All that was lost

                                                                     

In 1967 Patience Bickersleigh is a teenager who discovers a talent for telling people what they want to hear. Fifty years later she is Patrice Leigh, a nationally celebrated medium. But cracks are forming in the carefully constructed barriers that keep her real history at bay.
Leo is the journalist hired to write Patrice's biography. Struggling to reconcile the demands of his family, his grief for his lost son, and his need to understand his own background, Leo becomes more and more frustrated at Patrice's refusal to open up.
Because behind closed doors, Patrice is hiding more than one secret. And it seems that now, her past is finally catching up with her. 

About the author

 

Website:  www.alison-may.co.uk

Facebook:  AlisonMayAuthor

Twitter:  @MsAlisonMay

Instagram:  @msalisonmay

Alison May was born and raised in North Yorkshire, but now lives in Worcester with one husband, no kids and no pets. There were goldfish once. That ended badly.

Alison has studied History at the University of York, and worked as a waitress, a shop assistant, a learning adviser, an advice centre manager, and a freelance trainer, before settling on ‘making up stories’ as an entirely acceptable grown-up career plan.

A member of the Romantic Novelists’ Association since 2011, and the 2012 winner of the Elizabeth Goudge Trophy, Alison has a degree in Creative Writing, and now writes edgy romantic comedies.

My review

Not at all what I was expecting. This book is complex and dark in places and a far cry from being an edgy romantic comedy. I loved the dual threads but especially Patience's story. The book deals with loss and grief and although it isn't depressing as such, it is very touching as we, the reader, watch Patience, or Patrice as she reinvented herself, try to recall the web of lies that she has woven for herself. This thread is echoed by interviewer Leo, also grieving loss of his own, who little by little begins a web of deceit. Very cleverly told and a story that will stay with you and a pleasant change to read something different.