The Gulf Between

by Maxine Alterio

Under the shadow of Mount Vesuvius, love, lies and disenchantment lead to a menacing showdown in this suspense-filled novel.A foreigner is seriously injured not far from Julia's safe Queenstown hideaway. Why does he have her name in his wallet? His unexpected arrival takes Julia back forty-five years to London, where as an impulsive young woman she first met Benito Moretti - a meeting that was to change her life, taking her to the glittering Gulf of Naples. There Julia found herself pitted against her belligerent mother-in-law and Benito’s sinister brother in a lethal battle for her husband and children.Julia remembered her father saying, We’re all as sick as our secrets. Words that still haunt her.

Genres: Crime

304 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 2, 2019

About the author

Maxine Alterio is a novelist, short story writer and academic mentor. She has a MA from Otago University and a PhD from Victoria University of Wellington, where she studied the memoirs of First World War nurses. Penguin NZ published Maxine’s first two novels Ribbons of Grace (2007), and Lives We Leave Behind (2012), which Editions Prisma (France) issued in 2013. Penguin Random House NZ published Maxine’s recent novel The Gulf Between in 2019. Steele Roberts NZ released Maxine’s collection Live News and Other Stories in 2005. Several of her short stories have won, or been placed in, national and international competitions. Others have been broadcast on NZ Radio National or appeared in anthologies. Maxine also co-authored an academic text that links learning with reflective storytelling. She was the 2013 recipient of the Seresin Landfall/Otago University Press Writing Residency, and co-recipient of the inaugural Dan Davin Literary Foundation Writer in Residence in 2019.

Reviews

[Brooke - Brooke's Reading Life · Rating 2 out of 5]

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**2.5 stars**

The Gulf Between by Maxine Alterio. (2019).

A foreigner is seriously injured not far from Julia's safe New Zealand hideaway. Why does he have her name in his wallet? His unexpected arrival takes Julia back 45 years to London, where as an impulsive young woman she first met Benito Moretti - a meeting that was to change her life, taking her to the glittering Gulf of Naples. There Julia found herself pitted against her belligerent mother-in-law and Ben's sinister brother in a lethal battle for her husband and children. Julia remembered her father saying, 'We're all as sick as our secrets'. Words that still haunt her.

Unfortunately I didn't really get into this one much. I found it quite slow and didn't connect with any of the characters. If anything I found them all really annoying, even Julia though I did have empathy for her at times. I think I just found it really strange that Ben clearly communicated to Julia multiple times that he didn't want to go home and she basically insisted they go there and then immediately she didn't like it and was unhappy...I mean really, he did warn her for their entire relationship?! It was frustrating to read. While I appreciated the twist at the end and didn't see it coming, I wasn't a fan of it; I think readers will either love it or hate it. I did like the relationship growth between Julia and her mother-in-law that occurred very gradually. I do think that a lot of readers would like this story so it's definitely worth a read if the synopsis interests you.

[Gayle · Rating 3 out of 5]

What an ending!

[Bronwyn Hegarty · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this book and could have finished it in one sitting, it was so good, but I wanted to savour the story and draw it out longer. So I took my time. Even now at the end, I want more, and many questions hang in the air. These are questions about the fate of the characters....and this could be the stimulus for another whole chapter and more in the life of the Morettis. The life before Benito arrived in London, the events surrounding Julia's life in Naples and afterwards. I can see three books here waiting to be written. But Maxine doesn't believe in sequels....I hope she'll change her mind this time. This is too good a story to let lie.

Right from the first chapter, Maxine weaves the mystery that sets the premise for the plot, and her writing fills the rest of the reading journey with suspense. This novel is a page turner, no doubt about it, and one with style, believable characters and pizzazz. The plot is complex yet the narrative is easy to read as we move between Queenstown, Naples, and London. We take time out from the dark cloud pervading the story with a refreshing interlude at Positano where not only the characters but also the reader get some respite from the tension that has built over the time since the Morettis landed in Naples. The mother-in-law is not the real problem, believe me as readers will find out as they read on. The dark side is hinted at but never fully revealed, and this is what kept the suspense on full boil. I would have liked more detail as a side story and as a back story but then I'm nosy.

This is a heart rending story, portraying the main character at her most vulnerable, and showing the brutality of love when it turns down the wrong path. In this novel, Maxine tackles love and relationships in its many forms - friendship, marriage, children, relatives. Trust is also a big issue in the story and although this theme lies largely unspoken, it would certainly give book group enthusiasts something to discuss for hours. The trust we put in our marriage partners, the reliance we have on our families to do the right thing, friends we can rely on. Julia had to make choices and she paid for them dearly. I wonder would we do the same in the circumstances or would we make a different choice? I know my answer but I'm not saying.......

[Amanda Bean · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book drew me in immediately and I devoured every word until the final page was turned. So cleverly written yet effortless to read I was submerged in the scenery and could touch the characters. The suspenseful plot line had me engrossed, the feeling of unease as the story unfolded was overridden by my incessant need to discover the dark family secret. An absolute must read!

[Claire Beynon · Rating 5 out of 5]

The characters in The Gulf Between are deftly drawn and thoroughly convincing. As readers, we witness them living through a series of circumstances that are at once dislocating and transformative. The end left me reeling. This novel explores migrant and immigrant experiences, the challenges people face when assimilating into unfamiliar cultures. Highly recommended.

[Abigail · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very enjoyable page turner, with a nod to Elena Ferrante's Neapolitan novels.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

THE GULF BETWEEN is a slow burner, suspense thriller of the deceptively laid back variety. From the opening chapter there's something hypnotically understated about the way that the story of Julia is woven. A combination family saga and personal journey, it's the discovery of a seriously injured foreigner not far from Julia's Queenstown hideway that reveals a story that started forty-something years ago, in London, through Italy, and back to New Zealand.

Provided to me as a suspense / crime novel, it read as a major family saga, dealing with the consequences of crime, in particular it's a woman dealing with the circumstances of her life and the results of decisions made. It heads, languidly for the opening chapters, towards a darker, more sinister place reasonably quickly, but beware, in the early stages the details are sketched out, the suspense coming from not knowing, more than knowing. Right up until a bombshell of an ending, that probably with a bit of clearheaded regard you might have seen coming, but the level of involvement, and investment in Julia's current telling of her story, meant that this reader was looking here, when she probably could have been seeing things over there.

Of course, THE GULF BETWEEN is also blatantly emotional, tugging at the heart strings, portraying Julia at her most vulnerable, scared and confused. So when I say family saga, what I'm talking about is relationships, marriages, in-laws and relatives, children and living in different cultures and in other people's homes, under their rules. It exposes the potential of misplaced trust, and how your belief in others can go very wrong. And the price that some people pay for choices made.

https://www.austcrimefiction.org/revi...

[Lynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Everything is so predictable but in the end everything we predict becomes an unbearable pain. The 5 stars goes to the ending line. What a clever author! It will be a huge hit if some director shoot a movie based on the book. Should there be a sequel? Nah, just let the pain hang in there.

[Gayle · Rating 4 out of 5]

You have to read it right to the very last page. I never would have predicted the ending. An enjoyable read.

[Ian Lambert · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. The story is well structured but it took a long time to come to life and when it did, I didn't quite believe it - even the last page - especially the last page. Readers of Elena Ferrante and travellers who have spent time in Naples and Positano will recognise many things that help fill in gaps. The author tells her story well but the structure is often visible which is distracting. I wanted to rewrite some of her sentences, a bad habit of mine, but there are several places where two careful sentences would have been better than one long one that feels dictated. Then there's the point of view and the shortage of clues to what's going on. This helps build dread but I wanted more as setting deserves complexity in story-telling.
For all that, the book is a quick, clear and easy read.

[Jane Woodham · Rating 5 out of 5]

In this novel the author explores the challenges people face when assimilating into an unfamiliar culture. As the story unfolds the intrigue strengthens, until the climax; a brilliant last line that turns everything you thought you understood on its end. The mark of an exquisite storyteller.

[Ruth Reid · Rating 5 out of 5]

You will either love the ending to this or hate it. I loved it. Cleverly written and a great read.

[K.V. Martins · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an understated read, which I very much enjoyed.

[Becks · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good read, loved the look into another Larry of the world and the way life worked there for this family and others. Didn't see the end coming until I started reading the very page though!

[Sandra Miles · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ok. A bit slow at times.

[Tarasimone · Rating 3 out of 5]

There were parts of this story that were deeply uncomfortable to read. I wish there'd been more to the ending, but I also get why it finished as it did.

[Tracee · Rating 3 out of 5]

A quick, easy read, although the story was a little slow at times. I did not see the twist at the end coming at all. It did make me think what if the characters had talked to each other? (the lack of talking was something that had annoyed me in the story).

[Nic Ayson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quite a quirky story. The finish just snuck up and whacked me between the eyes, I didn't see that coming at all!