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Half the World Away
Newly graduated photography student Lori Maddox spends the year after university travelling and visits China where she finds work as a private English tutor. Back in Manchester, her parents Jo and Tom, who separated when Lori was a toddler, follow her adventures on her blog, 'Lori In The Orient'.
Suddenly communication stops and when the silence persists a frantic Jo and Tom report her missing. It is impossible to find out anything from 5,000 miles away so they travel out to Chengdu, a city in the south-western province of Sichuan, to search for their daughter.
Landing in a totally unfamiliar country, with no knowledge of the customs or language, and receiving scant help from the local authorities, Jo and Tom are forced to turn detective, following in their daughter's footsteps, tracing the people she mentioned in her posts, interviewing her friends, colleagues and students. It's an unbearably difficult challenge and, as the days pass, the fear that Lori is lost for good grows ever larger.
Suddenly communication stops and when the silence persists a frantic Jo and Tom report her missing. It is impossible to find out anything from 5,000 miles away so they travel out to Chengdu, a city in the south-western province of Sichuan, to search for their daughter.
Landing in a totally unfamiliar country, with no knowledge of the customs or language, and receiving scant help from the local authorities, Jo and Tom are forced to turn detective, following in their daughter's footsteps, tracing the people she mentioned in her posts, interviewing her friends, colleagues and students. It's an unbearably difficult challenge and, as the days pass, the fear that Lori is lost for good grows ever larger.
329 pages, Paperback
First published June 4, 2015
17 people are currently reading
611 people want to read
About the author
Cath Staincliffe
59 books321 followersCath Staincliffe is a best-selling, award-winning novelist, radio playwright and the creator of ITV's hit series, Blue Murder, starring Caroline Quentin as DCI Janine Lewis. Cath's books have been short-listed for the British Crime Writers Association best first novel award, for the Dagger in the Library and selected as Le Masque de l'Année. In 2012 Cath won the CWA Short Story Dagger for Laptop, sharing the prize with Margaret Murphy with her story The Message. Cath was shortlisted again with Night Nurse in 2014. Cath's Sal Kilkenny private eye series features a single-parent sleuth working the mean streets of Manchester. Trio, a stand-alone novel moved away from crime to explore adoption and growing up in the 1960s, inspired by Cath's own experience. Letters To My Daughter's Killer was selected for Specsavers Crime Thriller Book Club in 2014 and featured on ITV3s Crime Thriller Club. Cath also writes the Scott & Bailey novels based on the popular UK TV series. Cath's latest stand alone book, The Girl in the Green Dress, was inspired by her experience as the parent of a transgender child. It tells the story of a transphobic hate crime and asks the question: how far would you go to protect your child? Cath is one of the founding members of Murder Squad - a group of Northern crime writers who give readings, talks and signings around the country. Cath was born in Bradford, Yorkshire, UK and now lives in Manchester, Lancashire with her family. You can follow her on Twitter, @CathStaincliffe, which she does when she should be busy writing!
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July 11, 2017*3.5 stars
Cath Staincliffe brings her readership a scenario which is possibly every parent’s worst nightmare. The parents of Lori Maddox, find their bright young daughter, currently undertaking a gap year travelling in China has gone missing. With distance and cultural differences coming into play, Cath Staincliffe highlights the complexities of locating the whereabouts of a missing young woman, thousands of miles from home.
Half the World Away is the story of freshly graduated photography student Lori Maddox. After the completion of her university studies, Lori has decided to undertake a common right of passage. Lori has chosen to embark on a working holiday based in Chengdu, a city in the province of Sichaun, China. Lori has managed to secure a lucrative post in China, working as a private English tutor. Lori keeps in touch with her family based back in Manchester, England, via a blog she has created called ‘Lori In The Orient’. Lori has always taken care to ensure that she keeps in regular contact with her family, updating her blog frequently to ease their mind. When all communication ceases, Lori’s parents, Tom and Jo, go out of their minds with worry. With distance playing a huge part in the early days of the investigation into Lori’s disappearance, Tom and Jo make the trek to China to help find their daughter. Soon after landing in a country that is far removed from their own, Tom and Jo encounter many roadblocks in the search for Lori. Communication and language are an overwhelming barrier to begin with. They also find the local authorities show disinterest in solving Lori’s case. These factors result in Jo and Tom taking matters into their own hands, as they find themselves playing an active role in investigating Lori’s disappearance. Questioning anyone who came into contact with Lori during her time in Chengdu, Tom and Jo begin to build a complex picture of Lori’s movements just prior to her disappearance. As each day passes and no sign of finding Lori, Jo and Tom fear the worst for their beloved daughter.
Half the World Away is a taut, suspenseful and cutting tale that delves in the dangers faced by travellers entering a foreign country. Staincliffe’s story is an emotional one, also highlighting the lengths parents will go to in order to save their child from harm. It demonstrates how strong the protective bond is for a mother and a father, despite the fact that their child has flow the nest - so to speak.
What I enjoyed most about Half the World Away was the strong sense of place that comes from Staincliffe’s book. The action and crime based sections of the novel, centered on Lori’s disappearance, are focussed on a part of the world I have scant prior knowledge of. Staincliffe worked to build my knowledge of a part of the world that is far removed to my own, tying in a contrasting culture, language barriers, bureaucratic red tape and questionable police work in relation to Lori’s case. These factors of the story exacerbate the difference between the British and Chinese cultures.
The search for Lori in China is alternated with Lori’s parent’s issues on the domestic front, back home in Britain. These segments demonstrate how issues from these divorced parents suddenly come back to the surface when an unexpected tragedy strikes. Through Jo’s story in particular, we see how a mother is faced with an agonising decision of choosing between her children when a second tragedy strikes her family. What emerges from Staincliffe's novel is an emotionally fraught and though provoking tale. The situation faced by these parents begs the reader to slip in their rather uncomfortable shoes and assess what they would do in such a scenario. The choices are confronting and ignited a level of anguish in this reader.
A heart wrenching crime that has occurred in a deeply unfamiliar culture forms the crux of Cath Staincliffe’s gripping novel, Half the World Away. It sure made me approach any future travels plans to this area of China or another part of the world with a sense of trepidation. A recommended read.
Cath Staincliffe brings her readership a scenario which is possibly every parent’s worst nightmare. The parents of Lori Maddox, find their bright young daughter, currently undertaking a gap year travelling in China has gone missing. With distance and cultural differences coming into play, Cath Staincliffe highlights the complexities of locating the whereabouts of a missing young woman, thousands of miles from home.
Half the World Away is the story of freshly graduated photography student Lori Maddox. After the completion of her university studies, Lori has decided to undertake a common right of passage. Lori has chosen to embark on a working holiday based in Chengdu, a city in the province of Sichaun, China. Lori has managed to secure a lucrative post in China, working as a private English tutor. Lori keeps in touch with her family based back in Manchester, England, via a blog she has created called ‘Lori In The Orient’. Lori has always taken care to ensure that she keeps in regular contact with her family, updating her blog frequently to ease their mind. When all communication ceases, Lori’s parents, Tom and Jo, go out of their minds with worry. With distance playing a huge part in the early days of the investigation into Lori’s disappearance, Tom and Jo make the trek to China to help find their daughter. Soon after landing in a country that is far removed from their own, Tom and Jo encounter many roadblocks in the search for Lori. Communication and language are an overwhelming barrier to begin with. They also find the local authorities show disinterest in solving Lori’s case. These factors result in Jo and Tom taking matters into their own hands, as they find themselves playing an active role in investigating Lori’s disappearance. Questioning anyone who came into contact with Lori during her time in Chengdu, Tom and Jo begin to build a complex picture of Lori’s movements just prior to her disappearance. As each day passes and no sign of finding Lori, Jo and Tom fear the worst for their beloved daughter.
Half the World Away is a taut, suspenseful and cutting tale that delves in the dangers faced by travellers entering a foreign country. Staincliffe’s story is an emotional one, also highlighting the lengths parents will go to in order to save their child from harm. It demonstrates how strong the protective bond is for a mother and a father, despite the fact that their child has flow the nest - so to speak.
What I enjoyed most about Half the World Away was the strong sense of place that comes from Staincliffe’s book. The action and crime based sections of the novel, centered on Lori’s disappearance, are focussed on a part of the world I have scant prior knowledge of. Staincliffe worked to build my knowledge of a part of the world that is far removed to my own, tying in a contrasting culture, language barriers, bureaucratic red tape and questionable police work in relation to Lori’s case. These factors of the story exacerbate the difference between the British and Chinese cultures.
The search for Lori in China is alternated with Lori’s parent’s issues on the domestic front, back home in Britain. These segments demonstrate how issues from these divorced parents suddenly come back to the surface when an unexpected tragedy strikes. Through Jo’s story in particular, we see how a mother is faced with an agonising decision of choosing between her children when a second tragedy strikes her family. What emerges from Staincliffe's novel is an emotionally fraught and though provoking tale. The situation faced by these parents begs the reader to slip in their rather uncomfortable shoes and assess what they would do in such a scenario. The choices are confronting and ignited a level of anguish in this reader.
A heart wrenching crime that has occurred in a deeply unfamiliar culture forms the crux of Cath Staincliffe’s gripping novel, Half the World Away. It sure made me approach any future travels plans to this area of China or another part of the world with a sense of trepidation. A recommended read.
June 2, 2015
When Jo’s daughter Lori goes on a gap year trip to China she is like any other mother. She wants her daughter to live life to the full but at the same time she is a mother, and she worries. She keeps an eye on the online blog that Lori sets up for her trip and is always relieved to see an entry or to receive an email or text from her. But, there comes a time when communications cease and the blog is not updated and she cannot contact Lori by phone or email.
The story isn’t about Lori per se, although obviously she pays a huge part in the book, it is the story of Jo and her family – ex husband and Lori’s father Tom, her second husband Nick and their two young sons Finn and Isaac. It is about the effect that Lori’s disappearance has on them and the author has done a fantastic job of particularly showing things from a mother’s point of view. If I could have put myself in Jo’s shoes I would have been asking exactly the same questions: Is there something wrong? Is it too soon to alert the authorities? Just like Jo, I would have been on a plane to China to get answers from the authorities and to find my daughter myself.
The book is extremely descriptive and China is really brought to life – the colours, the smells, the people, the sights and sounds. It all felt very realistic as we watched Jo and Tom manoeuvre their way through the Consulate and dealing with the Police Superintendent and their total bewilderment at the seemingly lack of action by the authorities. Is it just their way of doing things or are they trying to hide something? I could really feel their frustration, not just in a foreign country with a language barrier, but in one with a culture that must have seemed totally alien at times.
It is a really good read that really drew me in as I identified with Jo. I thoroughly enjoyed it and find it hard to put down. As I said it is a very descriptive book and there were just a couple of times that I thought it became a bit too descriptive and I did skim a couple of pages here and there, but that was only a couple of times. On the whole I really enjoyed the book. However, I do have one complaint to make and that is to Jo herself – Jo, darling, don’t plant out your bedding plants in April. It is far too early and the frost will kill them.
Many thanks to the publisher for the review copy.
The story isn’t about Lori per se, although obviously she pays a huge part in the book, it is the story of Jo and her family – ex husband and Lori’s father Tom, her second husband Nick and their two young sons Finn and Isaac. It is about the effect that Lori’s disappearance has on them and the author has done a fantastic job of particularly showing things from a mother’s point of view. If I could have put myself in Jo’s shoes I would have been asking exactly the same questions: Is there something wrong? Is it too soon to alert the authorities? Just like Jo, I would have been on a plane to China to get answers from the authorities and to find my daughter myself.
The book is extremely descriptive and China is really brought to life – the colours, the smells, the people, the sights and sounds. It all felt very realistic as we watched Jo and Tom manoeuvre their way through the Consulate and dealing with the Police Superintendent and their total bewilderment at the seemingly lack of action by the authorities. Is it just their way of doing things or are they trying to hide something? I could really feel their frustration, not just in a foreign country with a language barrier, but in one with a culture that must have seemed totally alien at times.
It is a really good read that really drew me in as I identified with Jo. I thoroughly enjoyed it and find it hard to put down. As I said it is a very descriptive book and there were just a couple of times that I thought it became a bit too descriptive and I did skim a couple of pages here and there, but that was only a couple of times. On the whole I really enjoyed the book. However, I do have one complaint to make and that is to Jo herself – Jo, darling, don’t plant out your bedding plants in April. It is far too early and the frost will kill them.
Many thanks to the publisher for the review copy.
July 13, 2015
Cath Staincliffe is a well developed author that can get your attention from the very start.
If you had an adult child who wanted to travel, would you stop them? No. Her step dad was very encouraging of her getting 'life' experiences. Her Mother too, but of course us Mums would be saying "Stay in touch"
"Be careful, but enjoy yourself" "Let me know how you are"
And such things like this.
Lori, their daughter has just graduated and wants to take her photography expertise and make use of it travelling to China. Just think of all the beautiful experiences she can have there and all those photo's she can take.
Waving her off was very hard for her Mom, but us Moms have to let our children flee the nest and after all, Lori has been away at University, but she did come home now and again, much more than she will be from half the world away!
How would you feel if your daughter or son was half the world away from you and where they usually kept in contact, suddenly, you cannot reach them?
What if you were following their blog about their trip and suddenly days go by without any posts?
Text messages not being read let alone being replied to.
You would tell yourself, just wait a little time. See if I am not over reacting.
But then........
Your instincts tell you...
This is not normal. I "feel" something is wrong.
Your worse fear has come true........
SHE IS MISSING
The very tense moments of this is so spell binding. I found it literally hard to break myself away from these pages when the intensity warmed up.
The author writes with such feeling, such emotion, you feel you are experiencing what these parents are experiencing.
Yes it has TWIST and yes it has TURNS and unexpectedly, you do not know which way it is going to go.
Will she be found?
Will she be found alive?
What I loved about this also, was the telling of how others reacted when they knew Lori was missing.
Also, that Lori is not missing in the UK she is missing in another country altogether and of course, they have their own ways of doing things which just doesn't seem feasible or acceptable at times.
Can you tell I liked this book :)
Its a no brainer, I would definitely say ONE CLICK this, you would miss out on a brilliant read if not.
Thank you to Little, Brown Book Group UK via Net Galley for early copy
December 16, 2015
Lori Maddox takes a trip overseas and ends up in China. She starts to blog about her experience. Then suddenly the blog posts stop and her mother Jo cannot get in touch with her by phone. What has happened? What would you do if your daughter was overseas and all communication ceased? Jo and her ex-husband Tom decide they need to go over to China as the local police don’t appear to be taking the matter as seriously as they would like. So they travel to Chengdu to look for Lori and find out for themselves what is going on. The situation is complication by the language barrier and the need for an interpreter. Nick, Jo’s second husband, who has recently been retrenched, stays home with their two young sons, Finn and Isaac.
So, begins a nightmare time for this family. Given the subject, this book reeled me in from the beginning, and yet, oddly, I didn’t quite connect with Jo as much as I’d expected to. I found some of her behaviour strange. Then, about three quarters of the way through the book I felt like I had been punched in the stomach. And no, I am not going to tell you why. You’ll just have to read the book. But know that from that point on, I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough. It is an emotive read.
One thing I particularly liked was the way the author made China come alive so I could see and smell it and taste it. The scene with the cockroach had me squirming in my chair. China is as much a character as any of the people in this story. The author presents a good picture of another culture and the attitudes of its people.
There was a bit of language in the novel it but not overly peppered with it.
This is my first experience of this author and I suspect it will not be my last.
So, begins a nightmare time for this family. Given the subject, this book reeled me in from the beginning, and yet, oddly, I didn’t quite connect with Jo as much as I’d expected to. I found some of her behaviour strange. Then, about three quarters of the way through the book I felt like I had been punched in the stomach. And no, I am not going to tell you why. You’ll just have to read the book. But know that from that point on, I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough. It is an emotive read.
One thing I particularly liked was the way the author made China come alive so I could see and smell it and taste it. The scene with the cockroach had me squirming in my chair. China is as much a character as any of the people in this story. The author presents a good picture of another culture and the attitudes of its people.
There was a bit of language in the novel it but not overly peppered with it.
This is my first experience of this author and I suspect it will not be my last.
April 23, 2019
Actual rating3.5 ⭐️
Like many students before her, Lori went travelling to Thailand. She composed a blog about her travels which showed a girl of great wit and intelligence which made her very likeable. Unexpectedly, she decided to go onto China and then unexpectedly took a job for a year as a private English tutor in the huge city of Chengdu in Sichuan province. It is there that she went missing. Her divorced parents, Jo and Tom went to try to find her. So far, so good. For about half the book, I was thoroughly enjoying it. The story was well written and the tension built up well. However, the story then sadly, fell flat. I suspect that was probably because there was way too much detail about Chengdu. I was interested up to a point but it’s not a guide book, it’s a novel. This unfortunately meant that the novel lost power and intrigue and got in the way of the storytelling. The ending was good and demonstrated that Lori was on the road to recovery.
Like many students before her, Lori went travelling to Thailand. She composed a blog about her travels which showed a girl of great wit and intelligence which made her very likeable. Unexpectedly, she decided to go onto China and then unexpectedly took a job for a year as a private English tutor in the huge city of Chengdu in Sichuan province. It is there that she went missing. Her divorced parents, Jo and Tom went to try to find her. So far, so good. For about half the book, I was thoroughly enjoying it. The story was well written and the tension built up well. However, the story then sadly, fell flat. I suspect that was probably because there was way too much detail about Chengdu. I was interested up to a point but it’s not a guide book, it’s a novel. This unfortunately meant that the novel lost power and intrigue and got in the way of the storytelling. The ending was good and demonstrated that Lori was on the road to recovery.
February 17, 2016
This was my first Cath Staincliffe read & I had very mixed responses. As a suspense thriller its basic plot is excellent & the principal characters were well developed. Jo, the mum of the missing Lori, is a very sympathetic narrator. Altho’ Lori is absent from much of the book, we really like her & her ‘Lori in the Orient’ blog. The author also dealt well with Lori’s sexual orientation. It’s excellent how Lori’s being a lesbian & her relationship with her Australian lover Dawn were casually treated as routine aspects of Lori’s life, simply accepted by her parents with neither misgivings nor Pflag enthusiasm. I wanted to hear more about Lori’s relationship with Dawn, whom I also quite liked in the little we see of her - Lori followed her to China but they broke up on the eve of Lori’s disappearance. I wondered why it didn’t work out for them. Instead we learn a lot more than I wanted to know about Jo’s relationships with Tom, Lori’s father, & with her current, both of whom I found repulsive. I wish Jo had left the ex in England. That Jo & Tom should have a so-to-speak rematch bothered me, not morally but aesthetically , tho’ I quite understood Jo’s need for intimacy when in such a fragile emotional state. But that attractive man from the British consulate would have been a much better choice for a fling. Had Jo been a single mum, this book would have been a lot shorter & more enjoyable, & sacrificed nothing essential to the real plot. This book’s BMI exceeds 30 & long after the real story finishes, we have wrap things up with a boring account of what happened with Jo’s ex, her current, & her other children ‘with’ (as we now say) her current. The other problem with the book were the endless descriptions of the Chinese economy, architecture, cuisine, landscape, transportation system (should you find yourself needing to take the bus in Chengdu, you’ll know how to pay your fare), all of which read like an article from one of those in-flight magazines you find in the seat-back pouch. Altho’ carefully selected details add a lot to atmosphere, here it almost felt the author was being paid by the word.
The Chinese persons, especially the police & the authorities, are very ‘foreign’. It fascinates me that those who most vociferously support ‘cultural diversity’ are appalled when people in other parts of the world actually think & act differently than us. The local authorities seeming obsession with saving the face of their city of Chengdu as a safe place for visitors is an obstacle to Lori’s mum & dad’s efforts to publicise their daughter’s disappearance but . . . they go all out for maximum publicity, just like politicians everywhere. The depiction of Lori’s friends in the Chengdu young ex-pat community was believable too. Jo should not have been surprised @ the diffident way they treated Lori’s absence; nomadic young people travelling & doing casual work in exotic places - language teachers, barmen & barmaids, ski patrol, & yacht crew - move on all the time, esp. as they drift in & out of relationships.
Listening whilst travelling, I quite enjoyed Jo’s Manchester dialect but one character’s American accent sounded unconvincing to me. Pronounced ‘garage’ to rhyme with ‘carriage’, not ‘mirage’ (which I believe was once the high-class English pronunciation too). American idiom wasn’t quite right either, a real American would have called an untidy apartment a ‘dump’ not a ‘tip’ ( a ‘tipper lorry’ is a ‘dump truck’ in America). Wonder if the voice of Dawn, Lori’s Australian lover, would sound as slightly off to an Aussie as Bradley’s supposedly Midwest dialect to me.
Cath Staincliffe is clearly a highly successful professional with avid followers. That she should sacrifice aesthetic quality for volume is a perfectly fair choice. But as a reader who expects & desires the same aesthetic satisfaction in crime novels that others claim to derive from ‘literary fiction’, I shall give this one three stars & regret the time lost I could have been listening to Sandy Denny downloads on the iPhone instead.
The Chinese persons, especially the police & the authorities, are very ‘foreign’. It fascinates me that those who most vociferously support ‘cultural diversity’ are appalled when people in other parts of the world actually think & act differently than us. The local authorities seeming obsession with saving the face of their city of Chengdu as a safe place for visitors is an obstacle to Lori’s mum & dad’s efforts to publicise their daughter’s disappearance but . . . they go all out for maximum publicity, just like politicians everywhere. The depiction of Lori’s friends in the Chengdu young ex-pat community was believable too. Jo should not have been surprised @ the diffident way they treated Lori’s absence; nomadic young people travelling & doing casual work in exotic places - language teachers, barmen & barmaids, ski patrol, & yacht crew - move on all the time, esp. as they drift in & out of relationships.
Listening whilst travelling, I quite enjoyed Jo’s Manchester dialect but one character’s American accent sounded unconvincing to me. Pronounced ‘garage’ to rhyme with ‘carriage’, not ‘mirage’ (which I believe was once the high-class English pronunciation too). American idiom wasn’t quite right either, a real American would have called an untidy apartment a ‘dump’ not a ‘tip’ ( a ‘tipper lorry’ is a ‘dump truck’ in America). Wonder if the voice of Dawn, Lori’s Australian lover, would sound as slightly off to an Aussie as Bradley’s supposedly Midwest dialect to me.
Cath Staincliffe is clearly a highly successful professional with avid followers. That she should sacrifice aesthetic quality for volume is a perfectly fair choice. But as a reader who expects & desires the same aesthetic satisfaction in crime novels that others claim to derive from ‘literary fiction’, I shall give this one three stars & regret the time lost I could have been listening to Sandy Denny downloads on the iPhone instead.
May 10, 2015
Imagine your daughter taking a year out and going to travel, finding she likes China and decides to stay longer.
Your contact is through the wonders of technology, Skype, email, scant phone calls and watching what she writes on her blog.
Then the contact stops. The emails stop, the phone just rings, the blog posts cease. You know the exact date and time you last heard anything.
How long before you do anything?
Lori is the daughter and Jo her mother, Tom her father, long since divorced in Cath Staincliffe's new novel which is so wrought with tension and emotion, I read it within two days. Something about the storyline, the characters and the vivid writing drew me right in. I was learning something new at every page as I tried to make sense of what was happening to Jo and Tom as they are half the world away from their daughter.
Travelling to China seems to be the only way to further the progress of making contact with Lori. Jo now has to make a choice, as she will now be half the world away from her two younger children and Nick her husband. She leaves at a crucial point in their marriage and family life.
It is now Jo who is making all the contact through the wonders of technology. How can she possibly spilt herself in two?
In China, Jo and Tom face suspicion and antipathy about their cause. The police seem to be doing nothing, the consulate the channel through which to communicate, just tells them to wait and see. The waiting is becoming unbearable, the system so different from the west, the language, the culture, the heat, the smells, the landscape, the understanding of a new world.
Despite all this Jo and Tom come to a decision and create their own destiny. Their only aim to find their daughter.
To say any more will stop you going and reading this book, of which you must read. It was a fascinating read, and had me wrung out emotionally by the end. What made it all the more fascinating, was the unknown, we shared reading Lori's blog posts and just as Jo and Tom did, they abruptly stop.
As readers we simply have no idea what has happened. There are no clues. And what made this more interesting, the book did not finish at the end. A concept difficult to explain without having actually read it, but you get to see the whole circle and whilst the actual end leaves you with more questions that answers, it gave me one clear answer. You can actually be half the world away from someone even if you are in the same continent, country, county, town, street or home.
Simply read this book.
Your contact is through the wonders of technology, Skype, email, scant phone calls and watching what she writes on her blog.
Then the contact stops. The emails stop, the phone just rings, the blog posts cease. You know the exact date and time you last heard anything.
How long before you do anything?
Lori is the daughter and Jo her mother, Tom her father, long since divorced in Cath Staincliffe's new novel which is so wrought with tension and emotion, I read it within two days. Something about the storyline, the characters and the vivid writing drew me right in. I was learning something new at every page as I tried to make sense of what was happening to Jo and Tom as they are half the world away from their daughter.
Travelling to China seems to be the only way to further the progress of making contact with Lori. Jo now has to make a choice, as she will now be half the world away from her two younger children and Nick her husband. She leaves at a crucial point in their marriage and family life.
It is now Jo who is making all the contact through the wonders of technology. How can she possibly spilt herself in two?
In China, Jo and Tom face suspicion and antipathy about their cause. The police seem to be doing nothing, the consulate the channel through which to communicate, just tells them to wait and see. The waiting is becoming unbearable, the system so different from the west, the language, the culture, the heat, the smells, the landscape, the understanding of a new world.
Despite all this Jo and Tom come to a decision and create their own destiny. Their only aim to find their daughter.
To say any more will stop you going and reading this book, of which you must read. It was a fascinating read, and had me wrung out emotionally by the end. What made it all the more fascinating, was the unknown, we shared reading Lori's blog posts and just as Jo and Tom did, they abruptly stop.
As readers we simply have no idea what has happened. There are no clues. And what made this more interesting, the book did not finish at the end. A concept difficult to explain without having actually read it, but you get to see the whole circle and whilst the actual end leaves you with more questions that answers, it gave me one clear answer. You can actually be half the world away from someone even if you are in the same continent, country, county, town, street or home.
Simply read this book.
October 26, 2015
Review: Half the World Away by Cath Staincliffe Published by: Constable (4th June 2015), hardcover edition: ISBN-13: 9781472117977
Source: Copy provided by publisher, via NetGalley, in return for my unbiased review
Synopsis:
Newly graduated photography student Lori Maddox spends the year after university travelling and visits China where she finds work as a private English tutor. Back in Manchester, her parents Jo and Tom, who separated when Lori was a toddler, follow her adventures on her blog, 'Lori In The Orient'.
Suddenly communication stops and when the silence persists a frantic Jo and Tom report her missing. It is impossible to find out anything from 5,000 miles away so they travel out to Chengdu, a city in the south-western province of Sichuan, to search for their daughter.
Landing in a totally unfamiliar country, with no knowledge of the customs or language, and receiving scant help from the local authorities, Jo and Tom are forced to turn detective, following in their daughter's footsteps, tracing the people she mentioned in her posts, interviewing her friends, colleagues and students. It's an unbearably difficult challenge and, as the days pass, the fear that Lori is lost for good grows ever larger.
My Review:
Having previously read several books by the same author,I was delighted when this title became available on NetGalley.
I've just finished reading and I'm in awe - this book is breathtakingly crafted. From the very beginning, as we are introduced to Lori and her family, to the bittersweet conclusion, I was utterly enthralled. The plot is like a guitar string being wound ever tighter, the tension increasing with every turn. I simply couldn't stop reading.
It is shocking and suspenseful, with developed characters you take to your heart from the outset. Intelligently written and simply unputdownable.
Source: Copy provided by publisher, via NetGalley, in return for my unbiased review
Synopsis:
Newly graduated photography student Lori Maddox spends the year after university travelling and visits China where she finds work as a private English tutor. Back in Manchester, her parents Jo and Tom, who separated when Lori was a toddler, follow her adventures on her blog, 'Lori In The Orient'.
Suddenly communication stops and when the silence persists a frantic Jo and Tom report her missing. It is impossible to find out anything from 5,000 miles away so they travel out to Chengdu, a city in the south-western province of Sichuan, to search for their daughter.
Landing in a totally unfamiliar country, with no knowledge of the customs or language, and receiving scant help from the local authorities, Jo and Tom are forced to turn detective, following in their daughter's footsteps, tracing the people she mentioned in her posts, interviewing her friends, colleagues and students. It's an unbearably difficult challenge and, as the days pass, the fear that Lori is lost for good grows ever larger.
My Review:
Having previously read several books by the same author,I was delighted when this title became available on NetGalley.
I've just finished reading and I'm in awe - this book is breathtakingly crafted. From the very beginning, as we are introduced to Lori and her family, to the bittersweet conclusion, I was utterly enthralled. The plot is like a guitar string being wound ever tighter, the tension increasing with every turn. I simply couldn't stop reading.
It is shocking and suspenseful, with developed characters you take to your heart from the outset. Intelligently written and simply unputdownable.
June 4, 2015
This story kept my heart hostage all the time I was reading it - and I'm sure it won't let go for a while.
"Newly graduated photography student Lori Maddox spends the year after university travelling and ends up in China where she finds work as a private English tutor. Back in Manchester, her parents Jo and Tom, who separated when Lori was a toddler, follow her adventures on her blog, 'Lori In The Orient'. But then all communication stops...so they are compelled to travel out to Chengdu, a city in the south-western province of Sichuan, to search for their missing daughter...It's an unbearably difficult and heartbreaking challenge and, as the days pass, the fear that Lori is lost to them for ever becomes harder to ignore..."
The author has created a family that feels as real as your relatives or neighbours. While the main plot concerns Lori, missing in China, we also become involved in the lives and everyday problems of all the family.
The depth of research is impressive - although I know next to nothing about China and its customs I was fascinated by the insight into the customs and nature of the people Jo and Tom interacted with in Chengdu.
A highly recommended read. A big change from my usual crime fiction / psychological thrillers but one that I found captivating and powerful.
"Newly graduated photography student Lori Maddox spends the year after university travelling and ends up in China where she finds work as a private English tutor. Back in Manchester, her parents Jo and Tom, who separated when Lori was a toddler, follow her adventures on her blog, 'Lori In The Orient'. But then all communication stops...so they are compelled to travel out to Chengdu, a city in the south-western province of Sichuan, to search for their missing daughter...It's an unbearably difficult and heartbreaking challenge and, as the days pass, the fear that Lori is lost to them for ever becomes harder to ignore..."
The author has created a family that feels as real as your relatives or neighbours. While the main plot concerns Lori, missing in China, we also become involved in the lives and everyday problems of all the family.
The depth of research is impressive - although I know next to nothing about China and its customs I was fascinated by the insight into the customs and nature of the people Jo and Tom interacted with in Chengdu.
A highly recommended read. A big change from my usual crime fiction / psychological thrillers but one that I found captivating and powerful.
June 10, 2015
Wouldn’t this be a parent’s worst nightmare. Your daughter goes travelling and is seemingly having the time of her life and enjoying new experiences when suddenly all contact is lost – no-one has heard from her, she has just disappeared. What on earth would you do and what lengths would you go to find answers?
This is the horrifying and desperate situation that parents Jo and Tom find themselves in. They are not together; they parted when Lori was very young and Jo is now married to Nick but they find themselves trying to put their past hurt and differences aside in the hunt for their daughter.
I’ve always enjoyed Cath Staincliffe’s books and this certainly didn’t disappoint. One of the aspects of her writing that I love is that her characters and storylines are just so believable with people facing dilemmas and family difficulties that could happen to anyone. Her characters are not perfect – they have insecurities and flaws just as any of us but she effortlessly weaves these in-depth characterisations into a story filled with tension and emotion. We share the frustration of Jo and Tom having to deal with the cultural differences, the language issues, the apparent inertia of the Chinese authorities and of procedures that seem so alien to our own. One or two of the friends that Lori has made seem to be behaving suspiciously and are trying to avoid Jo and Tom - do they know something?
This is not a fast paced thriller but very much a character driven story of two parents desperate to find their daughter, battling against foreign bureaucracy and sometimes unwittingly falling foul of local laws. Having said that, the suspense of wondering what has happened to Lori will keep you turning the pages! The vivid descriptions of the sights and sounds of the Chinese landscape bought the story to life and I particularly enjoyed the little insights telling of Chinese customs and culture.
The story is not just about Jo and Tom however. Jo’s marriage to Nick is in a very fragile state when Lori disappears and her feelings of guilt at being so far away only intensify when problems occur at home and their two young sons, Finn and Isaac need their mother.
The first part of the story, recreates some of Lori’s blog posts – this is a very creative way of bringing Lori to the reader’s mind and giving a feel as to the vibrancy of her character. During her search, Jo goes over these words again and again, trying to find some clue as to her whereabouts.
This story cements Cath Staincliffe’s position as one of my favourite authors, it’s a gripping and thought provoking read – and I can thoroughly recommend it.
My review copy was received from the publisher via Netgalley.
This is the horrifying and desperate situation that parents Jo and Tom find themselves in. They are not together; they parted when Lori was very young and Jo is now married to Nick but they find themselves trying to put their past hurt and differences aside in the hunt for their daughter.
I’ve always enjoyed Cath Staincliffe’s books and this certainly didn’t disappoint. One of the aspects of her writing that I love is that her characters and storylines are just so believable with people facing dilemmas and family difficulties that could happen to anyone. Her characters are not perfect – they have insecurities and flaws just as any of us but she effortlessly weaves these in-depth characterisations into a story filled with tension and emotion. We share the frustration of Jo and Tom having to deal with the cultural differences, the language issues, the apparent inertia of the Chinese authorities and of procedures that seem so alien to our own. One or two of the friends that Lori has made seem to be behaving suspiciously and are trying to avoid Jo and Tom - do they know something?
This is not a fast paced thriller but very much a character driven story of two parents desperate to find their daughter, battling against foreign bureaucracy and sometimes unwittingly falling foul of local laws. Having said that, the suspense of wondering what has happened to Lori will keep you turning the pages! The vivid descriptions of the sights and sounds of the Chinese landscape bought the story to life and I particularly enjoyed the little insights telling of Chinese customs and culture.
The story is not just about Jo and Tom however. Jo’s marriage to Nick is in a very fragile state when Lori disappears and her feelings of guilt at being so far away only intensify when problems occur at home and their two young sons, Finn and Isaac need their mother.
The first part of the story, recreates some of Lori’s blog posts – this is a very creative way of bringing Lori to the reader’s mind and giving a feel as to the vibrancy of her character. During her search, Jo goes over these words again and again, trying to find some clue as to her whereabouts.
This story cements Cath Staincliffe’s position as one of my favourite authors, it’s a gripping and thought provoking read – and I can thoroughly recommend it.
My review copy was received from the publisher via Netgalley.
July 12, 2015
Prior to “Half The World Away”, I was not familiar with Cath Staincliffe work. However after this read, I feel the urge to visit her back catalogue, but before I do that, let’s talk about this story which is pretty much every parent’s nightmare.
“Half The World Away” takes you into the life of an average British family, with the particularity of being recomposed, and I choose to highlight this fact as this element plays an integral part in the story.
Meet Jo and Nick, who have two children Finn and Isaac. Jo was previously married to Tom and they have a lovely daughter together Lorelei, which this piece is mainly about.
Shortly after graduating, Lorelei better known as Lori decides to travel and see the world with some friends. After a few stops on her way to China, she decides to extend her stay and settle there while teaching English to willing Chinese natives…but then, Lori disappears. Jo and Tom whose dealings only centred around Lori and became few and far between as Lori grew older are now on their way to China in the hopes to find their daughter.
After turning the last page of the book, I find the answer to the question of liking or not liking the book not a simple one, probably because it is the wrong question. Matters of children disappearances are so heart wrenching, but to have children disappearing abroad adds another layer of emotional anguish to an already very distressing situation.
While reading, I kept thinking, thank God it’s only fiction!!! But then it isn’t!!! The author told the story of so many families around the world and gave us the opportunity to walk in their shoes for one moment. We get to share in their struggle, their helplessness and their dealings with foreign authorities whose main concerns can sometimes be more about preserving their public image in the eye of the people they govern and the international community, than dealing with the task at hand.
This piece was made all the more real as its timeline is filled with very recent events in 2014 such as the disappearance of Malaysian Airlines flight MH370 and the kidnapping of the 200 Nigerian girls to name but a few.
This book is an injection of a heavy dose of fictional reality however expertly told as Cath Staincliffe just kept it real all the way. Even when reaching the final denouement whether happy or sad, life went on in a manner that remained true to the characters.
“Half The World Away” takes you into the life of an average British family, with the particularity of being recomposed, and I choose to highlight this fact as this element plays an integral part in the story.
Meet Jo and Nick, who have two children Finn and Isaac. Jo was previously married to Tom and they have a lovely daughter together Lorelei, which this piece is mainly about.
Shortly after graduating, Lorelei better known as Lori decides to travel and see the world with some friends. After a few stops on her way to China, she decides to extend her stay and settle there while teaching English to willing Chinese natives…but then, Lori disappears. Jo and Tom whose dealings only centred around Lori and became few and far between as Lori grew older are now on their way to China in the hopes to find their daughter.
After turning the last page of the book, I find the answer to the question of liking or not liking the book not a simple one, probably because it is the wrong question. Matters of children disappearances are so heart wrenching, but to have children disappearing abroad adds another layer of emotional anguish to an already very distressing situation.
While reading, I kept thinking, thank God it’s only fiction!!! But then it isn’t!!! The author told the story of so many families around the world and gave us the opportunity to walk in their shoes for one moment. We get to share in their struggle, their helplessness and their dealings with foreign authorities whose main concerns can sometimes be more about preserving their public image in the eye of the people they govern and the international community, than dealing with the task at hand.
This piece was made all the more real as its timeline is filled with very recent events in 2014 such as the disappearance of Malaysian Airlines flight MH370 and the kidnapping of the 200 Nigerian girls to name but a few.
This book is an injection of a heavy dose of fictional reality however expertly told as Cath Staincliffe just kept it real all the way. Even when reaching the final denouement whether happy or sad, life went on in a manner that remained true to the characters.
April 8, 2018
Half The World Away by Cath Staincliffe
Title - Half The World Away
Author - Cath Staincliffe
Published - July '16
Publisher - Constable
Genre - #Mystery #Suspense
Pages - 336
Price on Amazon - Paperback - £7.99 Kindle - £0.99
ISBN - 1472117980
After graduating, photography enthusiast Lori Maddox sets off to do some travelling, she ends up in China where she decides to become a private English teacher. Her parents Tom and Jo follow her adventures through a blog Lori is keeping online. When a few days go by and Lori doesn't update her blog or reply to any e-mails or phone calls from her parents Jo and Tom decide to report her missing to the Manchester police, who involve the Chinese police. After a week of not hearing anything, Jo and Tom decide its time to fly to China to join the search for their daughter. Can they find her in time?
This is the second book I have read by Cath Staincliffe now and I must say I am now hooked on her books, I have become one of her biggest fans. This story really tugs at your heartstrings. You really feel for Tom and Jo and you find yourself getting really frustrated with the Chinese police for not doing a very good job and then even more so when Jo and Tom are arrested.
I found I didn't like Nick as a character and would have prefered to see Jo and Tom reconcile. I felt Nick was a rather selfish man, only thinking of himself when Jo's daughter is missing in a foreign country. I didn't think he was very supportive at all. Although I did feel sorry for him when Jo and Tom slept together behind his back.
I thought Lori was a wonderful character, strong and quirky and in many ways, she reminded me of myself, I found I could relate to her a lot which made for a good read.
I really did enjoy this book. I listened to the audiobook and found I was taking every opportunity to listen to it, at bedtime, while doing the housework, in the shower. Whenever I could listen I would.
Praise yet again for Cath Staincliffe.
Rating - 5 *
Would I Read Again? - Yes
Would I Recommend? - Yes
Would I read other books by the same author? - Definitely
Reviews for this book can be found on:
Amazon (UK) under Lu's Reviews
Goodreads,
Net Galley (If a NetGalley Book)
My Blogs at http://www.readingbeyondobsession.co.uk/
www.lusreviewsblog.wordpress.com
Links to this review can be found at:
Twitter: @lusreviews
Facebook: @lusreviews
Instagram: lusreviews
Title - Half The World Away
Author - Cath Staincliffe
Published - July '16
Publisher - Constable
Genre - #Mystery #Suspense
Pages - 336
Price on Amazon - Paperback - £7.99 Kindle - £0.99
ISBN - 1472117980
After graduating, photography enthusiast Lori Maddox sets off to do some travelling, she ends up in China where she decides to become a private English teacher. Her parents Tom and Jo follow her adventures through a blog Lori is keeping online. When a few days go by and Lori doesn't update her blog or reply to any e-mails or phone calls from her parents Jo and Tom decide to report her missing to the Manchester police, who involve the Chinese police. After a week of not hearing anything, Jo and Tom decide its time to fly to China to join the search for their daughter. Can they find her in time?
This is the second book I have read by Cath Staincliffe now and I must say I am now hooked on her books, I have become one of her biggest fans. This story really tugs at your heartstrings. You really feel for Tom and Jo and you find yourself getting really frustrated with the Chinese police for not doing a very good job and then even more so when Jo and Tom are arrested.
I found I didn't like Nick as a character and would have prefered to see Jo and Tom reconcile. I felt Nick was a rather selfish man, only thinking of himself when Jo's daughter is missing in a foreign country. I didn't think he was very supportive at all. Although I did feel sorry for him when Jo and Tom slept together behind his back.
I thought Lori was a wonderful character, strong and quirky and in many ways, she reminded me of myself, I found I could relate to her a lot which made for a good read.
I really did enjoy this book. I listened to the audiobook and found I was taking every opportunity to listen to it, at bedtime, while doing the housework, in the shower. Whenever I could listen I would.
Praise yet again for Cath Staincliffe.
Rating - 5 *
Would I Read Again? - Yes
Would I Recommend? - Yes
Would I read other books by the same author? - Definitely
Reviews for this book can be found on:
Amazon (UK) under Lu's Reviews
Goodreads,
Net Galley (If a NetGalley Book)
My Blogs at http://www.readingbeyondobsession.co.uk/
www.lusreviewsblog.wordpress.com
Links to this review can be found at:
Twitter: @lusreviews
Facebook: @lusreviews
Instagram: lusreviews
April 29, 2017
Cath Staincliffe can write a police procedural novel to compare with the very best of the genre, but more recently her offerings have brought something different to the world of crime fiction and tackled emotive topics through a comprehensive range of angles. I listened to the audiobook of The Silence Between Breaths, released in 2016, and was gripped by how Staincliffe delivered a powerful and immensely brave story of eight strangers on a train and a suicide bomber that sits amongst their midst. Delivering the contrasting life stories, opinions and subsequent crisis management quickly made for an immersive tale and the fallout was handled realistically, confronting the events and never opting platitudes. One of the most poignant analyses of the situation came from the younger sister of the suicide bomber and I found myself looking through new eyes, and considering other outlooks on the same scenario. Half The World Away offers a similar treatment of travelling twenty-three-year old Lori Maddox ceasing communications and going off the radar in the south-west Sichuan province and her parent's ensuing voyage overseas to bring their daughter home.
Beginning in September with mother, Jo and father, Tom dispatching their daughter, Lori, to the airport ahead of ten weeks planned travels with her two friends through Thailand and Vietnam, the floodgates are already open for pensive Jo. Returning home to her other two children and husband of eleven years, Nick, she wants to wallow in her sadness, weep and get drunk but instead she has her two much younger children, Finn and Isaac, waiting for their dinner, bath and then bed. Life never stops for working mum Jo but having brought up Lori as a single mother, with erratic help and numerous disappointments from Nick, not known for his reliability she has handled the lions share of the workload. Kept updated on Lori's exploits via her blog, Lori on The Ori-ent, complete with photos, thoughts and insights on the culture and atmosphere she encounters, the family are ever eager to hear her stories. As the new year turns Lori emails with a change of plans, intending to spend a year in the Chengdu province of China (known for its pandas) and travelling with Aussie and new girlfriend, Dawn. She soon has news of a year long work visa and a job as an English tutor. Initially overwhelmed, with very few non-Chinese in Chengdu, it does not take Lori long to make friends. Jo's initial disappointment gives way to her understanding that beholden to no one, this is the only time when Lori will be free of responsibility and able to expand her horizons. For Jo things aren't so simple with two boys under ten, the younger exhibiting a darker, petulant streak and at loggerheads with father, Nick tensions at home run high. Angered by Jo undermining him in front of the children, Nick is already tetchy only for a company merger to leave him redundant and withdrawn. In this midst of this drama all contact from Lori suddenly ceases and Jo and Tom realise how powerless they are to influence events in Chengdu and left frustrated by the necessary hurdles in handling such an enquiry they do what every devoted parent and determine to bring Lori home.
Jo takes the decision to report Lori missing after failing to make contact for eleven days but there is limited that the UK police can do when Lori has gone missing in a foreign jurisdiction. Restricted to checking for recent activity on Lori's bank account and mobile prior to giving Jo the go ahead to contact the Foreign and Commonwealth Offices and asking them to liaise with the Chinese Public Security Bureau on their behalf, the UK police have their hands tied. As the wheels slowly grind, Jo and Tom are frustrated by the seeming lack of urgency and take the momentous decision to journey to Chengdu. Some excellent research has gone into this novel and it is clear that Staincliffe must be familiar with the locality of Chengdu and have taken the time to observe procedures and attitudes in China. Charity Missing Overseas discuss press handling, opening a hotline and the consulate, Peter Dunne, brings the situation even more brutally home with a request for something containing Lori's DNA. From the first tentative worries it is only a short journey to the things that break a parent's heart are glimpsed in the cold light of day. Forced to use the consulate as a envoy liasing with the man in charge of the investigation, Superintendent
Yin, it quickly becomes clear that Jo and Tom are in their hands, and any interference will most definitely not further their cause. Added to this is the reluctance of the locals to be connected to any potential sources of trouble, but Jo and Tom take matters into their own hands to discover the truth.
Staincliffe does a superb job of conveying the vibrancy and lifestyle of the natives of Chengdu where breathtaking scenery and a vibrant culture sit hand in hand, with an property boom ongoing. The ever articulate Cath Staincliffe balances the visceral pain of a parent with the procedural aspects of such an investigation right through to the aftermath and picking up the pieces. This is not a breakneck thriller, but it is in an intelligent enlightening and honest account of the horror of a mother fearing for her daughter as real life back home grinds relentlessly on. The aftermath is handled exceptionally well and this is an informative and emotive story from the excellent Cath Staincliffe. Real people and real stories are her forte.
Beginning in September with mother, Jo and father, Tom dispatching their daughter, Lori, to the airport ahead of ten weeks planned travels with her two friends through Thailand and Vietnam, the floodgates are already open for pensive Jo. Returning home to her other two children and husband of eleven years, Nick, she wants to wallow in her sadness, weep and get drunk but instead she has her two much younger children, Finn and Isaac, waiting for their dinner, bath and then bed. Life never stops for working mum Jo but having brought up Lori as a single mother, with erratic help and numerous disappointments from Nick, not known for his reliability she has handled the lions share of the workload. Kept updated on Lori's exploits via her blog, Lori on The Ori-ent, complete with photos, thoughts and insights on the culture and atmosphere she encounters, the family are ever eager to hear her stories. As the new year turns Lori emails with a change of plans, intending to spend a year in the Chengdu province of China (known for its pandas) and travelling with Aussie and new girlfriend, Dawn. She soon has news of a year long work visa and a job as an English tutor. Initially overwhelmed, with very few non-Chinese in Chengdu, it does not take Lori long to make friends. Jo's initial disappointment gives way to her understanding that beholden to no one, this is the only time when Lori will be free of responsibility and able to expand her horizons. For Jo things aren't so simple with two boys under ten, the younger exhibiting a darker, petulant streak and at loggerheads with father, Nick tensions at home run high. Angered by Jo undermining him in front of the children, Nick is already tetchy only for a company merger to leave him redundant and withdrawn. In this midst of this drama all contact from Lori suddenly ceases and Jo and Tom realise how powerless they are to influence events in Chengdu and left frustrated by the necessary hurdles in handling such an enquiry they do what every devoted parent and determine to bring Lori home.
Jo takes the decision to report Lori missing after failing to make contact for eleven days but there is limited that the UK police can do when Lori has gone missing in a foreign jurisdiction. Restricted to checking for recent activity on Lori's bank account and mobile prior to giving Jo the go ahead to contact the Foreign and Commonwealth Offices and asking them to liaise with the Chinese Public Security Bureau on their behalf, the UK police have their hands tied. As the wheels slowly grind, Jo and Tom are frustrated by the seeming lack of urgency and take the momentous decision to journey to Chengdu. Some excellent research has gone into this novel and it is clear that Staincliffe must be familiar with the locality of Chengdu and have taken the time to observe procedures and attitudes in China. Charity Missing Overseas discuss press handling, opening a hotline and the consulate, Peter Dunne, brings the situation even more brutally home with a request for something containing Lori's DNA. From the first tentative worries it is only a short journey to the things that break a parent's heart are glimpsed in the cold light of day. Forced to use the consulate as a envoy liasing with the man in charge of the investigation, Superintendent
Yin, it quickly becomes clear that Jo and Tom are in their hands, and any interference will most definitely not further their cause. Added to this is the reluctance of the locals to be connected to any potential sources of trouble, but Jo and Tom take matters into their own hands to discover the truth.
Staincliffe does a superb job of conveying the vibrancy and lifestyle of the natives of Chengdu where breathtaking scenery and a vibrant culture sit hand in hand, with an property boom ongoing. The ever articulate Cath Staincliffe balances the visceral pain of a parent with the procedural aspects of such an investigation right through to the aftermath and picking up the pieces. This is not a breakneck thriller, but it is in an intelligent enlightening and honest account of the horror of a mother fearing for her daughter as real life back home grinds relentlessly on. The aftermath is handled exceptionally well and this is an informative and emotive story from the excellent Cath Staincliffe. Real people and real stories are her forte.
November 8, 2015
Thriller set in Chengdu, China (“the city where the sun never shines”)
Every parent’s nightmare…..
Lorelei (Lori) heads off to South East Asia for a backpacking adventure – and ends up in China. It’s not hard for her mother Jo and stepfather Nick to keep in touch in the era of the internet, she regularly blogs about her travels and experiences, so everyone can follow her journey. A familiar family scenario.
But soon the posts dry up, causing a ripple of concern initially but, hey, these young folk get distracted and involved in what they are doing. It’s normal. But as days turn into a couple of weeks, the anxiety rises and Jo turns from Nick to Tom, Lori’s biological father. This of course adds strain to the floundering relationship between Jo and Nick…
Together, Tom and Jo decide they must set out for Chengdu (pronounced Chungdu) in Sizuan Province, China, where Lori had settled for a stint of teaching. So they head off from Manchester on KLM and pop up in hugely unfamiliar territory, where the sights, sounds and smells compound their unease. They have solid support and advice from Missing Overseas but the input on the ground is not effusive or really that engaged. Our man in Chengdu, the consul Peter Dunne, is there to help the parents though the formalities and it is clear that the the local police force doesn’t want to see the image of their city tarnished by anything murky or untoward. Resolve and perseverance, really, are the only qualities that are carrying Tom and Jo along, and the whole process feels frustratingly slow. The investigation crawls and this is palpable, the parents largely have to fall back on their own resources to get to the bottom of what has been going on; their daughter is clearly now a missing person.
It is quite sobering to realise that people go missing abroad sufficiently often for charities to be established in order to help locate them and support families and friends back home. Cath talked to the Lucie Blackman Trust (formerly Missing Abroad) when she was researching the book. It is however all too clear that the wheels of bureaucracy run excruciatingly slowly in real life – and in the story Jo and Tom clearly have to push as hard as they can to find out the fate of their missing daughter.
Chengdu provides a superb, hot and chili soaked backdrop to the heart stopping search for Lori, and clearly Cath renders it as a vibrant and at times oppressive place – the people mill as the parents endeavour to crack through the wall of foreign-ness with which they are confronted… feeding carp with baby bottles, or discovering that 20% of the world’s computers are made there, or bike riders wearing their jackets back to front….
A gripping read.
This review first appeared on our blog, where we also talk to Cath about writing and China: http://www.tripfiction.com/thriller-s...
Every parent’s nightmare…..
Lorelei (Lori) heads off to South East Asia for a backpacking adventure – and ends up in China. It’s not hard for her mother Jo and stepfather Nick to keep in touch in the era of the internet, she regularly blogs about her travels and experiences, so everyone can follow her journey. A familiar family scenario.
But soon the posts dry up, causing a ripple of concern initially but, hey, these young folk get distracted and involved in what they are doing. It’s normal. But as days turn into a couple of weeks, the anxiety rises and Jo turns from Nick to Tom, Lori’s biological father. This of course adds strain to the floundering relationship between Jo and Nick…
Together, Tom and Jo decide they must set out for Chengdu (pronounced Chungdu) in Sizuan Province, China, where Lori had settled for a stint of teaching. So they head off from Manchester on KLM and pop up in hugely unfamiliar territory, where the sights, sounds and smells compound their unease. They have solid support and advice from Missing Overseas but the input on the ground is not effusive or really that engaged. Our man in Chengdu, the consul Peter Dunne, is there to help the parents though the formalities and it is clear that the the local police force doesn’t want to see the image of their city tarnished by anything murky or untoward. Resolve and perseverance, really, are the only qualities that are carrying Tom and Jo along, and the whole process feels frustratingly slow. The investigation crawls and this is palpable, the parents largely have to fall back on their own resources to get to the bottom of what has been going on; their daughter is clearly now a missing person.
It is quite sobering to realise that people go missing abroad sufficiently often for charities to be established in order to help locate them and support families and friends back home. Cath talked to the Lucie Blackman Trust (formerly Missing Abroad) when she was researching the book. It is however all too clear that the wheels of bureaucracy run excruciatingly slowly in real life – and in the story Jo and Tom clearly have to push as hard as they can to find out the fate of their missing daughter.
Chengdu provides a superb, hot and chili soaked backdrop to the heart stopping search for Lori, and clearly Cath renders it as a vibrant and at times oppressive place – the people mill as the parents endeavour to crack through the wall of foreign-ness with which they are confronted… feeding carp with baby bottles, or discovering that 20% of the world’s computers are made there, or bike riders wearing their jackets back to front….
A gripping read.
This review first appeared on our blog, where we also talk to Cath about writing and China: http://www.tripfiction.com/thriller-s...
June 5, 2015
I have read many of Cath Staincliffe's standalone novels before and found them to be thought-provoking reads, often making me question what I would do if I found myself in the same situation. The situation in Half A World Away, where Jo's daughter has gone missing overseas, really is every parent's nightmare. It would be horrendous enough for your child to go missing at home, but for it to happen in a country thousands of miles away in distance and in a country very different to ours culturally must be even worse. Jo's situation particularly resonated with me as we share almost the same name and the same year of birth and I have teenage daughters, though not quite at the gap year stage yet. I imagined how I would feel in her position and could really empathise with the anguish, fear and dread she was experiencing.
The book was fraught with tension throughout and Cath Staincliffe wrote totally convincingly of the helplessness and frustration felt by Jo and Tom, Lori's father. They soon find that many of the Chinese people don't want to be involved in trying to find their lost daughter as they fear bad luck. The expat community are more helpful but Jo and Tom don't feel the Chinese police and authorities are doing enough to find Lori. There is a very different way of doing things in China and eventually Jo and Tom take matters into their own hands. To make things worse, one of Jo's sons back home is rushed into hospital for an emergency operation. Everything seems to keep getting worse and I could really sense Jo's increasing desperation.
This was such an emotional read and completely absorbing. Cath Staincliffe has created yet another gripping and moving story. Although I felt completely drained emotionally by the end, I would like to thank Netgalley and Little, Brown UK for the opportunity to read and review this book.
The book was fraught with tension throughout and Cath Staincliffe wrote totally convincingly of the helplessness and frustration felt by Jo and Tom, Lori's father. They soon find that many of the Chinese people don't want to be involved in trying to find their lost daughter as they fear bad luck. The expat community are more helpful but Jo and Tom don't feel the Chinese police and authorities are doing enough to find Lori. There is a very different way of doing things in China and eventually Jo and Tom take matters into their own hands. To make things worse, one of Jo's sons back home is rushed into hospital for an emergency operation. Everything seems to keep getting worse and I could really sense Jo's increasing desperation.
This was such an emotional read and completely absorbing. Cath Staincliffe has created yet another gripping and moving story. Although I felt completely drained emotionally by the end, I would like to thank Netgalley and Little, Brown UK for the opportunity to read and review this book.
June 18, 2017
I rarely feel the need for half stars, but this book is more than a three so 3.5 stars it is.
This was an absorbing and gripping novel. It's power isn't in fast paced action, but rather in the building tension in the story as the characters become increasingly desperate and frustrated. It was hard to not flip to the last page to find out what happens, such was the level of tension (I resisted though).
This wasn't a story about Lori, the young woman who goes missing. This was the story of her family as they try to find her, grappling with the added complications of being in a country where they don't speak the language, and where the customs and mores of the country are unfamiliar to them. I found it hard not to judge the mother and father at times for their western bias and lack of respect for Chinese procedures. But really, easy for me to judge when I'm not in their shoes. I'm sure if I were in their position I'd be doing the same or worse.
For me, once a key plot point was reached at around 4/5 of the way into the book, it lost power for me.The tension left, and what was left was a deflated feeling along with the thought of 'why hasn't this ended?'. Probably similar to the way some of the characters were feeling. I get why the author did this, given knowing Lori's fate doesn't end the nightmare, however it did drag and pulled the story down.
All in all though, a very solid read.
This was an absorbing and gripping novel. It's power isn't in fast paced action, but rather in the building tension in the story as the characters become increasingly desperate and frustrated. It was hard to not flip to the last page to find out what happens, such was the level of tension (I resisted though).
This wasn't a story about Lori, the young woman who goes missing. This was the story of her family as they try to find her, grappling with the added complications of being in a country where they don't speak the language, and where the customs and mores of the country are unfamiliar to them. I found it hard not to judge the mother and father at times for their western bias and lack of respect for Chinese procedures. But really, easy for me to judge when I'm not in their shoes. I'm sure if I were in their position I'd be doing the same or worse.
For me, once a key plot point was reached at around 4/5 of the way into the book, it lost power for me.The tension left, and what was left was a deflated feeling along with the thought of 'why hasn't this ended?'. Probably similar to the way some of the characters were feeling. I get why the author did this, given knowing Lori's fate doesn't end the nightmare, however it did drag and pulled the story down.
All in all though, a very solid read.
December 2, 2015
Half a World Away was a great reintroduction to Cath Staincliffe's novels. The book is about new graduate Lorelei who goes on holiday to China. She sets up a blog and posts regular diary posts with photographs and emails her family regularly. And then it all stops. The blog isn't updated, phone calls go to voicemail and emails remain unanswered. When her parents feel they are not getting enough answers they fly over to try and find her.
The biggest thing for me with this novel was how different life was in China to how it is here. No freedom of speech, people afraid to get involved in case the police or people with power became aware of it. Jo and Tom are being controlled by the Chinese police, they are held back repeatedly as they try and search for their daughter. Jo also has problems at home to deal with as well. Her husband has been made redundant, and her youngest child has mood swings.
I found this a quick fascinating read, I wanted to know what had happened to her and also because I was learning about a country that I knew nothing about. Despite the police, the food and the climate its appeal was still there. I didn't really think of it as a crime novel. It is a crime investigation but mostly it is about the desperation felt by a parent in finding their daughter.
Thanks to the publisher and the author for the copy via netgalley.
The biggest thing for me with this novel was how different life was in China to how it is here. No freedom of speech, people afraid to get involved in case the police or people with power became aware of it. Jo and Tom are being controlled by the Chinese police, they are held back repeatedly as they try and search for their daughter. Jo also has problems at home to deal with as well. Her husband has been made redundant, and her youngest child has mood swings.
I found this a quick fascinating read, I wanted to know what had happened to her and also because I was learning about a country that I knew nothing about. Despite the police, the food and the climate its appeal was still there. I didn't really think of it as a crime novel. It is a crime investigation but mostly it is about the desperation felt by a parent in finding their daughter.
Thanks to the publisher and the author for the copy via netgalley.
August 29, 2015
Cath Staincliffe is a writer who has an uncanny knack of really getting inside her character's heads. In this novel she has managed to tap into every parents worst nightmare, how would you cope if your child was missing? and worse, missing in a foreign country?
This was a fantastic crime novel but it was so much more than that as well. The story didn't finish when it was revealed what had happened to Lori (the missing daughter)it carried on so the reader could see the aftermath of a devastating crime. Jo physical reactions to the psychological torture she was enduring was so believable and I could really appreciate how difficult it was searching for your child in a country that is more concerned with appearances than solving the crime.
My only slight disappointment was the ending, it felt a little unresolved but then life doesn't come with everything neatly tied up and sorted out so why should fiction. Overall this was a great read that kept me glued to my kindle through to the early hours.
This was a fantastic crime novel but it was so much more than that as well. The story didn't finish when it was revealed what had happened to Lori (the missing daughter)it carried on so the reader could see the aftermath of a devastating crime. Jo physical reactions to the psychological torture she was enduring was so believable and I could really appreciate how difficult it was searching for your child in a country that is more concerned with appearances than solving the crime.
My only slight disappointment was the ending, it felt a little unresolved but then life doesn't come with everything neatly tied up and sorted out so why should fiction. Overall this was a great read that kept me glued to my kindle through to the early hours.
April 29, 2015
Oh gosh. This novel just about broke my heart into a million pieces, even more so than Letters to my Daughters Killer, and I really didn't think that was possible. This novel is every parent's worst nightmare. An exhausting roller-coaster ride of emotions, I was left drained by Jo and Tom's attempts to find out what has happened to their daughter Lori, after she goes missing from her life in China.
The writing in this novel, and the way each step of the story, from Lori going missing to the subsequent investigation, is fantastic - the characters are believable and it is made almost too easy to imagine their pain and despair. I can't say a lot more, without revealing some epic spoilers, so all I will say is READ IT. And tonight I'll be squeezing my babies a little bit tighter.
The writing in this novel, and the way each step of the story, from Lori going missing to the subsequent investigation, is fantastic - the characters are believable and it is made almost too easy to imagine their pain and despair. I can't say a lot more, without revealing some epic spoilers, so all I will say is READ IT. And tonight I'll be squeezing my babies a little bit tighter.
June 30, 2015
Easily written but an excellent read it captivates so well the sheer horror, anxiety, stress and utter helplessness Lori's mother feels when she disappears in China. I have read one other of this author's books Letters to My Daughter's Killer which was good but this is way way better! It's has thoroughly gripped me in between tennis matches!
December 5, 2015
Gripping story, so disconcerting. Plausible characters give the reader a compelling urge to find out what happened.
An easy read.
An easy read.
July 30, 2015
Well worth reading!
March 22, 2021
Felt a little slow in the beginning, but it picked up a lot in the 120 page mark (about halfway) and I read 200 pages in the span of two days quite easily (To be fair, that *is* how books work with the slow build-up leading up to the climax).
I thought the idea for the story was unique, and I enjoyed seeing Jo and Tom play detective. The final reveal of it being Bradley was predictable, but in a good way? It wasn't predictable as in a, "Ugh, I saw this coming. Booring." but in a, "Wow, I saw this coming! Cool." since evidence was established pretty early on against Bradley. The reveal made sense, which I think beats having a contrived plot twist be randomly injected purely for shock value or whatever. It was a little jarring finding out what Bradley had done, when compared to how he had acted with Jo and Tom; how nice and inviting he was. I guess, that's exactly what the author wanted however, since you really never expect anyone's capable of such things.
One thing I'd like to note is how I disliked the men in this book. Bradley, for obvious reasons. Nick, while he was okay at first, slowly spiralled into a character I couldn't like. He was immature, and refused to talk his issues out with Jo, instead choosing to turn a blind eye to them and play the victim card, blaming his alcoholism on her. Jo bothered me sometimes when she kept brushing things off as nothing. She's definitely not the confrontational type, but letting things simmer and assuming the best, cost her. I don't harbour any ill will towards her though, since after some time, she does eventually address the issues going on, and it's understandable with Nick how she'd *want* to believe everything's fine, especially after everything with Lori. Sure, she said some nasty things, but she was quick to realise her mistake and apologise, and while apologies certainly can't take back words said, at least she *apologised*, while Nick on the other hand, petulantly chose to stand his ground and pin the blame on her. I *am* upset however that Jo didn't come clean about sleeping with Tom, but I can't be too pissed either since I doubt being honest with Nick would've made anything better, and even if it did, I don't think I'd like for him to stay. Also, there was one sentence where Jo was wondering what was wrong with Isaac, and one of the possibilities she thought of was Nick had hit him and knocked him out? Hello? To have Jo even *consider* that was frightening.
I could sympathise with Tom more though. He isn't amazing, not by a long shot, and me having been in Jo's perspective during the book–who's spending her time alongside Tom–definitely put him in a good light. He was impulsive and rash, but I suppose at the end of the day he got shit done. He mirrored my frustrations towards the authorities, so that aided in his image. There was one scene that stuck with me however, of him putting his finger to Jo's lip angrily, and I was sitting there like..... uhm.
I liked how in the end, Tom ended up with Aphrodite because despite the brief physical comfort they found in each other, the couple would be unhealthy together. It felt realistic how that one night stayed one night. I mean, the couple got divorced for a reason, just because they banged one night doesn't magically heal all their past wounds.
Overall, I don't have anything bad to say about the book. It did what it did, and well. It wasn't something I'd rave for ages about though. Good book.
I thought the idea for the story was unique, and I enjoyed seeing Jo and Tom play detective. The final reveal of it being Bradley was predictable, but in a good way? It wasn't predictable as in a, "Ugh, I saw this coming. Booring." but in a, "Wow, I saw this coming! Cool." since evidence was established pretty early on against Bradley. The reveal made sense, which I think beats having a contrived plot twist be randomly injected purely for shock value or whatever. It was a little jarring finding out what Bradley had done, when compared to how he had acted with Jo and Tom; how nice and inviting he was. I guess, that's exactly what the author wanted however, since you really never expect anyone's capable of such things.
One thing I'd like to note is how I disliked the men in this book. Bradley, for obvious reasons. Nick, while he was okay at first, slowly spiralled into a character I couldn't like. He was immature, and refused to talk his issues out with Jo, instead choosing to turn a blind eye to them and play the victim card, blaming his alcoholism on her. Jo bothered me sometimes when she kept brushing things off as nothing. She's definitely not the confrontational type, but letting things simmer and assuming the best, cost her. I don't harbour any ill will towards her though, since after some time, she does eventually address the issues going on, and it's understandable with Nick how she'd *want* to believe everything's fine, especially after everything with Lori. Sure, she said some nasty things, but she was quick to realise her mistake and apologise, and while apologies certainly can't take back words said, at least she *apologised*, while Nick on the other hand, petulantly chose to stand his ground and pin the blame on her. I *am* upset however that Jo didn't come clean about sleeping with Tom, but I can't be too pissed either since I doubt being honest with Nick would've made anything better, and even if it did, I don't think I'd like for him to stay. Also, there was one sentence where Jo was wondering what was wrong with Isaac, and one of the possibilities she thought of was Nick had hit him and knocked him out? Hello? To have Jo even *consider* that was frightening.
I could sympathise with Tom more though. He isn't amazing, not by a long shot, and me having been in Jo's perspective during the book–who's spending her time alongside Tom–definitely put him in a good light. He was impulsive and rash, but I suppose at the end of the day he got shit done. He mirrored my frustrations towards the authorities, so that aided in his image. There was one scene that stuck with me however, of him putting his finger to Jo's lip angrily, and I was sitting there like..... uhm.
I liked how in the end, Tom ended up with Aphrodite because despite the brief physical comfort they found in each other, the couple would be unhealthy together. It felt realistic how that one night stayed one night. I mean, the couple got divorced for a reason, just because they banged one night doesn't magically heal all their past wounds.
Overall, I don't have anything bad to say about the book. It did what it did, and well. It wasn't something I'd rave for ages about though. Good book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 12, 2017
Free spirit Lori Maddox is traveling the world, taking photographs and immersing herself in other cultures. Her parents back home in England, though supportive of her ambition, are understandably nervous for their only daughter to be so far from home. Then one day, the communication stops...
This story started off great. Lori's blog kept her parents up to date with her travels, whilst also detailing their apprehension when she didn't reply to a message soon enough. When the messages suddenly stop, Lori's mother Jo starts the ball rolling and begins an investigation into Lori's disappearance. And that's where things slow down.
The investigation was painstakingly slow, much as I'm sure a real missing persons investigation would be. The Chinese police, though fictional in this book, were arrogant and frustrating. Basically, her parents did all the work. Two thirds of the book was waiting around hotel rooms and embassies waiting for news. Honestly, I skipped ahead a lot. Then, finally, the ending.
This is the second book I've read by Cath Staincliffe. Her writing is engaging and I look forward to more from her.
This story started off great. Lori's blog kept her parents up to date with her travels, whilst also detailing their apprehension when she didn't reply to a message soon enough. When the messages suddenly stop, Lori's mother Jo starts the ball rolling and begins an investigation into Lori's disappearance. And that's where things slow down.
The investigation was painstakingly slow, much as I'm sure a real missing persons investigation would be. The Chinese police, though fictional in this book, were arrogant and frustrating. Basically, her parents did all the work. Two thirds of the book was waiting around hotel rooms and embassies waiting for news. Honestly, I skipped ahead a lot. Then, finally, the ending.
This is the second book I've read by Cath Staincliffe. Her writing is engaging and I look forward to more from her.
June 10, 2018
A really interesting read about a young woman who goes missing whilst backpacking/teaching abroad in China and her family's attempts to find her. It's written very simply and there's not a lot of people to keep track of which I like. Also, there are some nice scenic descriptions of parts of China. I'm not usually someone who enjoys description heavy books but there was just enough to set the scene without being boring. The book also talked about how different the Chinese police and the Chinese public treat a missing person case compared to the UK. Dropped one star as I didn't feel it had the Wow factor for me to push it to that level.
I think I will look out for this author in future.
I think I will look out for this author in future.
March 3, 2019
I was in the library and chanced upon this book. I am so glad I did. It had me hooked right from the start. The descriptions of Changdu were excellent, I really felt like I was there, the cultural differences were weaved throughout and you could really sense the frustration! The weather descriptions served well to further create the claustrophobic ‘trapped’ atmosphere.
This was one of those books that I really engaged with- I will be reading more of Cath’s books, I hope they don’t disappoint!
This was one of those books that I really engaged with- I will be reading more of Cath’s books, I hope they don’t disappoint!
January 1, 2020
I don't know why I didn't engage more with this book. The story of parents looking for a missing daughter in China had all sorts of positive elements- good use of Chinese/English pronunciation; treating a gay relationship as you would a hetrosexual one; interesting array of ex-pats in China etc etc but in the end it was all rather breathless and with no explanation of the perpetrator's behaviour, the eventual violence felt somewhat gratuitous.
September 4, 2021
Overall, a decent read. In the latter half, I did begin thinking I'd been a bit too harsh on the book's first half. I wasn't too keen on the language and style of the dialogue. However, I did get into it at times and found my eyes moving faster than my brain was reading as I was desperate to know what was happening next. I'm glad the plot wasn't entirely predictable but I'm not sure I'd bother recommending it to a friend.
August 1, 2017
When Jo and Tom's daughter disappears during a gap year teaching in China, the apparent lack of urgency shown by the authorities leads them to fly out in a bid to find Lori themselves. In this gripping and atmospheric mystery, the author brilliantly conveys the hope, fear and sheer dread experienced by parents of a missing child, and the far-reaching repercussions of tragic events.
April 30, 2018
A harrowing story of a parent's worst fear. A daughter missing in another country and an enormous sense of helplessness. Staincliffe writes well about police processes and Chinese politics and propaganda. There were twists, turns and curve balls thrown in which kept me guessing and hooked me in. I have loved all previous books I have read by her and look forward to reading more.
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