch to this - I found myself at surprised at my reaction the first time I felt more sympathy for Cara.

[Cathy Gale · Rating 5 out of 5]

A highly original novel studying the relationship between two very different connected women. Cara is Paul's long term girlfriend/partner. Heather is his daughter. Following Paul's disappearance, Cara questions her responsibility towards Heather while struggling for recognition as a university lecturer in Cambridge. Meanwhile Heather tries find an identity for herself in the seedy underworld of Las Vegas. Deep and thought provoking, raising questions about what it means to be human that will linger for ages. Plus some great one liners

[Rob Cook · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cara and Heather are two women left alone when Paul walks out on them. They take very different paths in life and Pathways follows their divergent lives. Not my usual type of read but I gave it a go for Dial Lane Books' book group and really enjoyed it.

[Stefaan Sterck · Rating 3 out of 5]

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