The Trick to Time

Mona is the central character in this book and she lives in Birmingham, crafting beautiful and unique dolls for reasons which are not entirely clear at the start. Mona is approaching her 60th birthday but she has a story to tell. This is told in alternate chapters which recount her life growing up in Ireland and then moving to England and meeting, and marrying, William, the love of her life.

I loved this book. I loved the writing style, the characters, the story and, ultimately, the ending. It is easy to read, with a gentle but nonetheless gripping storyline. There is an air of mystery throughout which provides added interest. The main characters are well developed, endearing and come alive as individuals, some having very quirky and eccentric character traits that bring humour to the table. When I first finished the book I was totally baffled by the ending. It didn’t seem to make any sense. After further investigation and a lot of thinking, it all became clear. And it is very clever indeed. There is one sentence earlier in the book which is crucial to understanding the solution and, when you reach it, you will pass it by as it is deliberately cryptic. Funnily enough, I paused at this sentence as there was something slightly clumsy about its construction, inconsistent with the rest of the writing. However, it was not significant enough for me to remember it when I was trying to figure out what on earth happened in the final few pages. I love the fact that the author does not spell everything out for you and that you have to work it out for yourself (or look it up on the internet!!). In a similar vein, who on earth is Arthur Samuel Fielding? He is alluded to once, and once only, during the course of the novel, but never explained. When you have finished the book, try and remember to think back to this venerable gentleman and you will realise who he was.

Was there anything I didn’t like about this book? No, I don’t think there was.

I would recommend this book to anybody who likes a thoroughly good read. Apparently this is Kit de Waal’s second novel and I will certainly be looking out for her debut.

An absolutely gorgeous read with so much depth and texture to it. In parts I laughed out loud, in others the tragedy was gut wrenching. It's beautifully written and acutely observed with some memorable characters and situations, good and bad. Highly recommended.