Bitter Orange by Claire Fuller

BITTER ORANGE 

Claire Fuller 

This has probably been one of my most anticipated reads of the summer as I am such a huge fan of Claire Fuller's writing. It's certainly felt very fitting to read it in the recent heatwave and it has been easy to appreciate the atmosphere of the hot summer recounted in the book, although Fuller's imagery is so superior she could have transported me there even if I was reading in the middle of winter!

The book opens with the protagonist, Frances, lying in her hospital bed, surmising that her days are numbered from the behaviour of the staff around her. Introducing the lingering shadow of death from the opening pages helps to establish to a sense of threat and an oppressive tension that will gently permeate the rest of the novel. Skillfully, through what starts as a hazy meander through past and present, Fuller lets Frances lead us back into her memories and the summer of 1969 where everything changed so irrecoverably for her. What follows is a delicious tale of three people and the way their lives become entangled in a way that was more dangerous than any of them realised until too late. It's a wonderful novel that has a slow beat with a luxurious build up of small moments that gradually begin to grow into a crescendo. It's a story of truth, lies, secrets, yearning and is perfectly executed with the confidence of a writer who completely understands her craft. 

Fuller's novels are always a delight. Her characters are always so fascinating and the relationships between them always so well observed and so cleverly depicted. Frances's entrancement with Peter and Cara is superbly captured; her admiration and fascination from them portrayed with great effect and Frances's pleasure that this glamorous couple want to spend time with her is convincing as well as so relatable. The characters are flawed, and as more is revealed about them, the more complex their personalities and interactions become, the reader is as equally dangerously embroiled in their lives.  

Fuller also evokes a setting and location which is vivid and at once as intriguing as the people who inhabit it. There is always something intriguing about taking people away from their normal set up, placing them in a unique, isolated environment where the rules can be ignored and people can try to be something new. Hot weather and summer holidays provide the perfect excuse for blurred boundaries and intense friendships. As many other reviewers have also noted, there are echoes, reflections and comparisons with several great writers in Fuller's work. I hope hers will join the ranks of these classics and gain the long lasting attention this quality of storytelling deserves. 

Bitter Orange is exquisitely written. Fuller's prose is effortless, absorbing, mesmerising and entrancing. She draws you in to the page through the narrative voice of Frances, a character so well crafted that I really felt part of her story. It was a treat. I highly recommend. 

Bitter Orange is published by Fig Tree on 2nd August. 

My thanks to the publisher for an advance copy of the novel.