A woman is writing her life story.
She leaves school at 16 and falls in love, then, due to a misunderstanding, leaves the boy. She discovers she was adopted and the woman who has brought her up is actually her aunt, father unknown. She is fond of her step-father, but he works away from home a lot. She is close to her brother (who is now revealed to be her cousin) and to her grandmother, who is the only living family member whose relationship to her is unchanged. Grandmother shows her unopened letters and cards sent to her from her natural mother, who is estranged from the family.
Our heroine goes away to college and becomes a journalist. She throws herself into her work because of her disappointment with her first boyfriend and her belief that he let her down. She uncovers a scandal involving an MP which makes the news headlines. The revelations result in a high profile court case at which she has to give evidence. She is threatened that if she tells the truth her life will be endangered. She does not reveal everything she knows and the MP gets off. She turns to her family but they cannot help. She tries to find her real mother without success.
Her brother/cousin marries a single mother, which leads to our heroine meeting up with her first love again. The misunderstanding between them is resolved. They realise they are still in love with each other and they marry and have a child.
Whilst the woman’s life story is unfolding, it is interspersed with diary entries from what is happening in the present. She is attending another trial involving the MP, which again prompts fears for her safety, and for that of her family. She finally tracks down her natural mother and discovers the truth about her real father. She is given a vital piece of information which ensures her safety and a successful outcome to the trial.
© Julie Fielder, 17 October 2010
I really liked this - there's a lot going on and you've cleverly delayed the revelations to the end of the book - its very suspenseful. I'm in some doubt as to whether the present tense diary entries will not prove too disruptive to the flow of the narrative, but it will depend what it looks like when you begin writing it. Congratulations on what sounds like a promising start.
ReplyDeleteFor me, your hook came at the end. I like the idea of interspersing diary entries or a different perspective that makes sense as we go along. I'm currently reading Barbara Kingsolver, The Lacuna, which weaves in diary entries really well.
ReplyDeleteThe characters and the plot are intricately constructed and promise a riveting story. I wonder what the MP has been up to, something more than an expenses scandal, no doubt.
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