Item: Our Endless Numbered Days
Rating: 4.00
Author: lovelybookshelf

by Claire Fuller

WINNER OF THE DESMOND ELLIOTT PRIZE

FROM THE COSTA AWARD-WINNING, WOMEN’S PRIZE-SHORTLISTED AUTHOR OF UNSETTLED GROUND

Every parent lies. But some lies are bigger than others…

In the summer of 1976 eight-year-old Peggy Hillcoat is taken from London by her survivalist father to live in a cabin in a remote European forest. When they arrive he tells Peggy that her mother and the rest of the world are gone.

Now the two of them must scratch a living from the earth: trapping squirrels, foraging for berries, surviving winter as best they can. But it is easy to lose you way in the forest, to lose yourself. How long will Peggy trust her father's story? How long can you stay sane when the world is lost? And what happens when you stop believing in everything?

‘Extraordinary’ The Sunday Times

‘Remarkable’ Penelope Lively

‘Haunting, suspenseful … As warped and sinister as any Brothers Grimm fairytale’ Metro

‘A rivetingly dark tale … Spellbinding’ Sunday Express

Good God. This book. You know, it starts off fine. The family is a little odd. Survivalist father who takes his hobby more seriously than most of his buddies. Concert pianist mom who suddenly decides to go back on tour. And then…the situation gets worse and worse from there. Downright harrowing in many places. It gives a strangely quiet portrayal of the way a child might deal with terrifying circumstances. I’m not sure “quiet” is the exact word I want, but there are so many times when Fuller leaves details unsaid and to be honest, it’s a blessing. The reader is left to trust her gut to fill in the blanks, and is thankful that this child narrator is offering a somewhat vague memory. This is the kind of book you need to talk about with others.

More of my thoughts on this title can be found on my blog at Lovely Bookshelf.

Our Endless Numbered Days

by Claire Fuller

Reviewed by lovelybookshelf on Apr 1, 2015

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