Melody Browne is in her early thirties, single mum to teenage son Edward and dinner lady at a local school. On her first date in years, she goes to see a hypnotist and is chosen to get up on stage. But during the hypnosis, something strange happens to Melody. The first 9 years of her life, of which she has absolutely no recollection of, are suddenly awakened in her memory. Melody is about to embark on a journey of discovery, and find she isn't who she thought she was.
I was really excited to finally get my hands on this book. I'm a big fan of Lisa Jewell and as a rule, always enjoy her books. My favourite so far was 'One Hit Wonder' which was bought for me a good few Christmas's ago. What I really like about her books is that while being predominantly chick-lit, they have a uniqueness about them and aren't afraid to tackle the grimmer aspects of life. I'd also read some very positive reviews, so as soon as it became available at the library I headed down to pick it up and began reading straightaway. From the moment I opened this book I was absolutely hooked. I was already interested by the premise when I first heard about the book, however I wasn't prepared for the fantastic story I found within it's pages.
Melody was instantly easy to like and relate to. Unlike a lot
of chick-lit authors, whose protagonists are usually glamorous, rich and successful- a world away from myself, I find that Lisa Jewell's female lead characters are real and solid. This was certainly the case with Melody who came across as familiar and approachable as anyone I have met. In the first few pages we are introduced to a 9 year old Melody, awakening from unconsciousness after a house fire with no memory of her former years at all, and a thirty three year old Melody who has had a child very young, worked hard to live a stable and steady life, but who has concerns about her own identity now her son is almost grown up. I was both intrigued by the mystery of the house fire and Melody's memory loss and connected with adult Melody immediately.
As Melody starts to have flashbacks and regain her memory, a very complex and touching story unfurls. I wasn't expecting anything quite so serious and was constantly surprised with the way the book would go. I think I was expecting something more fluffy, along the lines of Sophie Kinsella's book - Remember Me? However I was completely wrong. In this book Lisa Jewell tackles some very serious subjects, such as child loss, depression and the effects of a marriage break-up on children. I thought that this was done in a particularly human and realistic way and was at times very sad and touching, while also managing to be warm, humorous and loving.
The book is told in the third person, usually from Melody's view point and switches between Now and the past. I usually prefer stories which are deeply human to be told in the first person, to let me really get inside a characters thoughts and feelings. However in this book I felt the third person narrative was perfect. It didn't leave me feeling that Melody's feelings were glossed over and allowed me to understand the secondary characters who were vital to the story. I particularly thought the sections in Melody's past were extremely well written. I could sense the vulnerability of Melody and feel her crying out for love, but could also empathise with other characters too. I really loved how the characters were introduced slowly and sketchily, just as Melody's memories are, meaning each one was a mystery and it really did feel that as a reader, I was on the journey of discovery with Melody.
I do have one very small criticism though. I didn't have a problem following the time switches between past and present, they where easily identifiable by either the year we are visiting in the past, or the word ' NOW ' when we are reading from adult Melody's life. However, Melody's flashbacks come separate from these visits to the past. For example, we may have learned about a significant event in her past two chapters ago, but adult Melody will have the flashback of the memory way after that. I found this a bit distracting and it made the story seem a little scattered to me. I prefer an orderly approach, and think I would have liked the flashback and memory followed by the visit to the relative time in the past. This was a very tiny distraction though, and one I am almost picking up on just to add a criticism.
If I've made the book sound like a depressing, mis-lit book then I must stress it most certainly is not. It does tackle some very emotive and difficult subjects but is never upsetting or depressing. I think Lisa Jewell has achieved in this book the perfect balance of serious subjects and and an entertaining and beautifully real, optimistic story. She has created characters that are easy to care about, an intriguing storyline full of twists and turns, and an ending that will leave you smiling...perfect! Ok, some parts of the story are a little far fetched, the way the wonderful ending just slots into place for example, but sometimes happy ever after is a good thing, I know I felt uplifted by the end.
I absolutely loved this book, and devoured the 326 pages in less than 24 hours. I already really liked Lisa Jewell as an author, however I think this book has just propelled her to one of my favourites and has definitely overtook 'One Hit Wonder' as my favourite of her work. If you have enjoyed Lisa Jewell books in the past, then I recommend this highly, it's her best yet.
~ Other Information ~
The Truth About Melody Browne by Lisa Jewell Published in 2009 by Century ISBN 978-1-846-05572-0 RRP £11.99 Pages 326
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
Over 300 pages in 24 hours? It would take me about 24 months to be able to squeeze it in !! Well reviwed although probably more to my wifes tastes than mine.
jo-1976 24.09.2009 22:13
This sounds like a book I'd enjoy. Added to my ever-growing wishlist! x
When she was nine years old Melody Browne's house burned down taking every toy every ... more
photograph every item of clothing and old Christmas card with it. But not only did the fire destroy all her possessions it took with it all her memories - Melody ...
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