The latest book by Monica McInerney is a story about life, love, hidden secrets, truth vs fiction, discovery , loss and search for identity. A family saga with a strong protagonist set both in Australia and Europe the book moves between country Australia, Melbourne, an exclusive family hotel in Edinburgh, and an Irish town with an ancient castle.
Monica McInerney is regarded as one of the stars of Australian fiction, with over a million copies of her books sold in Australia and New Zealand. This year she celebrates 20 years as a published author, now with over twelve books to her name.
It is of medium size and thickness, with 42 chapters and an epilogue, a captivating read – there is an element of mystery throughout as Eliza unearths family secrets.
In THE GODMOTHERS, Eliza Miller grew up in Australia as the only daughter of a troubled young mother, Jeannie,but with the constant support of two watchful godmothers, Olivia and Maxie who promised to look after her Eliza and Jeannie moved house constantly and Jeannie kept telling Eliza conflicting stories. Eliza was treated to holidays with them every year.
Despite her troubled, peripatetic childhood, Eliza always felt loved and secure. Until, just before her eighteenth birthday, a tragic event changed her life, before Jeannie could tell Eliza the truth. Thirteen years on, at 30, Eliza is deliberately living as safely as possible, avoiding close relationships and immersing herself in her job. Out of the blue, Elia both loses her job and receives an enticing invitation from one of her godmothers, now based in the UK, which prompts a decision to risk jumping into the unknown.
Eliza decides to swap the treadmill of the routine of her Melbourne for life in the middle of a very entangled family in Edinburgh.No day is the same.Yet, amidst the spiky drama and chaos, Eliza thrives. She finds herself not only hopeful about the future, but ready to explore her past. Her godmothers have long been waiting for her to ask about her mother’s mysterious life – and about the identity of the father she has never known. But even they are taken by surprise with all that Eliza uncovers.
The various well researched locations of the story are wonderfully caught by McInerney’s words -with all the restrictions in force at the moment because of Covid they allow us to daydream about travel.
The characters are endearing – we can empathise with the main character Eliza , her love and grief for her mother are achingly authentic. While Maxie and Olivia do make unfortunate mistakes it is clear how much they care about Eliza and her mother. We grow to understand their personal lives and the last chapter, which is in the form of a play script, reveals what actually happened regarding Jeannie.
The secondary characters are also lovingly depicted and well rounded: Celine, Olivia’s eccentric, selfish, exacting, impossible to live with almost mother-in -law and young, super intelligent and confident Sullivan, who is at first Eliza’s flying partner, helping her conquer her phobia and who becomes a great friend are marvelously depicted as are the rest of the family who own the motel in Edinburgh (a major location in the book ) and Lawrence who becomes very important to Eliza. The convoluted relationships are clearly defined.
A delightful , engrossing epic family saga
• Published: 29 September 2020
• ISBN: 9781760893736
• Imprint: Michael Joseph
• Format: Trade Paperback
• Pages: 448
• RRP: $32.99
https://www.penguin.com.au/books/the-godmothers-9781760893736