Lead Review
- Book: In the Mirror, a Peacock Danced
- Location: Agra, Portsmouth
- Author: Justine Bothwick
A novel that transports the reader back in time, starting out pre WW2 and continuing through into the 1950s. It is a tumultuous period in world history and there is growing unrest in India, as the country moves towards Independence (in 1947).
Florence is living with her widowed father in Agra. Theirs is not an easy relationship and she takes solace in riding her horses and enjoying a modicum of freedom that was unusual in those times. She has had a fairly privileged upbringing. The point soon comes when marriage is in the air and a suitable husband has to be identified.
In post war Portsmouth we alight upon Florence once again, living with her aunt in reduced circumstances – another tricky relationship, this time between aunt and niece, and Florence’s son has made an appearance.
Her life in India, with its relative ease and colour has morphed into a grey existence in Portsmouth and it is the change in fortunes that drives the novel forward.
The author is skilled at opening up couple and family relationships, the political history of India, the backdrop of WW2, love interests, Florence’s interest in engineering; and she knows how to get her reader invested in the characters and storyline. Arcing across all these complex topics is the circus and Florence’s delight at becoming involved – it is almost her metaphor for freedom. The circus is also a leitmotif, linking the stories both in India and Portsmouth, but I feel it is superimposed at the expense of the other themes that were being developed. It almost hijacks the story that was coming together so very well and takes the narrative in another, more fanciful direction. I was left wanting more information about Florence’s personal relationships/friendships and their impact on her and her future life.
Including the circus is certainly a different take on that period of history and adds colour and tension.
I nevertheless enjoyed the novel, the author is a good writer and I am curious to see where she goes next.
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