About the Book
Rebecca hasn’t seen her father Leo since she was six. Her family never talk about him, and she has long since pushed him firmly to the back of her mind. All she knows is that, once upon a time, he was a well-loved children’s TV star.
But when a journalist turns up uninvited at her office, asking questions about her once-famous father, Rebecca starts to wonder whether there is more to Leo’s absence than she realised. Then, looking for answers, she unearths a book of fairy tales written by Leo and dedicated to her – but what use are children’s stories to her now, all these years later?
Tentatively, Rebecca tries to piece together her father’s life, from the people he used to know and her own hazy memories. Yet her mind keeps returning to the magical, melancholic fairy tales, which seem to contain more truth than make-believe. Perhaps they are the key to unlocking the mystery of her father, the lost storyteller; to revealing who he was, what he went through – and even where he might be now…
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My Thoughts
For years, Rebecca has wondered where her father, Leo, is. Her mother refuses to talk about it. So much so that Rebecca no longer asks questions because she gets shut down. Finally, her grandmother gives her a book of fairy tales written by Rebecca’s father. But they’re nothing but children’s stories, and she’s not really interested in the book. When Ellis becomes interested in helping her find her father, she accepts his help. It’s been so long, and she wants answers.
Rebecca’s mother is garbage. There is no reason for her to keep her daughter in the dark. It borders on narcissism because she wants to keep Rebecca to herself. She spends a lot of time gaslighting Rebecca when she makes steps toward finding Leo. I kept waiting for Rebecca to find a backbone in dealing with her mother.
Block included mental health issues, which I greatly appreciate, though I wish Rebecca’s family wouldn’t have treated it like something utterly shameful. But the thing is, we have come a long way with my generation and younger talking about mental health. Things take time, so the people sweeping it under the rug are, hopefully, the last generation to do so.
This is a leisurely told story. Everything could be deemed a clue, so it had a bit of mystery. Then, with Ellis, there was a bit of romance going on as well. Overall, this is an enjoyable read that I’m glad I stumbled upon.
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In the book, Rebecca gets angry that the phone rings a little before 7 pm on a Sunday. As she lives in the UK, I’m curious if this is typical. My cut-off is 9 pm because I have had chronic insomnia for 30 years, so I need a set routine. But I wouldn’t get upset if someone needed to talk after the cut-off point.
Do you have a cut-off time for people calling/texting?
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