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A review by jmatkinson1
The Companion by Sarah Dunnakey
5.0
On the edge of the moors in West Yorkshire lies Potter's Pleasure Palace, an old mill building turned into a place of wonderment for young Billy Shaw. The Great War is over and the people of the area flock to The Palace to dance, skate, boat and enjoy the teas produced by Billy's mum. Billy gets the opportunity to become a companion to Jasper Harper, who lives at High Hob with his mother Edie and her brother Charles, a popular novelist. In modern times Ackerdean Mill is the site of a museum dedicated to the Harpers and the new custodian is Anna who is determined to solve the mystery of the deaths of the Harpers in 1936.
It took a while for me to get into this book, I'm not sure why as the setting is fairly local to me and of great interest. However once it clicked I was hooked. The characters are complex and there are layers and layers of intrigue which are barely touched upon, for example Anna's backstory haunts her yet it is only briefly touched upon. In fact there are lots of little gems that enrich this story - who was Charles' lover, who was the father of Jasper etc. They are all answered but in a natural way that doesn't really draw attention. That is what works so well here, there are few histrionics and the writing is very restrained yet the storyline is powerful and moving. A great read.
It took a while for me to get into this book, I'm not sure why as the setting is fairly local to me and of great interest. However once it clicked I was hooked. The characters are complex and there are layers and layers of intrigue which are barely touched upon, for example Anna's backstory haunts her yet it is only briefly touched upon. In fact there are lots of little gems that enrich this story - who was Charles' lover, who was the father of Jasper etc. They are all answered but in a natural way that doesn't really draw attention. That is what works so well here, there are few histrionics and the writing is very restrained yet the storyline is powerful and moving. A great read.