Margaret Forster - Over

Review by Babs Simpson on show 29th July 2010 This is not an easy book to read - it is about a family after the tragic death of one of the children - 18 year old Miranda, twin of Molly, sister of Finn.
Their mother, Louise, starts to write everything down in the hope that she might begin to make sense of what has happened and the very profound effect Miranda's death has had on her, her husband Don and the other children.
Don cannot accept that the inquest verdict was right - the death was accidental, no-one was to blame - and instead sets about gaathering every last minute scrap of information he can about the design and sea-worthiness of the boat she was on, the relaibility of its engine, the competence of the staff at the Marina in Holland from which she set sail.
His quest becomes an obsession, he talks about nothing else, alienates his family and eventually loses his job because of it.
Molly takes an aid job in Africa and Finn goes to live with his aunt, leaving their mother becoming more and more desperate to try to stop Don's fruitless quest. but in the end she has to admit defeat and they separate.
However grim this might sound, the book is written superbly and in such a way as to make all the characters totally recognisable. And there are, of course, lighter moments. No matter how tragic an event, sometimes there are still reasons to laugh, even though, at least to begin with, the feeling of guilt at seeming to be happy, soon causes the sorrow to return.
I am interested in human emotions, what makes people behave as they do and I found this an absolutely fascinating read. It is one of those rare books in which I read every single word. I tend to skip bits here and there normally, but I couldn't miss anything about this. Please try it.
Review by Babs