The Behaviour of Moths is Poppy Adams debut novel, I was totally engrossed from the very first page and it has only taken me two evenings to read it.
It is the tale of two elderly sisters, Ginny and Vivien. Vivien is returning to Bulburrow Court after an absence of forty-seven years. The crumbling mansion was once their childhood home where the sisters had grown up being the best of friends. The reader is left to wonder if the events which have kept Vivien away for so long will be able to remain in the past or whether the sister's reunion will bring them to the fore again.
Ginny is the sole narrator of the story and as you get further and further into the book you begin to wonder just how believable she is and how far you can trust what she is saying. This unsettling feeling permeates throughout the story. There are so many questions from the past that you want answered but the most important question from the present is why exactly Vivien has returned to Bulburrow Court after so many years.
Poppy Adams delves head first into the relationships within a family. The sisterly relationship between Ginny and Vivien dominates the story but their relationship is also intrinsically linked to the very different relationships that they had with both of their parents individually.
I loved the aspect of the story that looked at Ginny and her father's role as lepidopterologists; collectors and researchers of moths. You can clearly see that Poppy Adams heavily researched this area and I truly would not have believed that moths could be so fascinating. Ginny and her father are so caught up in observing the moths that the chaos occurring around them goes unnoticed until it is far too late and the consequences for the family are devastating.
The Behaviour of Moths does have a feel of Du Maurier's Rebecca about it in that it gives you this very unsettling feeling as it gradually builds up to quite a shocking finale. I was not expecting what happened at the end even though the possibility of it had been hovering in the background.
Poppy Adams has created a beautiful yet quite sinister story that grabs you from the very first page. As a debut novel it is beautifully written and I look forward to reading other books by this author in the future.
15 comments:
I really enjoyed this one too - and she has another book coming out this year (I forgot what it's called) that I am really looking forward to.
Your review intrigues me, heh. This sounds like a very interesting read and I really like the cover!
I loved this book and also couldn't put it down. The end was a real shocker as well even though, as you say, it is always lurking in the background.
I was really spooked afterwards actually.
Wow! Great review! This books sounds so interesting. I want to find out what happens at the end of the book now. This is definitely going on my TBR list. Cheers!!
I liked this book quite a bit. It is called "Sisters" here in the US.
You make this one sound very enticing! I have seen it in the bookshops quite a lot here as it has a very captivating cover and I always wondered if the inside was just as good - now I know so thank you!
Verity- I'm pleased to hear that Poppy Adams has a new book coming out, I shall have to look out for it!
Bookalicious- The cover is lovely isn't it and it fits with the book perfectly.
Bloomsbury- I was a bit spooked afterwards too, it was all a bit sinister!
Nadia- Thank you, look forward to hearing what you think about it!
Diane- That's a really good title for it, I thought it was excellent!
Karen- I kept picking it up in book shops due to the cover! Pleased that I asked for it for Christmas as I really enjoyed it!
I remember being surprisingly fascinated by the details about moths when I read this.
And I intend to read this again at some point to as I thought it was a bit like a jigsaw puzzle, and I'd like togo back and read it now I know how it ends.
Jo- That's very true that it's like a jigsaw puzzle, I shall probably read it again in the future too.
Great review! I don't think the title of this would inspire me but your comments (especially the comparison to Du Maurier) intrigue me. I will have to look out for a bargain copy.
This book sounds fascinating!! x
Novelinsights- thank you, hope you get hold of a copy, it's really good!
Kerry- It really is, it was so much more than I expected!
This sounds really fascinating, I love that you have compared it with Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier, that is one of my favourite books.
And I love a book that is a real shocker - something you don't see coming and that makes all the suspense and build up worth it.
Great review, Im going to add it to my wish lidt with a link back to your review.
I'm really curious about why publishers change the names of books...in Canada this book is called The Sister. I enjoyed your review - this book is not on my tbr shelf, but it is on my wishlist...along with 2000 other books. *g*
Becky- Thank you for the link, I hope that you enjoy the book when you get round to reading it! Rebecca is one of my favourite books too, I love Daphne Du Maurier!
Christie- I always wonder why they change the names too! I think Sisters is probably a more suitable title though.
Post a Comment