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Patty (Spain) (2011/10/18):
‘Heaven’s on Hold’ looks at the terrible strain put on a middle-years marriage by the arrival of a baby. It’s bad enough when you’re in your twenties, but David and Annet are nearly twice that, and hedged about by the demands of their careers, too. There’s a supernatural strand in this novel – I’ve never written a full-blown ghost story, but it’s something I’d like to try.
I have no idea why I started reading this book but I am really glad that I did. It appears to be a novel of modern manners of the type I normally detest. Middle class, middle age couple and the "pain" they suffer as a result of a new baby. All the clichés appear to be here. The man who has lost his way. The woman who is too self centred. The couple who have spent too much time raising their children and fallen out of love with each other. We even have the mysterious tempting strangers and just to add a bit of spice the gay sister-in-law. However, this is a really intriguing book. The author's writing draws the reader in and the way she describes the events from differing perspectives leaves the reader wondering what the truth really is, or indeed in relation to some events whether there is such a thing as objective truth at all. This is particularly true in relation to the resolution apparently reached in the main narrative strand. Who has been stalking whom? In this way the book reveals the deeper truth that all of these inter personal relationships and events are full of mystery. Anyone who just wants a nice little story should look elsewhere but for those who prefer their fiction to be a true exploration of the human condition this is a rewarding read.
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