It wasn’t until Edie Burchill finally went to Milderhurst Castle to meet the sisters Blythe, that the engine of this story started.
This is a long novel and readers should be warned that the beginning half of it is rather slow. It concerns reclusive writer Raymond Blythe, his two wives and three daughters, and how a gnawing guilt caused him to have nightmarish visions late in life.
Raymond Blythe is not the most pleasant companion to have around and maybe that fact contributed to my initial struggles with this novel. I kept putting it down, then remembering I hadn’t finished it yet, so would go back to it with a sigh.
But I didn’t abandon it, and neither should you. If you can tough it out through the winding corridors of Milderhurst Castle and the thorns of the Dark Forest that surround it, you won’t be disappointed. For it is the three sisters who make this novel sing.
Not many writers can create a character as unique and believable as Juniper Blythe. I think she has to be one of the oddest characters I’ve ever “met” in a book. Like her father, Juniper is prone to fits of mental illness. In her case it takes the form of missing time, where she cannot remember what happened and why, for example, she has blood on her blouse. Stubbornly, she tries to engage with her mind, forcing herself to try to recreate the blanks in her memories. Needless to say, she misinterprets what actually happened, with heartbreaking results.
The other two sisters, twins who are 16 years older than Juniper, are also well-drawn. We feel so safe and comfy with feminine, maternal Saffy (short for Seraphina), while, by contrast, we gird ourselves for the frosty stares of Persy (short for Persephone.)
Of course each sister has a name that suits her character and actions. But I am not going to tell you what they mean because that would spoil the novel for you.
When the novel does eventually catch fire, the wait is well worth it. A talented author like Kate Morton does not give you the obvious ending. She merely dangles it before your nose, before surprising you with what actually happened.
A wonderful novel for a Dark & Stormy Night. Five stars.
