Review: The Promised World by Lisa Tucker
Literary Fiction and Mystery/Suspense
Atria (September 1, 2009)
ISBN: 978-01416575382
336 pages
Synopsis from Amazon.com:
Now from the bestselling author of The Cure for Modern Life and Once Upon a Day comes a riveting story of suspense about a literature professor whose carefully constructed life is shattered after the death of her twin brother and the unraveling of the secret world they shared.
On a March afternoon, while Lila Cole is working in her quiet office, her twin brother Billy points an unloaded rifle out of a hotel window, closing down a city block. "Suicide by police" was obviously Billy's intended result, but the aftermath of his death brings shock after shock for Lila when she discovers that her brilliant but troubled twin -- the person she revered and was closer to than anyone in the world -- was not only estranged from his wife, but also charged with endangering the life of his middle child and namesake, eight-year-old William.
As Lila struggles to figure out what was truth and what was fiction in her brother's complicated past, her job, her marriage, and even her sanity will be put at risk. And when the hidden meaning behind Billy's stories comes to light, she will have to act before Billy's children are destroyed by the same heartbreaking reality that shattered her protector and twin more than twenty years ago.
From the start it was obvious that The Promised World would be an engrossing read. The mysterious relationship and history of twins Lila and Billy inspires ominous and disturbing feelings in the first couple of chapters, way before the events of the novel actually get underway.
The story gets off to a somewhat slow start, but don't let that deter you. Any initial struggle will prove worth the effort here. Abuse is the major theme enveloping this story and it make for a progressively heavy tale, which is saying something when the novel begins with an act of suicide.
The Promised World is told from multiple points-of-view, including those of Lila's husband Patrick and nephew William. Due to the use of this story-telling device, there is so much being told, experienced, felt but Tucker manages to bring it all together pretty seamlessly. It also makes it hard for me to tell you much about the characters and plot without spoiling something. One thing I can expound though is the excellent use of literary references throughout the book. Lila is a professor who specializes in American literature and who's love for stories was spurned by her complex relationship with her twin, Billy.
Just know that this is a thoughtful, intriguing, and often disturbing read that'll worth a try.
Grade: A-
Read the first chapter of The Promised World
2 Comments:
I'm really glad you enjoyed the book! Thanks so much for taking the time to read and review it.
Great review...I also really liked this book and agree that the multiple viewpoints really worked.
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