G1081 Book Review of The Last Pier by Roma Tearne
Author: Roma Tearne
ISBN: 978-1-91070-930-6
Publisher: Aardvark Bureau
Type of book: 1939, 1968, secrets, war, summertime, family, lies, spying, games, dancing, death, making peace, England, Italy, Arandora Star
Year it was published: 2015, 2019
Summary:
A beautiful, atmospheric novel about family, love, loss, and regret by a critically acclaimed author
How deep the summer had bitten into the land that last August, how cruelly it had burnt into earth and grass and air. What had started out as a pastel and water-faded spring turning so unexpectedly into a splintering, shimmering thing. All that had been required was a spark to cause a fire. Why had no one noticed?
The summer of 1939 broke the Maudsley family. Cecily was only 13-years-old and desperate to grow up; desperate to be as beautiful and desired and reckless as her older sister Rose. Now, in her 40s, the family resemblance is uncanny, but Cecily is a shadow of her former self. A part of her died that fateful summer. Returning to the deserted family farm as an adult, Cecily recalls the light before the storm, before the war came and before the terrible family tragedy. It was a summer of laughter and ice cream, promises and first love. She remembers her father’s unrequited love for her, her melancholy mother, and her brittle and argumentative aunt Kitty, and how everyone, somehow, was guarding a secret. None more so than the impossibly beautiful Rose. And in her childhood innocence, between snatches of misunderstood conversations, Cecily helps set in motion a chain of devastating events. Wandering through the family home 29 years later, Cecily hopes to lay some ghosts to rest but the past has yet to give up some shocking secrets.
Characters:
So there are a whole lot of characters that were important such as Cecily and Rose, then there are Cecily and Rose's parents as well as an aunt and an older brother. There is also an Italian family that owns a gellatto parlor and often supplies Maudsleys with ice scream. On top of that is the mysterious Robert Wilson, or Pinky (makes me think of Pinky and the Brain theme song) as the children call him and a boarder who escaped Germany by name of Tom. Rose is the mysterious older sister who rarely if ever listens to her family and is headstrong. Cecily has a need to know everything and tries to put everything together in a puzzle. The girls' parents are friendly to one another and there is often untold chemistry between some characters. There is of course the family from Italy which consists of two brothers and the younger brother's family. So yes, a large cast of characters that have very significant roles to play.
Theme:
Past is not what you think it is
Plot:
THE LAST PIER by Roma Tearne isn't an easy read, and when I say that I mean it doesn't match up to commercial novel writing. Past and present weave in and out in a blink of an eye, and the story of Cecily and her beautiful older sister Rose is far beyond the typical teenage rivals. The story also changes points of view rather quickly, especially in the past which can be a bit disconcerting for some readers because I imagine that many are used to having a warning when point of view shifts. The author will also not leave stones unturned and whatever questions the reader has, the author will answer them.
Author Information:
(From the book)
Roma Tearne is a Sri Lankan-born novelist, artist and film-maker. Her first novel, MOSQUITO, was shortlisted for the Costa First Book Award. She lives in Oxford.
Opinion:
To be honest, I'm having a difficult time figuring out the rating for the story, but first I have to judge it on how much I enjoyed as well as if there's anything that I got out of the story, and in truth there is plenty packed into the tale; jealousies, coming of age, waiting for a war to start and then reconciling past and present day in 1968, when Cecily returns home to war to put ghosts to rest and to unearth a few new hidden ghosts that she dared not dream of having existence. THE LAST PIER is truly a literary experience and deserves to be re-read multiple times. It also does a good job of capturing the pause between the important moments in beautiful and atmospheric language that lingers long past when senses cannot capture the essence of memory.
This was given for a review
5 out of 5
(0: Stay away unless a masochist 1: Good for insomnia 2: Horrible but readable; 3: Readable and quickly forgettable, 4: Good, enjoyable 5: Buy it, keep it and never let it go.)
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