Out of the shadows (by Titia Sutherland)

(Amazon UK link)

One of the good things about not reading a book for nearly two decades is that I’ve usually forgotten everything about it, other than that I liked it. I first read ‘Out of the shadows’ by Titia Sutherland in 2006 and did not recall anything in it. So it was as if I were reading a book that was new to me, knowing in advance that I would enjoy it. 

Titia Sutherland creates likeable, realistic people in her novels. Rachel is the main character; she’s in her fifties and widowed but not really grieving. She misses some things about her husband, but he cheated on her; worse things are implied about him, although never really explored. Her older son Simon is rather pompous, and keeps trying to persuade Rachel to downsize; the family home is quite big and he feels that it’s getting beyond her. But Rachel is fit and active, and has someone who helps in the house. She has no desire to move. 

Simon’s wife Camilla is a bit shadowy, but their daughter Emily, who is seven, is another major character in the story. I liked Emily very much. She’s intelligent, and outspoken, and also sensitive in a lot of ways. She’s not at all happy that her mother is expecting another baby, as Emily is not a fan of babies. Well, other than her cousin Robin (known as Bins) whom she adores. Emily regularly stays with Rachel in school holidays. 

Bins is the son of Rachel’s only daughter, Lisa, who is quite temperamental and sometimes leaves her partner after an argument. Rachel’s youngest, Christian, barely comes into the book - I’m not quite sure why he was included; he’s in the army but hopes to get out. Rachel loves him very much but is astonished when he lets her know what he’s planning to do in the future.

The story really starts when Rachel takes in a lodger, the handsome and helpful Tom. He does some odd jobs in the house, and advises Lisa on her relationship difficulties. He’s charming, perhaps a little too good to be true, but Rachel starts to fall for him.  And it seems that Tom, who recently went through a relationship break-up, is attracted to her too, even though he’s thirteen years younger. 

It’s a character-based novel, exploring different dynamics in the family as they relate to each other. Rachel, who does research for other people’s books, is fascinated by some records about people who used to live in the house. And the reason she starts this is one that is not at all common in this genre of fiction: there are ghosts, mainly on the top floor of her house where the old nursery was. Rachel is aware of a scent of perfume and cigarettes, and sometimes finds things moved, although she thinks these ghosts are benign. She hopes to find out who they were, and why they’re still about.

Simon scoffs about this, and doesn’t believe in ghosts at all, but Emily has always been aware of them, and can even sometimes see them. Lisa can also sense them, and has an affinity with one of them who had a similar name, and was of a similar age. And it’s a testament to the writing that I almost believed in these restless spirits as part of the cast of the book - they’re discussed rationally, and until towards the end seem entirely harmless.

Perhaps there’s not a lot of plot; yet I found myself entirely caught up in the story, caring about most of the characters. There’s a section where Rachel and Tom go to France for a couple of weeks to do some of the research into former occupants of her house, and I thought it very well done, showing their affection for each other and also the beginnings of cracks in their relationship. I didn’t find Tom an entirely believable character, but he functions as a catalyst for some of the decisions Rachel makes. 

Once again I did like the book, which I found quite hard to put down at times. I expect I’ll read it again, hopefully in a decade or so, rather than another twenty years.

Review copyright 2025 Sue's Book Reviews