The Still Point
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By Amy Sackville
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1 review
At the turn of the twentieth century, Arctic explorer Edward Mackley sets out to reach the North Pole and vanishes into the icy landscape without a trace. He leaves behind a young wife, Emily, who awaits his return for decades, her dreams and devotion gradually freezing into rigid widowhood. A hundred years later, on a sweltering mid-summer’s day, Edward’s great-grand-niece Julia moves through the old family house, attempting to impose some order on the clutter of inherited belongings and memories from that ill-fated expedition, and taking care to ignore the deepening cracks within her own marriage.But as afternoon turns into evening, Julia makes a discovery that splinters her long-held image of Edward and Emily’s romance, and her husband Simon faces a precipitous choice that will decide the future of their relationship.Sharply observed and deeply engaging, The Still Point is a powerful literary debut, and a moving meditation on the distances – geographical and emotional – that can exist between two people.
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The still point is a beautiful and evocative novel that tells the story of a doomed nineteenth century arctic explorer. The story is set in the present time on a long hot summers day, Julia is reading her grandfather's diaries. During the course of the day Julia's learns of a devastating family secret that changes her perception of her family. The writing is very descriptive and really captures your imagination particularly the way the hot sultry summer's day is contrasted with the icy cold of the polar arctic landscape. This is debut novel from an author to watch.
