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| Penguin 2016 |
Reminiscent of the style of
Daphne du Maurier, Black Rabbit Hall’s air of Gothic mystery invokes the long
forgotten summer of 1969, when everything changed for the Alton family.
The four Alton children, Amber,
Toby, Barney and Kitty, spend idyllic summers at Pencraw Hall in Cornwall,
which due to its proliferation of rabbits, is known locally as Black Rabbit
Hall. They spend cheerful carefree days running wild as only children can,
sharing games, building dens, chasing rabbits and squabbling amongst
themselves. But even the most idyllic paradise is not without tragedy and on
the night of a great storm something happens which will change the lives of the
Alton children forever. Thirty years later, Lorna and her fiancé, Jon are
looking for the perfect wedding venue and Pencraw Hall, whilst far from
perfect, seems to reach out to Lorna, although she doesn’t know why.
What then follows is an
interesting family saga which looks, at both the Alton story and Lorna’s
connection to it. The mystery at the heart of the novel is nicely explored and
whilst the story seems rather slow and languid at times, it does nurture a real
sense of atmosphere. The faded grandeur of Black Rabbit Hall becomes almost as
much a character in the novel as the people and I enjoyed exploring its dark
and shadowy corners, and of course, speculated on the mystery which was being
revealed, piece by tantalising piece.
There is much to enjoy within the
story, as the author does a commendable job of recreating the past. The secrets
and lies at the heart of the novel are well explored and both the older and the
more modern parts of the story come together well. In the hands of this
competent author, the mystery of Black Rabbit Hall, which has been hidden for
thirty years, is about to be revealed.
Best Read with…. glasses of ice cold milk and fat
pieces of Peggy’s ginger cake.
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My thanks to Penguin and Lovereading.co.uk Reading Panel
for my review copy of Black Rabbit Hall
Available to buy online and at all good books shops from the 19th May 2016
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