The Sudden Departure of the Frasers (by Louise Candlish)

(Amazon UK link)

I’ve been enjoying re-reading some of my collection of novels by Louise Candlish. Her more recent books have been quite tense thrillers, and I haven't even tried those published in the last few years as that isn't my preferred genre. But her earlier ones were more relationship-based, and very well-written. I first read ‘The Sudden Departure of the Frasers’ in August 2016 but seven years later I had entirely forgotten the plot. I picked it up to read a few days ago, and by the time I was half-way through I could barely put it down…

It opens when a young couple called Christy and Joe are moving into a large house in an exclusive and expensive street in London. They can hardly believe their luck - they were offered an excellent price. They had to borrow money from relatives for the deposit, and are stretching themselves to the limit with the mortgage. But it feels like a dream come true.

At least, it should do. Christy has some reservations, and a few uncanny bad feelings about the place - well described, early in the book, giving a hint of problems ahead - but I could not recall even a hint of what the issues might be. Then she and Joe are shunned by their neighbours who all seem to know each other, but won’t even come to their house for welcoming drinks.

There’s clearly some mystery about the previous owners, who left in a hurry with no contact details or even a forwarding address. And some huge secret that everyone in the street knows, but refuses to talk about. 

Alongside Christy’s viewpoint (told in the third person) are chapters written from the point of view of Amber, the woman who was living there previously with her husband Jeremy. Jeremy is rather older than Joe, and extremely wealthy. So in their first months, they spend an inordinate amount of money having the house redesigned and professionally decorated. Amber has given up her job, at least for the time being; Jeremy obviously adores her, but she hints of past depravities, and it’s not long before she embarks on an affair…

Amber’s story is told in the first person, as if she were writing down her memories. She says right at the beginning that she wants her ‘confession’ in writing, and explains that she’s told a lot of lies, and is full of deception. However we have to assume that her story is the truth as she sees it. She’s evidently very fond of Jeremy, but she also likes taking risks, having adventure and excitement in her life. She’s a rather bizarre character, who seems to attract adoration from all around; yet she is judgemental, commenting inwardly on their untidy homes, their chaotic lives, and their bad haircuts. 

It was a bit hard to distinguish Amber from Christy at first although the two are very different; Christy doesn’t have the need for danger or excitement, or the dubious past that Amber has. But she’s very curious about their negative reception in the street, and when she loses her job, she starts watching everyone in the neighbourhood, trying to find out what they all know, and unwilling to let go. I could empathise with Christy far more than with Amber.

As the story progresses, it becomes more tense and it was difficult to put down; I did eventually guess what the huge issue was; I don’t know if I subconsciously recalled it from my previous read, or whether it was due to some clues the author lays through the book - and even though I was correct in my surmise, I had not remembered any of the runup to the event from Amber’s point of view, nor the discovery from Christy’s.

The other people in the street are rather caricatured and it was hard to tell them apart; I liked the widowed Felicity but Christy never meets her. I didn’t at all like the changeable, arrogant Rob; others seemed interchangeable, there just as extras rather than of any great significance. 

The writing is excellent, the theme quite dark but less scary than I had thought, on picking it up to read. There are concluding chapters that tie up a lot of ends, but there’s much that is thought-provoking; in part the way that a huge web of deception can lead to immense problems when it reaches its inevitable exposure. 

Recommended if you like fast-moving and tense women’s fiction, albeit with a decidedly 'adult' theme. 

Review copyright 2023 Sue's Book Reviews