Maxwell's Reviews > Unsettled Ground

An intimate, emotional character study that follows the lives of two middle-aged siblings after their mother's death. Jeannie and Julius Seeder live in a cottage on a farm with their mother, Dot. When Dot dies unexpectedly (in the first chapter, not a spoiler), we see the repercussions for the Seeder siblings who have never had true independence.

Jeannie is illiterate and living with a weak heart, while Julius gets by on odd jobs and trying to make friends at the local pub. Their precarious situation is upended further when they are threatened with eviction from the cottage by their landlords to whom they have a tenuous relationship. Across the pages of this novel, events from their past are unearthed and re-examined, particularly through the eyes of meek Jeannie, as we see her struggle to maintain balance amidst tragedy and upheaval.

I found this to be a very strong character-driven novel. Jeannie feels very real and though she is not always the easiest character to relate to, I couldn't help but sympathize with her situation. She's incredibly naive due to her upbringing, and seeing a 51 year old struggle to navigate the world when the pillar of her life, her mother, has been removed was heartbreaking. Julius has his own side story that was interesting but not as fully formed as Jeannie's and I felt the story lacked a bit for that. It needed to either focus solely on Jeannie or give Julius a bit more room to grow on the page.

Plot-wise, this book is definitely more of a fallout after a tragic event, as we watch the results of their mother's death. We also get a few allusions to past incidents involving their farm and the landlord, Mr. Rawson, which made me think there may be more of a mystery or thriller aspect to the story early on. However, it's definitely more of a literary novel that has a few family secrets that eventually get revealed. Their reveals, though, were not particularly surprising; though I'm not sure if they were meant to be.

I enjoyed this book but it did not blow me away. Something felt missing for me. I think Jeannie as a character was the strongest part of this novel, and I could totally see it being adapted into a film which would give the lead actress a lot of great material to work with. I might even enjoy this more on screen. I've been meaning to read something by Claire Fuller for years and years now, so I'm glad to have this one checked off the list!