Title: The House of Now and Then
Author: Jo Dixon
Published: January 4th 2023
Publisher: HQ Fiction – AU
Pages: 432
Genres: Fiction, Contemporary, Domestic, Thriller
RRP: $29.99
Rating: 4 stars
You ought to go away the previous previously … or do you have to? A vividly advised, jaw-droppingly twisty and wholly participating story in regards to the penalties of discovering the reality. For readers of Sally Hepworth, Nicola Moriarty and Adele Parks.
After a humiliating public scandal, Olivia is hiding from the press in a distant Tasmanian home when an unknown man knocks on her door, in search of Pippa, a lady who as soon as lived there. His father, Jeremy, has died, forsaking a letter for this mysterious girl. Olivia desires to assist, however can she threat revealing her personal sordid previous?
Thirty years earlier, bohemian wild-child Pippa and her greatest good friend Jeremy spend an ideal summer season in the home. Pippa falls deeply in love with native boy Leo, they usually start to plan a lifetime of journey collectively, a lot to the displeasure of his conservative and controlling household. One night time Leo leaves the home to confront his mother and father … and isn’t seen once more.
As Olivia is drawn into fixing the thriller, the sudden and tragic story of Pippa, Jeremy and Leo is slowly uncovered. At the identical time, a path to reclaiming her personal life opens, if solely she has the braveness to take it.
Review:
The House of Now and Then is the startling debut launch from Australian creator Jo Dixon. A beguiling thriller, full of charming however broken characters who make deadly errors of judgement, The House of Now and Then is a swirling story of locked secrets and techniques.
A narrative of how the previous has the flexibility to go away a powerful stain on us, regardless of the passage of time, The House of Now and Then follows Olivia in 2017. We study that Olivia has been compelled to hunt refuge within the tranquil rural surrounds of a home within the Tasmanian countryside, following a scandal. When a stranger knocks on Olivia’s door, searching for a previous resident of Olivia’s present abode, Olivia feels compelled to assist this man discover the particular person he’s in search of. However, in offering help to this thriller man, Olivia is aware of she should sacrifice her hidden previous. Tracing again to a few many years earlier, The House of Now and Then relays the story of Pippa, a free spirit, and her loyal good friend Jeremy. We study in regards to the unforgettable summer season season that noticed this reckless younger girl embark on romance with an area boy. Pippa and Leo’s summer season romance ends in a grand plan to journey collectively, which earns the distain of Leo’s traditionalist mother and father. When Leo takes a stand and defies his mother and father, he vanishes with out a hint. Olivia is compelled to lastly crack this thirty-year-old thriller. This cathartic act leads Olivia to think about what she actually desires in life, however is she courageous sufficient to embrace a brand new life path? When the reality is revealed, every thing will change in The House of Now and Then.
2023 is already shaping as much as be an excellent studying yr based mostly on the vary of books I’ve the pleasure of studying in January. The House of Now and Then is the second debut novel I’ve learn this month and it’s a standout one. I’m very to see what Jo Dixon releases subsequent. Thank goodness e book two is on its manner, which Jo Dixon has revealed to us by way of her creator bio.
Dual timelines are my absolute favorite model of fiction and this debut title from Jo Dixon instantly set my world on fireplace. Tracking the years 2017 and 1986, this pretty wide-ranging time interval enlargement was dealt with completely by Dixon. For a debut I used to be impressed by Dixon’s writing, it was immersive, vivid and looped. I often discover that one narrative or timeline guidelines over the opposite in double period novels, however this one is fairly even. I used to be glad to sit down again and take within the motion that happens in each timelines. Expect simply as many twists, turns, reveals and damaged secrets and techniques in annually focus. Dixon has ensured that she balances out each narrative divisions nicely and she or he additionally makes a aware effort to hitch them collectively in matrimony by the explosive shut of the novel.
Character clever, The House of Now and Then is populated by an intriguing bunch of protagonists. I warmed to every of them and I used to be genuinely interested by how their lives got here to be as this e book made its winding journey. I used to be significantly engrossed with the occasions, characters and choices made previously sequence. I additionally connected myself to Olivia within the extra present based mostly story arc. Dixon takes a full and understanding method to her characters. We are moved as a lot as they’re emotionally as Dixon pits them in opposition to varied making an attempt conditions in her unyielding double narrative. This sincere, uncooked and achingly lovely mode of storytelling was very a lot appreciated by this reader. I particularly appreciated the thriller and thriller ingredient too, it was nicely executed by Jo Dixon.
I’m very assured that the mesmerising double narrative approach, the participating characters, emotional occasions and picturesque backdrop will lure readers into Jo Dixon’s The House of Now and Then.
The House of Now and Then by Jo Dixon was printed on 4th January 2023 by HQ Fiction – AU. Details on the best way to buy the e book will be discovered right here.
To study extra in regards to the creator of The House of Now and Then, Jo Dixon, go to right here.
*I want to thank Harlequin Australia for offering me with a free copy of this e book for overview functions.