The House of Memories
by
Monica McInerney
Following a tragic accident, Ella O'Hanlon flees to the other side of the world in an attempt to escape her grief, leaving behind the two people she blames for her loss: Aidan, the love of her life, and Jess, her spoilt half-sister. In London Ella is taken in by her beloved uncle Lucas, whose extraordinary house holds many wonderful memories for her. Along with other members of the very colourful Fox family, Lucas helps Ella to see that she is not the only one still hurting, and that forgiveness can be the greatest healer in a family and in a marriage. For anyone who has ever loved and lost, this is an exquisitely moving and life-affirming novel.
What a beautiful read this was, I couldn't stop once I'd started. It was heartbreaking in places - I don't often cry when reading, but this had me in tears. There was plenty of humour too, to balance things out. The story was written with such warmth and depth, I felt like the cast were all family members by the end, and although Jess still struck me as being thoroughly spoilt, I did at least have more sympathy for her by the end of the story - a testament to the skill of the author! I'm so glad there are lots more Monica McInerney books I can get stuck into and am off to download another right now.
