Bitter Orange by Claire Fuller

‘’I discovered that in the early part of the morning a mist hovered in the hollows of the estate and the grass was wet with dew. There was a smell in the air of bonfires, the land already preparing for autumn.’’

Frances Jellico is on her deathbed and is recalling the summer of 1969 to a Vicar who visits her frequently looking for the truth. That summer, twenty years ago, Frances had recently lost her mother and, without a home, took a job for the summer at a dilapidated English estate called Lynton. At the estate, she is to make a record of the gardens and architecture of the grounds for the new owner. Frances is quite reserved and a bit socially awkward and the arrival of Peter and Cara peaks her interest while making her anxious. Peter is at Lynton to document the contents and state of the home for the new owner.

Frances discovers a peephole into Peter and Cara’s living space and cannot help but observe. They quickly draw her in when they meet on the grounds and the group begins a summer of riotous living in Frances’s mind, with excess drinking, cigarettes and delicious food. As we experience the summer from Frances’s perspective, we hear Cara’s outlandish tales of her life and Peter’s version of the same stories. Who is telling the truth? Is Frances’s account even reliable? What did happen the summer of 1969 at Lynton?

The poetry in the prose of Bitter Orange by Claire Fuller is extraordinary and is certainly not something to skim, but savor. The descriptions of the estate are lyrical. The gothic elements of the deteriorating estate, hidden spaces, graveyards and even a dead bird add to the intrigue and suspense of the tale. This can be classified a mystery, but it is so much more. It is a story of grief, loss, madness, friendship and love. I highly recommend this atmospheric novel.

Check out Bitter Orange by Claire Fuller at the Library (https://catalog.lclibs.org/polaris/search/title.aspx…) or through our eLibrary at https://lclibs.overdrive.com/media/3949096.