Clare Empson

This was such an emotional read, Luke was adopted at birth, he found out when he was eight and when he was a lot older decides to contact his birth mother. They get on well initially, but when Alice offers to look after Luke’s son Samuel Luke starts feeling pushed aside, can they get past it?
Told in two time frames, the past when Alice was a young girl and the present day. I thought this was a good touch as I felt I got to know both Luke and Alice equally. I felt almost every emotion going while reading it and I keep thinking about it now I have finished. I think it will stay with me for a long time.
Clare Empson wrote this beautifully, it flowed well and kept my attention throughout. It really was a remarkable book.… (meer)

I was a huge fan of Clare Empson's first book, Him. It was one of my top reads of last year. I couldn't wait to read Mine but I did wonder, having read the synopsis, whether it would have the same impact for me personally that Him did. I didn't need to wonder, I should have just trusted in Empson's abilities. I absolutely loved Mine!

The book begins with Luke, 27, and his birth mother, Alice, meeting for the first time. Luke, like many adopted children, has always felt out of step with his adopted family. He gets on well with Alice and so does his wife, Hannah, so they decide to ask her to look after their baby, Samuel, when Hannah goes back to work. It seems like a good idea but despite their genetic closeness, Luke doesn’t really know anything about Alice.

I think the synopsis made me think this was going to be a psychological thriller, and there are certainly lots of psychological aspects to it, but it's so much more. It gets right to the heart of emotions and difficult reunions. The story is told in alternating chapters. We hear from Luke in 2000 but we also see Alice in 1972 and we find out what led her to give him up for adoption. It's when it's all put together in context that the pieces really slot together.

What made Him special for me was the beautifully written love affair contained within the pages and that's the major reason I didn't know if Mine would affect me in the same way. However, I was thrilled to find that Empson has again written the affecting story of intense love, heartbreak and loss that I was hoping for. Reader, I cried. The books that stay with me make me cry. Mine will definitely stay with me.

Clare Empson is most definitely an author who I will read without knowing anything about the story. She's so intuitive, and is able to take a dark story and deliver it with feeling. I was utterly gripped by Mine from beginning to end.… (meer)

Meine Meinung
Ich lese sehr selten Romane über die Liebe, da mir die meisten zu verklärt und zu süß sind. Dieser hier ist anders.

Nach der Buchbeschreibung war mir klar, das hier ist eher ein Drama, ein Liebesdrama wegen einem Geheimnis, das ich aufdecken wollte. Konnte mich das Geheimnis und die Geschichte überzeugen? Oftmals mag ich auch den Schluss eines solchen Romans nicht. Hier aber wurde ich glücklicherweise nicht enttäuscht!

Die Autorin erzählt die Geschichte von Catherine und Lucian in drei Handlungssträngen, ausgehend vom “Jetzt” aus Catherines Sicht. Den Leser*innen ist sogleich bewusst, etwas Schlimmes passiert ist, doch was könnte das sein?

Der zweite Handlungsstrang geht fünfzehn Jahre zurück und ist ebenso aus Catherines Sicht in der Ich-Form geschrieben. Wir lernen dadurch das junge Liebespaar kennen, ihre Freunde und ihr Leben, bevor alles abrupt endete.

Und dann kommt der dritte und letzte Handlungsstrang, der vier Monate, ausgehend aus dem “Jetzt”, in die Vergangenheit führt. Eine nahe Vergangenheit, in der immer wieder der Blickwinkel wechselt. Catherine und Lucian erzählen in der Ich-Form von ihrer zweiten Begegnung, die alles verändert. Durch diesen Teil nähert man sich langsam der Gegenwart, dem Geheimnis und dem Ende, das den Anfang verbindet.

Diese Erzählweise erzeugt maximale Spannung und ließ mich tatsächlich das Buch nicht mehr aus den Händen legen. Innerhalb von drei Tagen war die Geschichte ausgelesen.

Ich fühlte die Verbundenheit beider Protagonisten. Sprachlich schafft es Clare Empson die Leser*innen mitzunehmen und Emotionen zu wecken. Die aufkeimende Hoffnung auf ein gutes Ende lässt sich trotz des Wissens, dass es wohl keines geben wird, nicht unterdrücken.

Ich fragte mich öfters, was eigentlich wirklich wichtig ist im Leben. Clare Empson verwebt die Frage, wie egoistisch man als als Frau, Ehefrau und Mutter sein darf, wenn die Partnerschaft und die Familie einen nicht (mehr) ausfüllt.

Die Autorin schafft es trotz der drei Handlungsstränge den roten Faden nicht zu verlieren. Sie eröffnet keine unnötigen Nebenschauplätze, die die eigentliche Geschichte nur aufbauschen und / oder lediglich verschönern.

Die Auflösung des Geheimnisses, des Grundes für die einstige Trennung hatte ich zu keiner Zeit erwartet. Es ist ein ernstes Thema, über das niemals geschwiegen werden darf, wie es die Protagonistin viele Jahre über gemacht hat.


Fazit
Ein gelungenes Debüt aus dem Bereich dramatische Liebesgeschichte. Für alle, die auch mal etwas lesen wollen, das das Herz berührt aber nicht zu verklärt ist.… (meer)

Him by Clare Empson begins with Catherine driven mute by earlier events. I was intrigued by the premise and wondered what triggered her to withdraw so far into herself. As the novel jumps back and forth in time, the events that lead to the mutism four months previously are slowly but surely brought to the surface.

Catherine and Lucian fell in love at university, their relationship was relatable and their mutual infatuation believable. Welcomed into Lucian's elite circle of friends, their unexpected breakup took a toll on Lucian and the reason behind it is one of the novel's mysteries.

Told in a multitude of timeframes: now, 4 months earlier, 15 years earlier and from the perspectives of both Catherine and Lucian, the narrative did feel somewhat jumpy and disjointed as a result.

I didn't feel terribly invested in either of the main characters and found the supporting characters to be either vacuous or vulnerable. Their rich lifestyles may interest some readers, but I couldn't help but roll my eyes at their behaviour (now and then) and sense of entitlement.

While I had very little empathy for Catherine, I did care for one of the characters and found her unique story quite moving. Catherine's mutism almost frustrated me as much as it did her husband, and the big 'reveal' or denouement wasn't really worth the reader investment or the build up in my view.

Him is a story of obsessive love, lies, secrets and regrets populated by wealthy young people battling addictions and depression trying to find real love.

* Copy courtesy of Hachette Australia competition *… (meer)