When her mother dies, Louise Redmond is left with a lot of questions about her father. It seems that any hope of uncovering the truth is lost. But in fact it’s just the beginning, as Louise gradually uncovers clues as to her past and endeavours to piece them together, including an unsettling memory of a young girl and a green postbox. Once Louise opens the Pandora’s box though it can never be closed and the truth is more startling that she had ever imagined. It took me a while to get into this one and although McQuaile keeps the clues coming, moving the story along, it is something of a slow-burner for the first half. However, the tension picks up considerably in the final third making for a dramatic and emotional finale. The characters are realistically flawed, which makes them not wholly likable but pleasingly morally ambiguous. And the Irish context in which McQuaile sets her story creates fertile ground for the novel’s themes. This is a debut novel that really grows into itself. (JC)
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