ja_mageia

It was with trepidation that I picked up the copy of her last every book. Was it going to be up to the usual standard or was it going to disappoint? There was only one way to find out…..

The books tells the story of Holly Hogan. Holly is one of the ‘cared for children’. She lives in a care home and at the start of the book gets the chance to live with a family on a long term basis. She dreams of being reunited with her mother in Ireland. A chance find of a wig changes her life. The blonde hairpiece gives her more confidence and she reinvents herself as Solace. Take the wig away and she’s just plain Holly. She decides to run away from her foster parents, in London, to find her mother in Ireland.

The wig makes Holly look and act older than she is, which causes problems for her on the way. However whenever she removes ‘Solace’ she looks and feels like a vunerable teenager. As the pages unfurl you start to hope that she’ll get through the experience in one piece. Her memories of her mother are strong and drive her on, but somewhere on the journey things change and get darker.

This is a fantastic read. It weaves the story of Holly’s dilemma’s with a great road story (film possibility?). It hooks you about chapter 3 and doesn’t let you go until the very end. The ending may be slightly telegraphed but is extremely satisfying when you eventually get there.

Was I disappointed, yes, but not by the words in the book. I was really disappointed that I’ll never read anything else by Siobhan again. The last few pages were read very slowly, savouring every last word. The sort of experience that you’ll have when saying goodbye to an old friend. Just what Siobhan could have achieved we’ll never know but at least we have been privileged to have 4 novels of the highest quality from an exceptional author.

Review from Farmer Den's Forest