Kerry Barrett's latest book: The Girl in the Picture released by HarperCollins this month is a book you won't never be able to put down before to arrive at the end because the story is truly fascinating permeated by mystery, an old house, some murders and a lot to be discovered by the various protagonists. We are in the fascinating Sussex where Ella and Ben decides to start to living their existence, after their metropolitan life in London.
Ben in fact has been hired by an important sport team, he is s physio and of course this prestigious work will make the difference also in economical terms in their life.
They have two children and their family is very happy.
Ella decides it's arrived the moment of writing full-time and she thinks that a house immersed in the Sussex countryside can be just helpful.
Her relationship with her dad a bit conflictual because her dad grew her up after the departure when she was still in very tender age of her mom.
Ella tried all her best for not upsetting her dad in any ways, and sometimes choosing to be also too good for not let him feel a bit sad or discontented. This behavior of course caused her own unhappiness but after all she built up a beautiful family and obtained what she wanted from her life.
She doesn't know why but when she meets her dad for explaining their big changes in their life and their idea of not selling OK, the house in London but deciding for a big new start she feels she must tell him her frustrations during all these past years, and her behavior, for trying to accomplish him making him happy and cheerful.
Her dad didn't know all of it. In the while he re-married another lady, Barb, very nice with Ella, a lady in grade to encourage the writing skills of this talented crime novel writer.
The discussion with her dad left Ella a bit perplexed and her dad astonished because he didn't imagine the sentiments of Ella or what she did for his psychological stability.
At the arrival of their house in Sussex, the shock of discovering a lot of silence, a different environment where Ella and Ben's children could have played a lot also outside.
At the same time Ella sees like a shadow close to the attic and she feels a presence.
Who is there? Ben assures her: there is no one in the house.
But Ella will discover soon thanks to the help of a great police-woman and other connections that the story of the house where they live in it's more complicated than what it appears at the beginning and she wants to discover all the truth.
In that house a lot of time ago in 1855 lived a girl called Violet. Her dad was a philanthropist and as also in the case of Ella, Violet grew up just with the paternal character because the mom died when she tried to give at birth another baby she was expecting.
It was a common story at that time, but sure, the obsessive dad of Violet caused a lot of problems to this poor daughter. He caused her isolation and so the girl growing up didn't know what to do and how to interact healthy with other people and with boys as well.
Not being in grade to go out, not being in grade to conduct a normal life she was more unconscious of the risks of life.
And so an opportunist married man Edwin will try to court her winning the poor young girl very soon.
The wife of Edwin, Frances didn't love him anymore. She lost the first son because of the violence of him on her, and when she discovered she was waiting again she decided to keep for her this secret.
Edwin will be dishonest 'till the end. The two girls will try to help each other...
At the same time, Violet was a great painter and she wanted to be a painter. Sure: she would have wanted also to marrying someone at some point but first of all she would have wanted to give priority to this passion but what to do?
Problem was that at that time it was impossible for women to be taken in consideration by men.
She went to London and she discovered Edwin had intellectually stolen two of the paintings she decided to give him for being valued by some critics and seen if it was the case of going on with painting or not.
I loved the end of this story, because it will give complete rest to Violet and the other protagonists and I can tell you that this one is one of the most amazing stories I read recently.
There is the thematic of dishonesty, again the art of stealing intellectual property this time under the aspect of paintings, then there is the segregation lived by Violet (never experienced by Ella), and of course a genuine and unfortunately not happy approach to life from her and so the arrival for this pure heart without too much malice of just dishonest and opportunist people in grade to destroy, stealing from her the beauty that there was, and at the end ruining her forever. There is also the thematic of friendship between women. A lover and a wife united together against their common violent man. The idea of escapism in physical sense and the thematic of help but also in recent time the beauty friendship between Ella and the police-woman.
Of course the main thematic is the one of a research. A cathartic research conducted by the modern protagonist, Ella. The book is divided in chapters dedicated to Ella, her life, her researches and the other ones to the past protagonists of this story and their life in 1855.
It is wonderful to seeing sorted out an old mystery thanks to the great connections and help Ella found. Real good, honest people close to her will help this strong lady to sort out this mystery. A great and beautiful team.
Very well constructed, perfect times, you can see the making of a book in progression in the real sense of the word because Ella is a writer but also how to conduct a great, good and fruitful research. Being a reporter I know what it means to do these researches and they're always pretty stimulating.
I finished to read this eBook at one o'clock of the night. Capturing, beautiful, fantastic. Pity I can't tell you everything! because it is truly moving and maybe Violet in a way will return....
Highly suggested for sure!
I thank NetGalley and HarperCollins for this ebook.
Anna Maria Polidori
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