Oh! What a Pavlova

by Isabella May

[Lynn]

I love the enticing cover, however, the saying goes, "never judge a book by its cover" and this rings true with Isabella May's début novel. I was expecting cake, lots of it, but the reality is a few crumbs.

Kate Clothier is a publishing executive and lives with Daniel whom she met whilst studying at university. Ten years later, they are involved in a long-term abusive relationship. She lives for and relishes the chance to escape her volatile home life as she travels around the world with her job. Will she ever find the courage to walk away from the man who's turned into a monster?

Perplexed by Kate's begrudging acceptance of Daniel behaviour, they're neither married, have children nor financially dependant on each other. So wondered why she stayed and put up with the domestic violence. She's constantly seeking out comfort and emotional support from her male business trip acquaintances even when these liaisons didn't always go according to plan. Her behaviour didn't make sense (to me). Maybe if the novel had hinted on what triggered Daniel's angry and aggressive outbursts and devoted more scenes with Kate and Daniel together, the reader may have understood their dynamics as a couple?

While the idea is fun and original, I didn't fully appreciate the references to cakes littered through the narrative because I didn't understand them. With a friend described as a “Coffee and Walnut Cake, the ultimate listener” and Daniel, “I thought he was a Black Forest Gateaux but he was Marble Cake through and through”, what did this mean? I found the author's writing style chaotic and difficult to follow, especially during the first few chapters. I constantly had to re-read passages to get the gist of what was going on because I felt bombarded by over descriptive text as well as the narrative flip-flopping back and forth with inner thoughts and backstory threaded in between. Some people will love the dizzy pace and constant drama. I, however, found it confusing and exhausting.

It's a little rushed, but there's a satisfying "happy for now" ending for Kate as she begins a new chapter in her life, so all's well that ends well.

***arc generously received courtesy of Crooked Cat Books***