A House for Alice: From the Women’s Prize shortlisted author of Ordinary People

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And while the focus is then turned to particular people and it becomes somewhat easier to identify some of the characters, I've felt the writing has lost some of the lushness and the over detailed way everything was presented made for a slightly boring read. Alice went quickly to her freezer, her city of ice, the chicken in reserve, the random renditions of rice (puddings, jollof). The first part ends on what, for those unfamiliar with Diana Evans and her literary trait of always adding a slightly supernatural/ghost like element to all her novels – something which stems from the tragic loss of her own twin sister ( https://www. Whereas “Ordinary People” began with a moment of hope – and with a party attended by Michael and Melissa to celebrate the momentous election of Barack Obama, this novel begins on a note of horror – opening on the very day of the Grenfell Tower fire.

Evans glimpses something heroic in her middle-aged characters as they summon the wherewithal to square fading dreams with reality, but she imbues seventysomething Alice with fierce determination. A great work of vivid storytelling for fans of modern fiction that explores social and political issues and their impacts on family and society 4 Stars ✨.As the story progresses, we meet Alice’s children and their families and how they cope with the death in their family and Alice’s impending plans to leave – old wounds, resentments, and disappointments rise to the surface and what is left to be seen is whether the family is brought closer or does tragedy and loss tear them further apart.

There are references to current affairs too – the Windrush scandal, Harry and Meghan’s wedding, the “doomful cloud of Boris Johnson”. I've not read any of the authors other work and I had absolutely no idea about this when I started reading. Her second novel, The Wonder, was also published to critical acclaim, described by The Times as 'the most dazzling depiction of the world of dance since Ballet Shoes'. A House for Alice by Diana Evans is a well-written story that revolves around themes of family, tragedy, and how the definition of home can change over time.

This books is discussing a popular event but it is so recent and apparently not global that I spent more time figuring out what it was then paying attention to the book.