I thought I knew what to expect when I picked up this book...boy was I wrong. And glad. Remember the movie "The Sixth Sense"? If someone told you the plot twist before you saw it, they completely ruined the experience. This book is like that. Don't let anyone fill you in ahead of time (fingers in ears...all together now...LALALALA).
Lord knows it's rare enough to come across a novel where the story takes a turn that catches you off guard & it should be savoured.
Having said that, the difficulty lies in writing a review that will entice you to read it without giving things away (I see one reviewer has done that & they should be smacked).
What an impressive debut. At its' heart, this is the story of a sister & brother. They grew up in 19th century Yorkshire & had a tough childhood. Due to a deceased mother & largely absent father, Charlotte, the eldest, took over caring for James. Previous generations blew through most of the family fortune so they live in genteel poverty in the crumbling Aiskew Hall with the cook & gardener. Governesses come & go until circumstances force them to move in with an elderly aunt.
For the first time they are separated as James is sent away to school. He's socially awkward & this doesn't improve much as he attends Oxford with dreams of becoming a published poet. After graduating, he goes to London & shares living quarters with Christopher Paige who has fallen out of favour with his wealthy family.