Ilsa Evans
Auteur de Nefarious Doings: A Nell Forrest Mystery 1
A propos de l'auteur
Ilsa Evans is the author of Forbidden Fruit: A Nell Forrest Mystery which was shortlisted for a Davitt Award 2015 in the Adult Novel category. (Bowker Author Biography)
Séries
Œuvres de Ilsa Evans
Flying The Coop: A Free Range Tree Change or Has She Made the Worst Mistake of Her Life (2007) 29 exemplaires
Étiqueté
Partage des connaissances
- Date de naissance
- 1960
- Sexe
- female
- Nationalité
- Australia
- Lieux de résidence
- Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
- Études
- Monash University (BA Hons / Dip. Ed. / PhD)
- Professions
- author
Membres
Critiques
Prix et récompenses
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Auteurs associés
Statistiques
- Œuvres
- 15
- Membres
- 214
- Popularité
- #104,033
- Évaluation
- 3.6
- Critiques
- 24
- ISBN
- 39
Upon their mother’s sudden death, the task of disseminating and disposing of Enid’s belongings is left to her daughters, Kathryn, Georgette and Annie, whom she privately thought of as The Sorter, The Settler and The Sook. Gathering at their childhood home Kat, the eldest of the three, is prepared with an agenda and colour coded stickers, plus a sensible plan for the immediate care of their brother Harry, who is unable to live independently. The youngest, Annie, immediately resents her sister taking charge and seems overly concerned about getting her share, while George just wants to get through the week without breaking down completely.
There’s plenty of emotion in Family Baggage, fuelled largely by raw grief. Fond reminiscences give way to reignited resentments, Annie in particular seems determined to find fault with her sisters, annoying Kat, and bewildering George. Evans deftly captures the complicated relationship between the women, who may be in their fifties, but tend to interact with each other as if they are still children, a regression anyone with a sibling will likely relate to.
George’s discovery of her mother’s journal introduces an element of mystery to the novel. The entries eventually expose facets of Enid’s life that shocks her daughters, who react in different ways, triggering more conflict. Learning her mother’s secrets leads George in particular to reflect on her own life, and the choices she has made as a woman, a wife, and a mother. This prompted me to ponder the narrow view I have of my own mother, and that my children, now young adults, probably have of me.
Well timed humour is used to good effect, cutting through the tension that often permeates the novel. I also delighted in the oblique references to Evans’ Majic series (which was a favourite of mine).
A moving and thought-provoking novel, Family Baggage is an engaging read.… (plus d'informations)