Memories of the Storm (by Marcia Willett)

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I’m re-reading some of Marcia Willett’s novels, and came to ‘Memories of the Storm’, which I was given and read over ten years ago. I had no memory of the plot or the people when I started. Gradually one or two incidents came back to me as I read, but on the whole it was as if I were reading it for the first time - and I enjoyed it very much.

There are several important characters in this book, but it wasn’t too hard to remember who was whom. There’s Hester, for instance, who must be in her mid 70s, but she’s very active and looks after a large house where she welcomes family and friends to stay whenever possible. She’s the last remaining person of her generation, other than her cousin Blaise; I was a tad confused about him because at one point he states that he’s twelve years older than she is, but he’s only just thinking about retiring, though he has to be not far off ninety.

Clio is Hester’s goddaughter, who is staying with her as the novel opens. Hester had a hip replacement and needed some care, and Clio wanted a bit of a break from her demanding job - and from the affair she’s been having with her married boss. Clio isn’t entirely happy in her work, but she loves organising Hester and making sure she has all she needs, and she’s also advising a local friend in her business.

A young man called Jonah is working with Clio and her friend, and asks if he can meet Hester. It turns out that his mother, Lucy, spent some time living with Hester and her family during the war. She wasn’t a typical evacuee, because her father Michael was a close friend of the family; her mother had died shortly before. The novel takes us back to the war years in some chapters, and in one longer section towards the end of the book, cleverly weaving the past and present together, unfolding a poignant story.

This story centres around memories of a particular storm - one when Hester’s brother Edward, suffering post-traumatic symptoms after being imprisoned in the war, gets into a fight with Lucy’s father Michael. Nobody knew that Lucy, just four years old, was awake and hiding behind a sofa when this happened. So her memories are inevitably seen through a childhood lens, and are also tinged by the fears of a sensitive, bereaved child who is convinced that everything bad that happens is her fault…

So we gradually hear Hester’s memories - some of them told in flashback form - and also begin to see why Lucy is carrying a terrible burden of guilt, even though events happened over fifty years earlier. Lucy is going through a trauma now; her beloved husband is suffering from a very unpleasant progressive illness, and she’s having to take on the role of carer. And as she thinks about the future, memories of the past come back to haunt her.

There’s a bit of a mystical element to the book; Jonah, like his mother, is very sensitive and aware of ghosts and vibrations of the past. But more important is the spiritual side: Blaise is a priest, and also loves poetry. I admit to skimming over some of the poetry quoted, and some of the more lyrical descriptions, but I did appreciate the discussions about faith, and sensing God at certain times. It’s not at all preachy; instead it feels entirely appropriate, and is helpful to some of the people struggling with a variety of issues.

All in all, I liked the book very much. Definitely recommended to those who like thoughtful women’s fiction that delves into the past.

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