A tragic situation in this story immediately sets the stage. Dot wakes up, puts on her housecoat and slippers, and comes downstairs. There she has a stroke, and a fall, and she is gone.
Her 51 year twins, living with her in their simple home in the English countryside, didn’t see this coming. Mother always took care of things. Julius and Jeanie who have been left alone to sort out their lives, must learn to deal with new responsibilities. But why are they so helpless? Why have they never gained more independence? How will they manage on their own and why do people in the village seem to know things that they don’t know?
The run down cottage they inhabit is their comfort. The music they make, the vegetables they grow, and the simple work they do to survive is enough. Yes, they are poor and not modernised, but this is their home. When even that is threatened, it seems like all is lost.
This is a sad story of sacrifice and betrayal, but also of resilience, love and survival. This book is slow and won’t be for everyone, but if you enjoy an atmospheric compelling steady read with interesting characters, this book is for you. I loved it and will think of Jeanie often. I also am impressed with the title of the book–one of those ones that means nothing when you start, and means everything when you’ve finished.
Unsettled Ground is on the shortlist for this year’s Women’s Prize for Fiction, and it deserves to win. This is a list I always pay close attention to, including the longlist, and not just the winner. I find the contenders for this prize to be the most readable and enjoyable of all of the award lists.
As with her book Swimming Lessons, Fuller has crafted a literary mystery that is both heartbreaking and heartwarming at once and keeps you thinking long after the last page has turned.
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