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Deerleap
When Grace Chalk sees her dead boyfriend standing on the opposite side of the street in Bristol no-one believes her.
Alex died 7 years ago when the car he and Grace's sister Rita were in plunged into the river Avon. Alex's body was never found and Grace has always suspected her sister's version of events.
Now Grace won't rest until she finds out the truth and her search makes her confront her past and takes her into a future she could never have imagined, one that leads her back to Deerleap, the old farmhouse at the foot of the Mendip Hills where it all began.
Alex died 7 years ago when the car he and Grace's sister Rita were in plunged into the river Avon. Alex's body was never found and Grace has always suspected her sister's version of events.
Now Grace won't rest until she finds out the truth and her search makes her confront her past and takes her into a future she could never have imagined, one that leads her back to Deerleap, the old farmhouse at the foot of the Mendip Hills where it all began.
230 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 13, 2014
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
September 5, 2017
One day Grace Chalk sees her boyfriend standing at the other side of the street. Except Alex is dead. And so starts ‘Deerleap’ by Sarah Walsh, a combination of love story [Grace and Alex], detective story [is Alex really alive, if so where is he?] and the nature of blame [marriage breakdown] and grief. Walsh has written an assured story, handling the emotional complexities with a gentle touch making the twists and turns even more surprising when they arrive.
When the story opens, seven years have passed since the car accident in which Grace’s father and her stepmother Polly were killed, her sister Rita seriously injured, and her boyfriend Alex disappeared. Alex’s body was never found. Rita has never talked about what happened, she is emotionally vulnerable, spiky and prone to hitting her sister. Grace’s mother still resents being deserted by her husband and Grace worries that her anger will turn into depression and suicide. At the centre of the story stands Deerleap, the remote country house where Alex grew up and where Grace visits her father as he sets up his new home with Polly. It all sounds idyllic, except seven years later, Deerleap stands empty awaiting the legal deadline when Alex can be declared legally dead and the house sold. This is the catalyst which sparks this chain of events.
The emotional vulnerability in Grace’s family made me at times question her own reporting of events, we are told the story entirely through her eyes. She is an artist, painting portraits of from her studio in Bristol. She looks into people’s faces and sees the truth. Can she find out the truth of what happened to Alex?
The Somerset countryside sounds marvellous, a stark contrast to the streets of Bristol where Grace’s troubled mother and sister live. The family ties, responsibilities and lies create a web of mystery through which you glimpse the answer. And then there is a twist at the end which I didn’t expect. This is a quiet book which really grew on me. A psychological mystery, rather than a psychological thriller, it explores the nature of grief, depression, guilt and love.
Read more of my book reviews at http://www.sandradanby.com/book-revie...
When the story opens, seven years have passed since the car accident in which Grace’s father and her stepmother Polly were killed, her sister Rita seriously injured, and her boyfriend Alex disappeared. Alex’s body was never found. Rita has never talked about what happened, she is emotionally vulnerable, spiky and prone to hitting her sister. Grace’s mother still resents being deserted by her husband and Grace worries that her anger will turn into depression and suicide. At the centre of the story stands Deerleap, the remote country house where Alex grew up and where Grace visits her father as he sets up his new home with Polly. It all sounds idyllic, except seven years later, Deerleap stands empty awaiting the legal deadline when Alex can be declared legally dead and the house sold. This is the catalyst which sparks this chain of events.
The emotional vulnerability in Grace’s family made me at times question her own reporting of events, we are told the story entirely through her eyes. She is an artist, painting portraits of from her studio in Bristol. She looks into people’s faces and sees the truth. Can she find out the truth of what happened to Alex?
The Somerset countryside sounds marvellous, a stark contrast to the streets of Bristol where Grace’s troubled mother and sister live. The family ties, responsibilities and lies create a web of mystery through which you glimpse the answer. And then there is a twist at the end which I didn’t expect. This is a quiet book which really grew on me. A psychological mystery, rather than a psychological thriller, it explores the nature of grief, depression, guilt and love.
Read more of my book reviews at http://www.sandradanby.com/book-revie...
February 10, 2017
Excellent book
This is a really good page turner of a dark thriller,it drags you in and you have to keep reading to find out the outcome
This is a really good page turner of a dark thriller,it drags you in and you have to keep reading to find out the outcome
April 22, 2016
Captivating read
A book which kept me hooked in to the story as well as having wonderfully descriptive prose which skilfully explored the complex nature of familial and intimate relationships
A book which kept me hooked in to the story as well as having wonderfully descriptive prose which skilfully explored the complex nature of familial and intimate relationships
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews