Natasha Kapoor receives news that her grandmother Frances
has died, and she returns to the coast for the funeral.
While there, her grandfather Arvind gives her the first ten
pages of the diary of her Aunt Cecily, who died as a child.
No one ever mentions Cecily, as her death was a tragedy
that has, itself, never been discussed. But Arvind implores
Natasha to find the rest of the diary, as well as gives
Natasha a ring that used to belong to Cecily.
As Natasha begins to read the pages of Cecily's diary, she
begins to discover family secrets about love, family
rivalries, and heartache. One of the things Natasha wants
to figure out, though, is whether her mother, Miranda, was
responsible for Cecily's death, as was intimated to her
after the funeral services by another relative. Is it
really possible that one sister killed another and the rest
of the family covered it up? and is this why the rest of the
diary is missing?
The diary, which is included as part of the book, started as
part of a school assignment for Cecily in 1963. After the
assignment was completed, Cecily kept writing because she
enjoyed it so much, and thus began the recording of the
family's goings-on that summer. The rest of the diary is
eventually discovered, and Natasha discovers the explosive
truth.
However, this happens as her marriage is dissolving and her
jewelry-making business is about to go bankrupt. She tries
to keep her personal life in order as she is discovering
that no one in her family is who she thought they were.
The plot of this book was extremely interesting, but the way
in which the story was told was very confusing. Because the
diary pages were interspersed with the rest of the book, it
became difficult to keep the generations separate and
remember that "Miranda" was the diary writer's sister and
Natasha's mother, for instance. And because
there was an extended family (which is realistic), this
problem increased as a new family member was introduced. I
also found the font used for the diary pages to be extremely
difficult to read.
Although there were many characters, none of them
were unbelievable, and all of them had separate voices,
which is quite a feat. The ending was completely
unpredictable, and I was quite satisfied with where the
characters were left -- everything was left as it should
have been.
A compelling and heartrending tale of lost love, family
secrets, and those little moments that can change your life
forever . . .
When Natasha Kapoor returns to her
grandparents’ idyllic coastal home for her beloved
grandmother’s funeral, her life is at a turning point. She
thought by now she’d be a successful jewelry designer in
London with a perfect marriage. Instead, she’s got mounting
bills and a soon-to-be ex.
After the funeral, Natasha’s
grandfather gives her the long-lost diary of her aunt
Cecily. No one in her large and complicated family has ever
discussed the tragic accident that took Cecily’s life as a
teenager, and within the diary’s pages, Natasha finds a
gripping and shocking tale of forbidden love, rivalry, and
heartbreak.
Nearly fifty years later, will Cecily’s diary
finally explain her family’s dark past and the terrible
secret her aunt left behind? Is it possible it’s just the
inspiration Natasha needs to take a fresh look at her
future, and maybe even give love a second chance?
Fans of
Jennifer Weiner and Emily Giffin will get hooked on
internationally bestselling author Harriet Evans’s warm,
witty, and absorbing novel filled with original, rootworthy
characters and complex family issues.
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