It’s been a while since I posted anything here – apologies. I’ve just arrived home from visiting Mr. Mouse in Umeå in Sweden, which is my excuse for being absent here – have been reading masses of books to write about though. The holiday was lovely, with lots of coffee, cake and books (hurrah). We also braved bikes for the first time in about 15 years, and neither of us fell off (well, not noticeably), which made us ridiculously proud of ourselves- we’re both probably best described as academic, rather than outdoorsy, so we need to take our fresh-air victories when we can get them! Oh, and Mr. B. bought me a Moomin mug, which I managed to get home in one piece – perfect for yet more book-accompanying coffee…

Anyway, one of the books which I finished just before I went away was The Poison Tree by Erin Kelly. Published in June 2010, this is Kelly’s debut and seems to promise a good career. It’s yet another novel which is touted as ideal for ‘fans of Donna Tartt’s The Secret History’ (and you know what I think about that particular recommendation), but Kelly’s novel definitely has strong elements of the gothic tone which makes Tartt’s novel so atmospheric.

Told in the first-person, it uses a combination of present – day narrative and flashbacks, which really helps build the tension. It is the story of Karen and her relationships with the distinctly odd Capel siblings, Biba and Rex. The novel starts with a description of her driving frantically and desperately away from her house, without giving away any  indication of who she’s running to or from. As beginnings go, it’s a fairly compelling example, especially since you don’t actually find out where or why she’s going until the end of the book (which doesn’t mean you can skip straight to the finish…) After the prologue, the narrative goes back to Karen describing her life with Alice, her little girl, and how they deal with Rex Capel being freed from jail, where he was imprisoned for murder, and coming back to live with them. Karen also has to deal with menacing phone calls, which she keeps from Rex and Alice. As a story of a complicated family life, Kelly has done well – the characters are believable, and one feels sympathy for all three in turn, as they struggle to get used to living as a family.

Where I felt that the book lost some of its impetus was when the narrative went back further, to Karen’s first meeting with the Capels. Many of the reviews that I’ve read feel that Biba was the strongest and most interesting character, but I just really disliked her, from the outset. I couldn’t get my head around the fact that Karen loved her so much, because it seemed to be based almost entirely on the idea that Biba was a bit ‘crazier’ and more bohemian than her other friends.Although I like Kelly’s writing style, and her ability to keep things readable and interesting, the characterisation of Biba put me off slightly. This aside, the narrative is definitely fascinating- by halfway through you still don’t know who dies by whose hand, although there are hints. When the revelation does come, I found it slightly disappointing, to be honest. It may be because Biba is inevitably involved, but the reasoning behind the great crime felt a little tenuous and forced. From then on, the story whizzes by, until the denouement, which was more believable to me than the crimes that had been so built up.

All in all, it is an enjoyable read with an ending which doesn’t give it all away. I like books that hold back a tiny bit of mystery, or uncertainty, and Kelly has done that here. It has its flaws, but Kelly is an intelligent writer with a distinctive style, and I will be looking out her latest, ‘Sick Rose’, very soon.

3/5 (just don’t expect The Secret History!)