Trespass, Gentlemen and Players and After You'd Gone

I love the writing of Rose Tremain that it sometimes doesn't matter that the story is a little lightweight as it is here. The setting of rural southern France is quite evocative, beautifully described and well compared with affluent London. The five main characters are middle aged so, although that I could relate to, the story of their colliding lives seemed a little trite. Anthony Verey leaves London to stay with his sister and her lady friend. But he is a pretty pathetic character given that he is a wealthy antiques dealer. And the two women are not much better. More interesting are another brother and sister, estranged in houses on the same plot of land. Their story is fascinating. Not a lot happens, but what does is told with great style and emotion. Trespass is an enjoyable read.

Gentlemen and Players is a highly original novel by Joanne Harris. The setting of an old boy's grammar school and the eruption of a long harboured grudge appealed to me. What we have is a black comedy, told in alternate chapters by two highly engaging characters. Roy Straitley is nearing retirement, but his wit and experience are legendary. We are happy in his warm and funny company. The new teacher is Chris Keane, but he tells his story with growing malice. The other teachers and pupils are well described, but I could have done with a who's-who list beside me. As the story unfolds with twists and turns of the plot (both current and in the past), the story darkens to it's gripping climax. And I couldn't wait to see what happens at the end.

I was going to buy Maggie O'Farrell's well received latest book "The Hand That First Held Mine", but browsing in Waterstone's I came across her first novel "after you'd gone", and I thought it might be a light read for the holiday. In the end it turns out to be an absorbing modern day tale of families and relationships that are far from comfortable. Alice Raikes is in a coma, having stepped out in front of a car following a journey to see her sisters in Edinburgh that sees her back on the train to London almost immediately after meeting them. The answers to this big mystery unfold with gripping panache and terrific writing. How can a debut novel be so good?