Amazon:
One summer.
One house.
One family learning to love again.
Cate Morris and her son, Leo, are homeless, adrift. They’ve packed up the boxes from their London home, said goodbye to friends and colleagues, and now they are on their way to ‘Hatters Museum of the Wide Wide World – to stay just for the summer. Cate doesn’t want to be there, in Richard’s family home without Richard to guide her any more. And she knows for sure thatAraminta, the retainer of the collection of dusty objects and stuffed animals, has taken against them. But they have nowhere else to go. They have to make the best of it.
But Richard hasn’t told Cate the truth about his family’s history. And something about the house starts to work its way under her skin.
Can she really walk away, once she knows the truth?
My reading experience:
A compelling, enchanting, diverse, and woven tale that sews a quilt of genaeology, family dynamics, innocence, loyalty, community and antiquities.
Cate and her son Leo are made homeless from their flat in London. Circumstances that have led to this moment are heavy, laden with happiness, guilt, sorrow, loneliness and despair. But Cate is a beacon of hope, she will not be beaten – a true fighter, our protagonist is intrepid, she will carry on. This feistiness and strength drew me to her, and even when she proves to be human, making human decisions and ultimately mistakes, it only makes her more endearing. The two of them make their way to Hatters, the family home and museum, yes, museum. It is here that Leo finds his feet, and Cate unravels her husbands past.
Although this is an easy read, the story is rich in layers and absolutely fascinating.
I thoroughly recommend this new book by Anstey Harris. I have also reviewed her first novel here.
Appletree Books 