Haven't They Grown - Sophie Hannah

Description

All Beth has to do is drive her son to his Under-14s away match, watch him play, and bring him home.

Just because she knows that her former best friend lives near the football ground, that doesn't mean she has to drive past her house and try to catch a glimpse of her. Why would Beth do that, and risk dredging up painful memories? She hasn't seen Flora Braid for twelve years.

But she can't resist. She parks outside Flora's house and watches from across the road as Flora and her children, Thomas and Emily, step out of the car. Except...

There's something terribly wrong.

Flora looks the same, only older - just as Beth would have expected. It's the children that are the problem. Twelve years ago, Thomas and Emily Braid were five and three years old. Today, they look precisely as they did then. They are still five and three. They are Thomas and Emily without a doubt - Beth hears Flora call them by their names - but they haven't changed at all.
They are no taller, no older.

Why haven't they grown?

Review

This is the second book I've read by this author and I thought it was just as intriguing as Have you seen Melody.

The book centres around Beth and her former best friend Flora. She's recently seen Flora after a 12 year absence due to a disagreement. However, although Beth looks a older her two children don't!!! I was reeled in by this premise and couldn't wait to find out why.

At times the book reads like a thriller and so many twists and turns that I gave up with my own theories over what was happening. Other times the dialogue is a little stilted and felt too constructed. This is why I dropped a star from my rating.

This is a far fetched story - the synopsis and title tells you that. Are you intrigued enough to want to read it as I was? I can say without spoilers that this is a genius plot although at times not brilliantly told. I wasn't disappointed in this book and was happy to escape to this as some would say far fetched story line- except that so often the truth can be stranger than fiction.

I'm giving this book 4 out of 5 stars. The book is from my own bookshelf.

Comments

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