Under the scorching French sun, a tense homecoming unearths a long-buried family secret in this deliciously propulsive beach read of a mother's greatest fear brought to life.
Elodie was beautiful. Elodie was smart. Elodie was manipulative. Elodie is dead.
When Sylvie Durand receives a letter calling her back to her crumbling family home in the South of France, she knows she has to go. In the middle of a sweltering 1990's summer marked by unusual fires across the countryside, she returns to La Reverie with her youngest daughter Emma in tow, ignoring the deep sense of dread she feels for this place she's long tried to forget.
As memories of the events that shattered their family a decade earlier threaten to come to the surface, Sylvie struggles to shield Emma from the truth of what really happened all those years ago. In every corner of the house, Sylvie can't escape the specter of Elodie, her first child. Elodie, born amid the '68 Paris riots with one blue eye and one brown, and mysteriously dead by fourteen. Elodie, who reminded the small village of one those Manson girls. Elodie who knew exactly how to get what she wanted. As the fires creep towards the villa, it's clear to Sylvie that something isn't quite right at La Reverie . . . And there is a much greater threat closer to home.
Elodie was beautiful. Elodie was smart. Elodie was manipulative. Elodie is dead.
When Sylvie Durand receives a letter calling her back to her crumbling family home in the South of France, she knows she has to go. In the middle of a sweltering 1990's summer marked by unusual fires across the countryside, she returns to La Reverie with her youngest daughter Emma in tow, ignoring the deep sense of dread she feels for this place she's long tried to forget.
As memories of the events that shattered their family a decade earlier threaten to come to the surface, Sylvie struggles to shield Emma from the truth of what really happened all those years ago. In every corner of the house, Sylvie can't escape the specter of Elodie, her first child. Elodie, born amid the '68 Paris riots with one blue eye and one brown, and mysteriously dead by fourteen. Elodie, who reminded the small village of one those Manson girls. Elodie who knew exactly how to get what she wanted. As the fires creep towards the villa, it's clear to Sylvie that something isn't quite right at La Reverie . . . And there is a much greater threat closer to home.
I really was looking for something to draw me in and keep me captivated and The Heatwave did that, a slow burn thrilling read that gradually brings the reader to an epic conclusion.
Told over two different time periods, almost the past and present (although the present is 1993. We first Sylvie has received a letter about a fire in the french home she owns. As she cannot leave her daughter with her ex she brings her along but hopes she remembers very little from her time living in the house. As Sylvie arrives at the house, she cant escape the past and her first born daughter. Elodie. Its like she haunts the house.
We then travel back to the last 1960s and onwards as we learn about little Elodie and how she gained such a reputation in the small village. It really is a tense read, some parts are expected, but its the way they are written. As past and present starts to merge, things take a turn. Both good in some ways and horrific in others.
The characters were intriguing, i was invested in them and wanted the truth for all of them, despite the many hidden secrets within the family, and issues they were not facing. I found myself reading huge chunks at a time and just wanted the answers. I really enjoyed this, and it really was a slow burner which was nice, it was like a leisurely stroll towards the outcome. Gripping, tense and a complex relationships make this a stand out book for me all set against a horrifically hot summer in France as the trees burn around them.
After becoming a freelancer, she left London behind and moved to the beautiful Cotswolds in order to write her first novel, 'Birdcage Walk
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