Beautifully written, but a disappointing final chapter

• Book: A House by the River
• Location: China
• Author: Sid Smith

I really enjoyed this book. The prose is sparse but evocative. It has an unusual rhythm and an almost distant tone, almost like the recounting of a family history or folk-story. This style of narrative went well with the location of the rural and superstitious highlands of China. There is plenty of action that makes for a gripping read, and the location is unusual.

Although the book starts with the introduction of John, it soon became clear that the most rounded character was that of Grace. The emotional landscapes of John (and Jivu) were, in contrast, not as subtly described and I would have had more interest in their characters had there been more exploration of their feelings and motivations.

My one niggle was that the final chapter was hugely disappointing. Yes, we do like to know what happens to characters ‘in the end’, but it was almost careless in the clinical and brief way it outlined the remainder of the lives of Grace and John. I presume this is due to the fact the book is a prequel to ‘Something Like a House’, which I haven’t read. Nonetheless, I would have liked such a wild and unpredictable book to have a more fitting ending.

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