Good Read
Catherine Dunlop cosies up with a good book to review the debut novel from a local author
99 Red Balloons is the debut novel from Preston author Elisabeth Carpenter, also known as Libby, whose fifth novel, The Vacancy, was published in August 2021.
It was one of my summer reads (is it just me who finds thrillers chillier in the sunshine?) and it’s a twisty, turny domestic thriller which begins with a missing child but leads us down a winding path of family secrets, loss, betrayal and identity.
Eight-year-old Grace goes missing after school and her aunt Stephanie can only look on helplessly as her family is shattered, as they all deal with the worry, frustration and creeping dread. Meanwhile, Maggie, whose own granddaughter went missing decades before, is forced to relive the loss and trauma of losing a loved one as she is unable to ignore the parallels between the two cases. As the Police investigate, the dynamics of both families are threatened as hidden secrets and lies are uncovered. There are four narrators in the book – Maggie, whose sadness both smothers and strengthens her, Stephanie, who tries to make sense of her own past and present and then the voices of the missing child and their abductor. The voices are all tinged with loneliness and fear which links them to one other and highlights human frailty and the need for security and love. The author’s characterisation is quite subtle and nuanced and there is a real authenticity in parts but some characters are more well formed than others. Maggie is particularly well written and sympathetic and the reader is drawn into her quiet half-life as she is unable to let go of the past.
The plot moves along with pace and tension and whilst some readers might find the jumps from different voices and times confusing, it adds to the uncertainty and increasing panic as the family waits for an end to their nightmare. There are also some red herrings and sub plots to keep the reader guessing, but the author deftly pulls all the strands together, whilst avoiding the tendency of some books of this genre to tie everything up in a neat bow at the end or to become a rushed melodrama. The author is able to balance the drama of a crime with the realness of human relationships and family fragility.
It’s an intriguing, complex page turner, full of family drama and human emotion, rather than a psychological, detective novel, and an impressive debut novel. Libby’s other books are now on my ‘To Read’ list and I’m looking forward to reading more fast paced, clever and authentic offerings from this local author.
