Personally, I found that the plot and the characters did not fulfill the interesting premise.
If you enjoy reading a book that will give you such feelings and put you in the minds of the characters, doubts, flaws and all, you might just love this. What Claire Fuller does excel on is atmosphere: the entire book feels claustrophobic, dark and confusing, with a constant feeling of impending doom and impotence (hence my comparison to The Process). It was not exactly either of those things, but a little bit of both, as well. Or perhaps a bureaucracy vs man situation, like The Process by Franz Kafka. I had hoped this would examine the contrasts of the modern world vs the lack of access to technology and information by the poorer classes. The plot twists are not exactly twists (at least I saw them coming from the beginning), Unsettled Ground is rather more about the two siblings, their codependency towards another and their strange relationship with their mother, who kept so many secrets from them and encouraged them to be apart from society. I expected this to be a literary thriller or a mystery, which it technically is, but I would say you should not pick it up for the mystery/thriller aspect, or you will be disappointed. I liked but did not love Claire Fuller’s Bitter Orange, so my expectations were a bit tamed for Unsettled Ground. I think I would have read this eventually anyway, because that cover and the synopsis really call to me – I am so partial towards dark literary fiction. I first picked this up because it was longlisted on the Women’s Prize for Fiction 2021, although it’s been on my radar for a while. At risk of losing everything, Jeanie and her brother must fight to survive in an increasingly dangerous world as their mother’s secrets unfold, putting everything they thought they knew about their lives at stake. Inside its walls they make music, in its garden they grow (and sometimes kill) everything they need for sustenance.īut when Dot dies suddenly, threats to their livelihood start raining down. Their rented cottage is simultaneously their armour against the world and their sanctuary. At 51 years old, they still live with their mother, Dot, in rural isolation and poverty. Twins Jeanie and Julius have always been different from other people. Synopsis: What if the life you have always known is taken from you in an instant? What would you do to get it back? First Publication Date: January 28th 2021
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