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As a debut novel Gaby Koppel takes on a lot, and the fact that it does not quite live up to the ambitious is no discredit, plenty of more experienced writers have aimed for less and fallen further short.
The central character, Elizabeth, has a complex identity, in a dysfunctional relationship which seems to have been shaped as the counter point to her parents’ dysfunctional relationship – as we refuse to repeat our parents mistakes but we end up mirroring them? This aspect was the strongest, the dance of Elizabeth and her mother around each other felt very real.
Other plot lines didn’t work as well – the whole thing about the attempt to recover confiscated property fell flat for me when the priceless pictures turned up at their doorstep – I think it would have been a better book if those questions were left unanswered. Too many loose ends were rapidly tied up in the last couple of chapters. A book all about how life is not simple seemed to run out of pages and grab quick resolutions.
An aside – mid way through the book there a bit about Elizabeth’s partner suggesting they get married in a cute country church, and the Anglican inside me was shouting “what’s your qualifying connection???” the fact Elizabeth is (culturally if not religiously) Jewish in not an issue, the fact neither of them are local is!
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