Joanna Briscoe

Shortly after beginning this book, I feared I'd actually gone for a piece of chick-lit, a metropolitan love story about the young, very much in love couple we meet on page 1. But it quickly turns creepy, very creepy indeed. Who is this mousy Sylvie who insinuates herself into Richard's life, and what is the hold she has on him? And how is Lelia, Richard's partner, involved? Lelia's troubled teenage years provide the beginnings of an answer. While the ending of the book is perhaps predictable in the face of what's gone before, it's the gone-before that's the interesting, troubling and slightly bewitching page-turner. Three stars? Four stars? Not sure. I'm quite relieved to have finished the book though: it was most unsettling.… (more)

This is my first novel by Joanna Briscoe, so I was not sure what to expect. This is a story about elicit entanglements, obsessive love, regrets, lost opportunities and how our pasts and our actions can come back to haunt us. Briscoe's depiction of the Dartmoor region, with its sweeping moor lands and feeling of isolation is wonderfully captured, as is the rambling, falling down Bannan family farmhouse. Using a languid writing style, I found the 1970s flashbacks filled with Briscoe's bohemian community reminded me in a way of A.S. Byatt's [The Children Book] and Byatt's depiction of the early 1900s art and crafts society. I should mention that one needs to wade through a fair bit of minutiae but I am one of those readers that happily lap up details of bohemian life and the wilds of progressive schooling. Where this story fell apart for me is with the modern (20 years later) sections and the adult Cecilia character. I can appreciate that she wants answers from her mom - answers her mom does not want to come forward with - but what an annoying character! It is never a good sign when I disagree with the protagonist's motivations and decisions. Thankfully, after wading through a fair bit of personal baggage, we finally get to the truth. The story ends with a potential lead in to a sequel, so fans of Briscoe's stories may be hopeful for more, but not this reader.

Overall, I loved the wild Dartmoor setting, the old, rambling Bannan home and the bohemian lifestyle depicted on the pages, but the sections of the book set in modern time just did not work for me. I found it all too dramatic and too 'contrived' for my tastes.… (more)

Having read some of Joanna Briscoe's other works I guessed I was in for an intense ride with The Seduction. I wasn't wrong. I might also have been a tiny bit seduced myself by that stunning cover.

Beth is an artist, living in a house overlooking Camden Lock with her husband, Sol, and thirteen year old daughter, Fern. The lock itself plays a part in the story as the rippling of the water, the passers-by (who may or may not be looking at Beth), and the dark and rather sinister feel of it as night falls, all add to a general feeling of unease.

Beth's own mother left when she was thirteen and it's left her with a multitude of issues. Now Fern has reached that age herself and Beth's own childhood trauma seems to trigger something in her to the extent that Sol suggests Beth should seek help from a therapist. Enter Dr Tamara Bywater, a woman who seems to be one thing and then another, all the while beguiling Beth who is clearly at her most vulnerable at this difficult time.

The book is peppered with unlikeable characters. I can't think of a single one that I could take to. But I was utterly entranced by them all, reading on as their actions hurtled them recklessly towards self-destruction. I could empathise with Beth though, a woman who had clearly not dealt with the demons of her past. The last thing she needed was someone like Tamara, a dangerous and multi-layered character who should be there to help Beth. Their relationship had me fascinated, hardly wanting to take my eyes off the page. The characters have so much emotional baggage to unpack that I was practically getting the popcorn out and settling back to watch it all unravel.

I know that some of the author's other works have been made into TV dramas. The Seduction would definitely make a great adaptation. I found myself reading bits out loud, mostly Beth's dialogue for some reason. I think I was absorbed by her reactions to Tamara.

Briscoe has an unique writing style with a fairly stark tone that I really don't think I appreciated as a younger reader. Now I find myself delving more into the meanings, the ulterior motives, the nuances, looking to understand the characters' actions and thoughts, and wondering how I would behave in the same circumstances.

I found The Seduction to be quite the page turner with the issue of trust, and the abuse of that trust, at its heart. I enjoyed it very much.… (more)

I picked this book up in an attempt to read some of the numerous TBR items on my shelves, which probably isn't the best attitude to start reading a book. As it had been in my TBR stack so long, I could no longer remember why I had added it in the first place, and the first half didn't really provide any illuminating clues. Richard annoyed me from the start and I didn't really buy into his relationship with Lelia. The subplot about his friend's obsession about a woman (it was pretty easy to guess who the woman was) was dull. The way Sylvie was introduced, it was immediately clear that she wasn't up to any good, but as the poor reader, you had to keep reading for a long time to understand why and how. I'm glad I'm finally finished with this book.… (more)