The Absence of Nectar

by Kathy Hepinstall

After saving Alice's mother from drowning, a mysterious man named Simon is quickly ensconced in the family as the husband of the rescued woman, but Alice becomes suspicious of his motives, in a suspenseful coming-of-age novel by the author of The House of Gentle Men. Reprint.

Genres: Fiction, Mystery, Suspense, Contemporary, Mystery Thriller, Mental Illness, Abuse

352 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 2001

About the author

Kathy Hepinstall grew up in Spring, Texas, near the Louisiana border. Her most recent book is The Book of Polly. Polly is based, in part, on Kathy’s own mother, who has as wicked a tongue as her fictional counterpart. Kathy now lives in Portland, Oregon.

Reviews

[Amanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

After reading the other two books by Kathy Hepinstall, I was excited about reading this one. Though different from the other two, the book still flows poetically with descriptions of place and time that take the reader back to the early seventies and into the world of a young child. Maybe that's part of why I liked this book so well...it's told from the innocence of a twelve year old but with the knowing of a smart young girl who knows she's in trouble but is fairly helpless to do anything about it.

On a day of picnicking with their mother Meg, Alice and Boone watch as a stranger saves Meg from near drowning. But from the beginning, Alice doesn't trust the man. As he becomes closer to being part of the family, the children find out just how cruel the man is. Each deals with it in their own way...Alice sacrifices things to some invisible God she's unsure about and Boone prays to his the God of heaven, preferring to find the goodness in their new stepfather while Alice just wants him gone.

As the stepfather becomes angrier and more volatile, so too does the premonition that something bad could happen. When their mother one day tells them to run away, they do so in fear of what their stepfather might do. Hiding out by the lake on a hidden island with an teenage girl who escaped from the mental hospital, the two must decide what to do.

As in the other books, there are subtly told twists that make the story even better to read (one I knew soon and one I never saw coming). The only part I had a hard time dealing with was the spousal and child abuse, but I have a hard time with that anyway. For this book, those descriptions were needed to tell the story.

This is definitely one I recommend for anyone.

[Panpanpandy · Rating 5 out of 5]

As the survivor of an abusive stepdad of my own, this story resonates with me in a way few stories ever have. I originally picked it up used as a teenager, maybe in some vain hope that it would give me some pointers on how to deal with my own abusive stepfather, and it's even more chilling to re-read as an adult, knowing just how normal Simon's actions seemed to me as a child.

There are parts of the story that seem a bit far-fetched, yes, but more than anything else, this book reads like an abused child's revenge/survival fantasy. There is a part of me that wholly believes that Kathy Hepinstall either has experience with an abusive adult, or is very close to someone in a similar situation. She does an amazing job of showing Alice's steady loss of faith in her god and her mother, and her decline into helplessness and hopelessness. For someone who has experienced a violent, unpredictable stepdad and a passive mother, this was chillingly familiar.

The ending seems a bit rushed, with little more than a list of what happens over a period of time, but it's ultimately quite satisfying. The ending itself is what solidifies my belief in Kathy Hepinstall's experience with abuse; while the story is wonderfully detailed up until that point, painfully familiar to someone with my own background, the "happily ever after" sort of ending speaks far more of wish fulfillment than experience.

A good read for sure, though.

[Jaime · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lyrical and haunting; scary, sad, and gorgeous. I loved this book. Hepinstall's best book.

[Venus · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book years ago and immediately wanted everyone I knew to read it as well. Now I'm reading it once again and I remember why I enjoyed it so much.

[Anna Ottersbach-McLean · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this from first page to last. Beautifully written, intriguing characters and an eerie, mysterious atmosphere, no matter how hot the Texas sun is beating down. So glad I randomly picked this up from the op shop! The gay slurs weren’t great; then again this is set in the 70s in TEXAS and was written in the early aughts (not an excuse but an explanation).

[Joanne, drinker of tea, reader of books, servant to cats · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ooooh, I liked this book very much.

Well developed and consistent characters, the story telling was well paced and definitely engaging.

A cracking ending, with a nice final statement.

Good book.

[Cathe Fein Olson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I picked this up by chance at the library book sale last weekend and it was great. The book is about a twisted new stepfather who doesn't like his stepchildren very much (to say the least). It reminded me a bit of some of the evil stepfather movies I've seen but this had the added twist of one of the kids idolizing a teen girl who poisoned her parents who he constantly writes to in prison and tries to make contact with on one of her frequent escapes from a mental institution. Good creepy fun.

[Kerry · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked it. Not my typical genre, but set in East Texas, author from Austin, was reccomended and my interest was peaked. All of the pieces fit very nicely together, too nicely for my taste but still a good read.

[Danielle · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a tense page turner! The narrator was 12 years old, intelligent and just plain funny, though the subject matter definitely was not. Great plot, flushed out characters, high emotion and engaging writing. I couldn’t put it down and was thrilled to have this book when dealing with jet lag. I definitely want to see what else this author can do.

I got this as a second hand small paperback. It’s worth full price as a novel-sized hardcover at B&N. Read it.

[yvonne r · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5/5

[Ariane · Rating 5 out of 5]

You will love to hate the father in this book. I had a very ragged copy that I got for free from a thrift store. Truly a diamond in the rough. The story is very involved and I could not put it down.

[Katie · Rating 2 out of 5]

The best part of this book is the description.

[Merline White · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fabulous!

[Jenn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thoroughly enjoyed this. I could not put it down and it gets an extra star for that.

[Jodell · Rating 2 out of 5]

It took 304 pages for the bastard to die.

[Sandie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Alice and Boone had a great life. They lived with their father and mother, Meg, in a small town. But their father left their mother one day, sending her into a depression. That opened the door to a smarmy man named Simon who entered their lives and made it clear he wanted all of Meg's attention. He barely tolerated Alice and Boone and as the months went on, the two were sure he wanted to get rid of them, permanently. Meg said they just had wild imaginations but they saw the evil side of Simon he kept hidden from her.

Boone was saintly, always wondering what God would want him to do. That led him to write to Persely, a teenager in a mental hospital who had poisoned her parents and killed them. Persely is an escape artist and on one of her escapes, comes by to visit Boone. When the kids decide to run away from home, they take Persely with them and hide out on a nearby island. Once there, they find out they are connected in ways they had never expected and Boone experiences his first love.

Kathy Hepinstall is one of those authors who has never broken out into the top tier of authors but whose books are each fascinating to me. They often feature women who are victimized by either the times or the men in their lives and this one is no different. The story is told by Alice and as she starts to realize the truths around her, she begins to change from a child to a young woman. Simon is a villain whose evil is easy to believe in as he attempts to control everyone around him while pretending to be religious. This book is recommended for readers of literary fiction.

[Annette Wells · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is Kathy Hepinstall’s 2nd novel, and it’s a fast-paced thriller, that also follows characters you care about and root for. Sometimes those can’t be found in the same novel, but she accomplishes both well. This is the first book I’ve read from her that features a man with no redemptive qualities or drive, and reading about Simon was uncomfortable and may be triggering for anyone with a history of abusive relationships. He’s all edge, and a sharp one at that.
Though an uncomfortable window into this family at times, I could not put it down and ended up reading it in two days. I still think she rushes her endings, but for some reason, I can overlook and forgive that because I love her storytelling abilities. This one didn’t feature the poetic writing qualities from her that I have grown to love and that her later books consistently showcase, but she makes up for that in this tale with a well-paced plot. It’s worth your time. Absolutely.

[Lauren · Rating 5 out of 5]

I couldn't put the book down. Characters and plot are well written. I think the book captures the complexities of Domestic Violence - the children living in fear of the step father and being hypervigilant, scanning for his next move, their frustration toward their mother for not protecting them, the mother who probably has her own trauma background (as implied) that keeps her in the relationship because she 'fears being alone' but simultaneously fears him; and then the subtle moments the mother tries to deescalate his violence by pleasing him (fawning behaviour ) and trying to protect the children with the limited power she has by giving warning to them to 'run'. Would recommend

[Aki · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5/5 stars.
boring as hell but also somewhat interesting?? i did not like a single character in this book, everyone pissed me off, and i hate that i see so much of my mom in the mother characters in this book (not a compliment) that it’s slightly triggering.

the symbolism was neat and some of the writing was beautiful, but i had to keep reminding myself that this is in the narration of a 12 year old girl.

essentially this book is about 2 kids and their incredibly abusive stepdad and complacent mother. their stepdad is planning on poisoning and killing the 2 kids, or so they think. throw in a teenage fugitive, the breakdown of religion, and loss of innocence.

i only read this book because my mom and younger sister really wanted me to.

[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was was well written and the main characters were well developed. Alice and her brother Boone were part of a happy family, until their father left and their mother could not cope and spent all her days in bed. They coax her out one day with a trip to Lake Shine, where their mother almost drowned but a man, Simon Jester saved her. Their mother marries Simon, and Alice does not trust him, or the story about how his wife and son died. Alice and Boone become convinced Simon is trying to poison them, their mother does not believe them, until,one night when she comes into say goodnight, and she tells them to run.

[Lenaasty · Rating 4 out of 5]

The thing I liked the most was the writing, really different from what I've read so far. The story in itself was interesting and thanks to the said writing I really got caught in the character's point of view, I could read her mind and feel that she felt. The plot twist was an important point for the plot and I think it was well done eventhough, in my opinion, it was quite predictable. I really liked the suspense, the atmosphere was pretty stressful and the characters were perfectly built.

[Haylie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was very skeptical about this book. Mainly because I knew almost nothing about it when I started. But DANG.

I felt like the characters were well-written. Meg was INFURIATING and Alice was amazingly tough. I felt for Boone and wanted to murder Simon. There was a lot of emotions on my part.

I did think it was a little far-fetched to feel too real, but maybe that just makes for good fiction.

Recommended for people who like an intriguing mystery and lots of surprises.

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

To be honest, I read this book over 10 years ago. Couldn't for the life of me remember the name of the book, nor the author...but that says less about this gem of a read then it does about me! All I can tell you is, It was indeed memorable; so much so, that 10 years later I racked my brain trying to remember the details just so I could recommend it to a friend. So happy I rediscovered it in my cluttered brain. What a great read!

[Brooke · Rating 2 out of 5]

I hate to be a buzzkill, but this book was boring. The plot just went back and forth and back and forth and I didn’t like a single character. Simon jester should’ve been a good antagonist but he was just so stupid I couldn’t take him seriously. Boone was infuriating, Alice was supposed to be the plot driver but no one listened to her so she was kind of pointless. Meg felt like an outsider, did t even need to be there really.

Anyway, I wasn’t interested at all

[Jean · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've read historical novels by this author which I liked a lot. I knew this was a coming of age novel when I started it, and I like this genre. It is also a mystery, another favorite genre. However, the premise behind this novel is a bit extreme and an unlikely coincidence is revealed at the end.

I'm being generous giving it ***.

[Eva ODonnell · Rating 1 out of 5]

It is very rare that I abandon a book before reading it in its entirety. This was one of those rare occasions. Bookmarked at page 112 but with no intention to return. This is dark, unpleasant and despite sparking some wish for justice in the reader, it dragged on miserably. I've donated my copy as it appears others found something in it that I did not.

[Lena · Rating 2 out of 5]

If you are looking for a light read that leaves you at least with a tiny bit of positive emotions better skip this one. This book dragged me down and made me feel uneasy whenever I picked it up. Didn‘t like any of the characters and the hide and seek towards the end of the book was just an unneccessary drag that left me feeling stressed.

[Leslie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quick, easy read. Kept me interested well enough. Suspense genre, but not extremely intense. I used it as a light read after something heavier. Felt like it was a teen/middle school level suspense story.

[Kay Kay · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really liked this book. The characters were interesting and well formed. It moved along at a nice pace, and the story was engaging.

[Marie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Napínavý příběh, tušení neustále přítomného zla, svět viděný očima dítěte, bezmocného vůči zlovůli dospělých. Není to úplně šálek mého čaje, ale napsané velmi dobře.