Charity NormanBesprekingen

A dementia diagnosis reveals clues to a decades-old mystery in this new novel from the author of The Secrets of Strangers – Charity Norman’s third to be shortlisted for NZ’s Ngaio Marsh Awards.

Full Review at:  Newtown Review of Books

This book drew me right in from the first page and kept me reading into the wee hours.
The author introduces a disparate group of people. They all are early morning customers to the Tuckbox Cafe in busy London. They find themselves hostages and witnesses to the violent death of the cafe owner, Robert. He had always seemed a genial fellow although none knew him well. The gun wielding, Sam, appears highly distressed. crying "where is she? what have you done with her?". Who and what he is referring to is gradually revealed. The hostages form a tight bond with Sam as we learn each of their stories throughout the taut stand off. They along with the police negotiator, give thei all to try and bring a peaceful resolution. this proved a very sad story but gripping.½

Charity Norman blends family drama with mystery in her compelling novel, Remember Me.

When a phone call from a neighbour informs Emily Kirkland that her ageing father is in need of help, she reluctantly leaves her life in London and returns to her hometown, Tawanui on New Zealand’s North Island. Diagnosed with Alzheimers more than year earlier, Dr Felix Kirkland is no longer able to hide his deteriorating condition and Emily plans to stay just a few weeks to arrange for his ongoing care.

Emily’s return coincides with the upcoming 25th anniversary of the disappearance of her neighbour and friend, Dr. Leah Parata. Leah, an environmental scientist, headed into the Ruahine ranges on the edge of town for a two night hike when she was 26 years old and vanished, with no trace of her ever been found.

A committed physician and reserved man, too busy with his patients to have ever paid much attention to his children, Emily and Felix have never been close. She expects to swiftly move Felix into a local nursing home, as her elder twin siblings suggest, and begins the job of sorting out the house. The task, and Felix’s increasing candour as a result of his dementia, promotes a new intimacy between father and daughter, but when Emily finds a beanie in the bottom of a cupboard, which looks just like the one Leah was wearing when Emily last saw her on the day she disappeared, she’s suddenly afraid of what Felix may reveal.

I really liked the plot of Remember Me, and the way in which Norman skilfully weaved her two story threads together.

Norman thoughtfully explores the dynamic between father and daughter, and the changes wrought by Felix’s illness. His dementia-induced disinhibition reveals vulnerabilities that tempers some of Emily’s childhood resentments about their relationship, and there is a real sense of poignancy as Emily simultaneously finds, and loses, their connection as he declines.

When public interest in the mystery of Leah’s disappearance is renewed, Emily is at first puzzled and then anxious about her father’s reaction. I was caught up in the suspense as Emily, discovering evidence that suggests her dad could have been involved, is torn between her loyalty to her father, and to Leah’s family, who are still hoping for answers. I thought the bittersweet resolution worked well, and found it quite moving.

Norman’s writing is engaging and thoughtful, and though the pace of the novel is measured, Remember Me is an absorbing read.

I really enjoyed this novel. The author creates a strong sense of place with her depiction of a small rural community and very credible characters.
The Parata family have farmed a section of Dr Kirkland's property for many years. They have supported each other through the death and disappearance of loved ones. So when Emily Kirkland returns to look after her father Felix who has been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease, she is welcomed with affection by the remaining Parata family.

This narrator's British accents are all over the place and she keeps mispronouncing words in a way which suggests she has never come across them before, e.g. 'detritus'. My favourite is the description of a baby's birth weight as (imagine this read aloud): 'seven pounds and eight Oz'.

The novel itself was a mixed bag for me. In many ways I found it compelling, but it was quite slow and I found the ending distasteful, although I think the author intended it to be beautiful. The characterization of Emily's siblings was inconsistent, and Felix acted in completely bizarre and unbelievable ways.

On 17th June 1994 twenty-six-year-old Dr Leah Parata is about to hike into the Ruahine Range in New Zealand’s North Island for the weekend to continue her ecological study of the endangered Marchant’s snail. Before she does she calls into the local garage to buy a bar of chocolate from twenty-one-year-old Emily Kirkland. The two young women have known each other since Emily’s family emigrated from Leeds when she was six, becoming neighbours of the Parata family when they bought the homestead adjacent to the Parata’s farm. From their brief chat the reader learns that experienced hiker Leah isn’t concerned about the stormy conditions because she knows that the rain will bring the elusive snails out, and that Emily will soon be leaving Australia to go travelling in Ecuador. This brief prologue ends … ‘They never found Leah Parata. Not a boot, not a backpack, not a turquoise beanie. After she left me that day, she vanished off the face of the earth.’
The story then fast forwards twenty-five years to February 2019 when Emily, who now lives in London, has just returned to her family home. A month earlier she’d received a ‘middle of the night’ phone call from Leah’s mother Raewyn, informing her that Felix, her father and once the local GP, has just been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s and, as his behaviour is becoming increasingly unpredictable, decisions need to be made about his future care. Although her older siblings (twins Carmen and Eddie) still live in New Zealand, they claim their lives are too busy to care for him and think he should go into a care home, something he refuses to contemplate. So Emily, a single-mother whose twenty-two-year-old son Nathan has gone travelling with his girlfriend, agrees to take three weeks holiday to stay with her father and assess the situation.
Told through Emily’s first-person narrative, there are two main themes which are central to this multi-layered story. One explores the changing relationship with her father as they both face up to the life-changing and devastating effects of his dementia. Although she had always found him a rather cold and distant father and definitely hadn’t envisaged staying longer than three weeks, once she realises that he cannot possibly remain living on his own, relying only on long-term friend and neighbour Raewyn for support, she decides to extend her visit. The second theme centres on the mystery which surrounds Leah’s disappearance almost a quarter of a century earlier, leaving her mother Raewyn and younger brother Ira, as well as the wider community, haunted by unanswered questions about what happened to her. As the story gradually unfolds what becomes clear is that questions about the reliability of memory, and of uncovering long-held secrets, are just two of the threads which interlink both themes.
I found that Emily’s first-person narrative created such an immediate and powerful sense of intimacy to the story that I felt I was sharing every moment of her emotional roller-coaster of journey as she was faced not only with the day-by-day impact of her father’s failing memory, but with the inexorable progress of the dementia. Her struggles to try to make sense of some of the conversations he initiates, which seem urgent and important to him but make no sense to her, felt almost unbearably sad. I loved the portrayal of how, during the months of her extended stay, her relationship with him changed as she began to understand him better, to gradually feel closer to him and to support him in his wish to remain at home, in spite of pressure from her siblings to put him in care and sell the family home. I don’t know whether the author has any first-hand experience of living with someone who is suffering the ravages of dementia, but I was impressed by her deeply compassionate portrayal of the devastating effects of this cruel disease, not only on the sufferer but also on family and friends.
The devastating impact Leah’s disappearance had had, and continues to have, on her mother and younger brother Ira, is slowly revealed through Emily’s reminiscences about all members of the Parata family as she was growing up, as well as her reflections on what she discovers as she re-establishes her relationships with them following her return home. Through her superb characterisations of Raewyn and Ira the author managed to evoke something of the almost unimaginable horror of living for twenty-five years without knowing what had happened to their daughter/sister, capturing how, on a daily basis they needed to find the emotional resilience to carry on with their lives but, without answers, had been unable to grieve in any meaningful way. But, as if that wasn’t enough for any family to have to bear, there’s a parallel uncertainty they’ve been living with for even longer. In March 1992, after suffering several years of increasingly distressing symptoms, Raewyn’s husband Manu, had died of Huntington’s disease, an inherited neurodegenerative condition. Knowing there’s a fifty percent chance that he’s inherited the faulty gene, but not wanting to know for certain what the future has in store, Ira has decided not to risk having a long-term relationship or children. The author’s portrayal of what it’s like for a family to not only watch a loved-one suffer but to then face living with the fear that the condition has already been passed to the next generation, was as impressive and compassionate as her reflections on living with Alzheimer’s.
The powerful sense of place the author evoked, capturing both the beauty and the remote, wild vastness of the mountain range into which Leah had disappeared without trace, added a much-appreciated dimension to her captivating storytelling. Although I’d guessed what lay behind Leah’s mysterious disappearance quite early on in the story (there are a number of pointers) that didn’t lessen the emotional impact of this sensitively written story. Whilst there were many moments when I found it hauntingly sad, it never felt depressing to spend time in the company of these well-drawn, eminently memorable characters and to celebrate the power of love and friendship.
With thanks to Readers First and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

May contain spoilers

2019, Emily, who has been living in England for some years goes back home to New Zealand to care for her father Felix. 1994 and Leah a friend of Emily's goes hiking and is never to be seen again.

I read this book but I have to say I found it so slow. Nothing much happens for the majority of the story. Emily comes home and cares for her father, meets up with people she knows, and there is the disappearance of Leah talked about. That basically is it.

I did get to find out what happened to Leah which is revealed at the end of the story. Nothing I guessed but by this point I didn't care much either.

For me this story was slow. I also found it quite depressing too with some of the issues raised in the story, like alzheimers and assisted suicide. The story does pull at the heart strings don't get me wrong I just found it a bit depressing.

Thank you to the publisher via Readers First for the book to review.

NZ-based Charity Norman’s sixth novel is her second to be shortlisted for Best Crime Novel in the Ngaio Marsh Awards. Full review at Newtown Review of Books

I’m flummoxed by all the praise! I didn’t believe the storyline, the characters were, for me, two dimensional and made silly decisions for no good reason, and the pacing was just plain odd. Still, everyone else loved it, so I must be missing something!

Mild spoiler alert only! I would recommend this to someone who is trying to learn about what it might be like to be trans. I don't think I would recommend it to someone who actually was trans. It was a good story with believable and interesting characters, and the author managed to convey a lot of information without it being too much of a 101 disguised as a novel (unlike "Juliet takes a Breath," for example).
Content warning: violence

By page twenty-six of this compelling story the reader has not only been introduced to four of the key characters but also knows that the owner of the café, who now lies dying from his wounds, was the gunman’s target. What then follows is a tension-filled and emotional story about a group of strangers who suddenly find themselves united by having the misfortune of being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Most of the customers escape in the immediate aftermath of the shooting and some of the more vulnerable hostages are later released, leaving the story to be told through the different narrative voices of six characters: Sam, the gunman, the four remaining hostages, Abi, a young defence barrister, Neil, a homeless man in his fifties, Mutesi, a care assistant from Rwanda and Rosie, a waitress from the café who is hiding in a cupboard and, finally, DI Eliza McClean, the police negotiator whose job it is to establish a dialogue with Sam so that everyone can be brought out alive.
Although using a group of disparate characters to tell a story and to gradually reveal their individual back story, is not uncommon in psychological thrillers, I think that the author’s mostly well-paced revelations makes this novel an impressive addition to the genre. Although a number of the disclosures came as no surprise to me, as I’d so quickly felt emotionally-engaged with her well-drawn characters, this did little to spoil my enjoyment of the story. I’m not going to go into any detail about any of their stories because most enjoyment of the story-telling comes from the slow drip-feed of information, revealing how the characters’ past experiences have affected them and are now influencing their reactions to the terrifying situation into which they’ve been thrust. I was impressed with the author’s convincing portrayal of the different ways in which each of them reacted to being so randomly caught up in this life-threatening situation, the ways in which their reactions changed as, with almost palpable slowness, the hours of captivity passed and as fear and anger gave way to a more compassionate response to the gunman once the hostages were able to understand what had driven him to this violent act. The Stockholm Syndrome scenario could have felt rather clichéd but I thought it was handled in a convincing way and the eventual resolution of the siege felt entirely credible.
However, it was not only in the café that the atmosphere was fraught with tension, this was also reflected in the police incident room. I found Eliza’s narrative fascinating because it enabled insights into the delicate balancing act any negotiator must face when attempting to establish a rapport with an unknown, unpredictable character, ever-mindful that the lives of the hostages hang in the balance. The mounting stress of dealing not only with the gunman, but also with pressures from other members of the team who are pressing for a speedy resolution, if necessary by force, was very evocatively portrayed, as was the impact such a role has on members of the negotiator’s family.
As I was reading there were moments when I felt that the pace of the story-telling was rather slow and that tension wasn’t being maintained but, on reflection, I think that this unevenness probably captured an accurate portrayal of what happens in any real-life hostage situation, that moments of inertia and boredom do co-exist with moments of terror and uncertainty.
This is the first of Charity Norman’s novels which I’ve read but, judging by this one, she’s a talented story-teller so I’m left feeling tempted to look at some of her earlier books.
With thanks to Readers First and Allen &Unwin for sending me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This is a fabulous story. It centres around a hostage situation in a cafe in London. A young man storms in all guns blazing, kills the owner and then keeps the customers captive. All is not as it seems, though. It’s very much a character based tale and we get to know the histories behind each person.

It’s certainly a moving story and I did shed a tear at the end. It’s beautifully and sensitively written. It’s such an emotional rollercoaster! I was so invested in the lives of the characters, they almost felt like family. It was quite a heartbreaking scenario and I think the author did a brilliant job of portraying the tension, the angst, the frustration and eventually the calmness of all concerned. The title says ‘secrets’ but ultimately it’s about the kindness of strangers. I read this book via the Pigeonhole app and thoroughly every stave. I was eager to know the conclusion but, at the same time, I was sad to turn the final page and leave these wonderful characters behind. Highly recommended.

On an ordinary weekday morning, an irate young man storms into a London cafe, raises a shotgun and fires twice at the proprietor. Staff and patrons scatter in fear, but an unlucky few find themselves trapped with the gunman.

In the hours that follow, as the police negotiator attempts to broker an end to the standoff, the remaining hostages - a nurse, a barrister, and a homeless man - form an extraordinary bond as they try to make sense of the situation they are in, and prevent an escalation of the violence.

Tense, provocative, and emotionally charged, this well-written character driven novel unfolds from multiple perspectives as the author slowly reveals the circumstances that has led to this shocking crisis. I’m loathe to reveal any details of The Secrets of Strangers that make this such an engrossing read as Norman takes an unexpected path to shed light on the motivation of the hostage-taker, and the lives of those caught up in his crazed action.

As with Charity Norman’s previous novels that I’ve read - Second Chances, The Son In Law, and The Secret Life of Luke Livingston - The Secrets of Strangers explores humanity’s weaknesses and strengths in the face of tragedy.

I really enjoyed this book, it well written with likeable characters and a good storyline

I have loved all of Charity Normans books and this one is no exception
Beautifully written the story about gender disorientation has given me an insight into this condition and certainly helped me to understand a little bit of how it feels for the trans gender person
Highly recommended

Well this was my first book of 2014 and I really enjoyed it.
A good story and excellent characters

Absolutely loved this book, it was hard to put down.

It's a scenario that plenty of families deal with every day. Teenager's off to spend their gap year travelling in far flung locations - in this case British backpacker Cassy heading to New Zealand with her boyfriend for a short break before returning to her best friend's wedding, study and a normal life. When Cassy gets to New Zealand, however, normality becomes a split with her boyfriend, a chance encounter with some very welcoming people in a van, and years away from home, a life in the midst of a cult in the beautiful, and isolated wilds, of New Zealand.

Research about the ways in which people are beguiled into cult life must have been done for SEE YOU IN SEPTEMBER, as the slip into the life is seamless and cleverly done. There are points where the reader is almost as bewitched as Cassy - the lifestyle is gentle, friendly and stress-less. The people are inviting, non-judgemental and seemingly blissfully happy with their living arrangements. It doesn't, initially, even feel like a cult - this is a community that's welcoming, enveloping and then it's controlling and threatening and very discomforting. But by that stage Cassy is embedded and her parents impotent from such a distance, desperate.

Vulnerable and controllable, Cassy's exactly the sort of young woman that you'd expect to be pulled into this scenario which makes this slightly less punchy than it should be - that and a tension arc that gets a bit bogged down at points with a tendency to belabour points that are pretty self-evident. Whilst this detracts a little from the pace and ultimate tension of SEE YOU IN SEPTEMBER, overall the novel makes up for that with a fascinating depiction of a young, vulnerable woman all too suspectible to an ideology of acceptance, the promise of a perfect life, happy to give no thought to the ease with which she might have found it.

https://www.austcrimefiction.org/review/see-you-september-charity-norman

A fraught and emotional journey by a family whose lives are blown apart by a tragic event which affected all their lives. Set in Yorkshire and surrounds, the story is beautifully written and the characters are real and well crafted.

Very powerful and emotional story.The grandparents of the children, reminded me of a couple I know, so acutely written by Charity Norman.

Who would have thought that emigrating to New Zealand could be so traumatic? Of course, if you're leaving nearest and dearest behind it's always going to be a wrench, but this novel brings to life a whole new menace. Whilst doing so it does justice to the expectations of wildly beautiful terrain and a different culture and way of life.

There was a point when the similarity between this and another book I read recently ("The Ice Twins" by SK Tremayne) troubled me - I mean how many books can there be in which a twin falls head first from a residential balcony? I also feared, from the way the story was going, that the final reveal was going to be much the same. But I feared needlessly, because this story has many a twist and turn that you don't expect.

I found the final chapter stretched credibility a mite, but that was only a very minor negative for me - this book was immensely well written and had me gripped throughout.

As the blurb pretty much describes Luke's dilemma it is not a spoiler to state that this is a book about gender dysphoria. I had seen the book advertised but can't say I was particularly drawn to it, however I received a copy from Real Readers to review so the decision was taken out of my hands. All I can say is, I was so glad it was. This is one of the best books I've read this year. Despite my initial misgivings I was drawn in straight away and couldn't put it down.

After 55 years Luke decides that enough is enough. Despite being married for 30 years with a grown up son and daughter, he has always hidden the fact that inside he has felt he was a woman. While he loves his wife and his family, he feels incomplete and as he knows 'coming out' would hold them up to ridicule and destroy what he has, he decides to commit suicide. However he confides this to a random stranger on a train who suggests he thinks again. For whatever reason he does and instead decides to bear all to his family.

The book then follows Luke's journey from Luke to Lucia with alternating chapters giving the viewpoints of his distraught wife, his horrified and unsympathetic son and his shocked but sympathetic daughter. It is a story well told, that really gets to the heart of gender dysphoria and how it must feel to live your life in a body that you feel doesn't belong to you. I was totally engaged with the plot and really rooting for things to work out for Luke, and his family. As well as realistically portraying a family in crisis it also highlighted the ignorance and prejudice that can be found in our society despite our alleged sexual enlightenment. As to whether Luke and his family can resolve their differences I urge you to read this book and find out for yourself.

This is a thought provoking read and would make an ideal book for reading groups as it raises so many topics for discussion. I cannot recommend it highly enough and thank Real Readers for forcing my hand to read this, it was a brilliant read.

I loved the Hawke's Bay, New Zealand setting. A very powerful story of a family's struggle with a methamphetimine addicted child. Set in recent times and very real. An excellent read. Cannot wait to read Second Chances.

A sensitive and at times heartbreaking story of a child offered for adoption.

Well written but the subject, gender dysphoria, didn't interest me.