The Book of Summers - Emylia Hall (2012)

This debut novels tells the story of Beth Lowe who receives a package from her estranged mother in Hungary. Beth's parents separated when she was nine years old so she lived with her father in England and spent the summers with her mother in Hungary . That is, until her summer escapes came to an end when she was 16. Upon opening the parcel she learns that her mother, Marika, has died.The parcel contains a book of those summer visits to Hungary, compiled by her mother and sent to her by her mother's partner. As the story develops, family secrets are revealed which change Beth's life forever. I was somewhat disappointed by this book. The excellent storyline was spoiled by the over-descriptive narrative which made it very difficult to keep track of the story. But if you enjoy evocative prose, you may well love it. (BS)

Emylia Hall's debut The Book of Summers was inspired by her childhood holidays spent in Hungary. The synopsis says: "Beth Lowe has been sent a parcel. Inside is a letter informing her that her long-estranged mother has died, and a scrapbook Beth has never seen before. Entitled The Book of Summers, it's stuffed with photographs and mementos complied by her mother to record the seven glorious childhood summers Beth spent in rural Hungary. It was a time when she trod the tightrope between separated parents and two very different countries; her bewitching but imperfect Hungarian mother and her gentle, reticent English father; the dazzling house of a Hungarian artist and an empty-feeling cottage in deepest Devon. And it was a time that came to the most brutal of ends the year Beth turned sixteen. Since then, Beth hasn't allowed herself to think about those years of her childhood. But the arrival of The Book of Summers brings the past tumbling back into the present; as vivid, painful and vital as ever." The Book of Summers is out in March. You can find out more details, including a book trailer, here: www.thebookofsummers.co.uk.

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