Customer Reviews

Undercurrents

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

"Undercurrents" by Frances Fyfield is a rather difficult book for me to write about, mainly because all the reservations I had about this novel stems from my disagreement (with the authour) with the manner in which matters were left. If I were to voice my opinions openly, then that would be giving away plot resolutions, and that would be totally unfair to those who have not yet read this novel. But I'm going to try without giving too much away, and I apologise in advance if this review comes across as not being properly balanced.

Twenty years ago, Henry Evans walked away from the love of his life, Francesca Chisholm. His father's recent death however has brought Henry to the crossroads of his life sotospeak, and so he makes for the English coastal town of Warblings, to try and find Francesca. The England of his fantasies and England in reality are two very different things for this very shy American, and definitely the natives take a little getting used to; and while Henry didn't expect for his quest for Francesca to be incredibly easy, he didn't expect to discover that Francesca was in prison for having murdered her five year old son either. All his memories about Francesca, as well as his gut feelings tells him that she cannot be guilty of such a crime, in spite of her confession of having performed the deed. And so Henry, with no real skills in investigation, decides to try and discover what really happened that fateful day, a year ago. But he finds it rather stiff going: few want to talk about what happened, and Francesca's friends and family seem openly alarmed and hostile at his attempts to ferret out information. Henry must balance his memory of the girl of his dreams with what happened, and discover if his Francesca was indeed capable of so foul a deed, or if she is covering up for someone else.

To begin with this novel makes for some really compelling reading. At the heart of this novel is the characer of Francesca Chisolm: how she touched so many lives, and how she became the mainstay of so many people. Could a woman of such seemingly goodness be capable of so brutal and heinous a crime? Fyfield handles this concept in a really brilliant manner by interposing the chapters that deal with Henry's seemingly inept investigations with Francesca's own prison writings. This really made the novel a lot more intersting, because you got to know the real Francesca from her writings, instead of being limited to other people's views of her. And the fact that I didn't really like anyone in this novel except for Francesca, didn't detract from my enjoyment of "Undercurrents" at all. Henry Evans is an improbable knight in shinning armour, mostly because I couldn't fathom how a successful 40 year old could be so ineffectual most of the time. I think Fyfield did this novel a great disservice by making Henry so feeble for the first half of the book. Also the reader is not given a very clear idea as to why Henry walked away from Francesca all those years ago, and I for one found this really frustrating. However he did pull up his socks towards the end of the novel, so all was not lost. My main reservation with this novel is in the ending, when you discover what really happened on the pier that fateful day. It makes for poignant reading when you realise that one character's firm resolve dictated the outcome of Francesca Chisolm's fate; and it was chilling to realise that a police investigation could be expertly sidelined. However I strongly disagreed with the manner in which things were left, and foresee years of therapy for certain characters in the future!

"Undercurrents" is a riveting read -- the plot is a clever and interesting one, and all the characters are well depicted and portrayed. Fyfield's view of a small, insular English coastal town seen through the eyes of an American were both funny and breath taking in turns. And though I didn't agree with the manner in which the novel ends, I can still recommend this novel as an excellent read.

This book is way, way better than the readers' reviews here suggest. It is beatifully written with unique characters, rich and captivating atmosphere, striking observations, and some moments that make you laugh out loud. I did figure out the mystery partway through but had to keep reading to be sure, and there was one big surprise I never saw coming at the end. The beginning is mezmerizing and intriguing, not sleep-inducing or dreadful as one reader suggests, and I didn't even notice the swearing. Far, far above the norm, especially in the elegance (as so many critics said) of the writing and the emotions it evokes.

Not really -- more of a love story or a novel with some mystery to it. The story involves an American returning to a small coastal town in England to look up a lost love, who he had met and loved in India. She returned home when her father died, leaving him in a pique. He ended up back in the US where he got a PhD and has had a successful career but has not settled into marriage or a relationship -- he has been kind of carrying a torch for Francesca. Arriving on a stormy February night unannounced in the seaside town she was from, he discovers first that the hotel he planned to stay at is flooded -- so he is forced to seek accommodations elsewhere and ends up in an eccentric household -- and then that Francesca, the woman he loved, went to prison a year ago for murdering her 5 year old son. He can't believe she'd do it, so he starts poking around, trying to find out if she did it (she confessed immediately to the crime) and why she would confess if she didn't and if she didn't, who did?

None of the townspeople (all of whom are quirky) are all that helpful, and some are downright unhelpful. But he does find one woman who ends up helping him in her own indirect way.

This is kind of a Ruth Rendell sort of psychological book. I thought it was too slow, but it was definitely worth reading. If you're looking for an action-packed thriller and your idea of a greater mystery is the Bourne Conspiracy, this is not the book for you.

when I read this novel, but words like "riveting" when applied to this book shock me deeply! Poor Henry! Moved by his father's death and his dissatisfaction with his life, he tries to retrieve the one shot at happiness he let pass him by twenty years ago. What a quest! Arriving in Warbling, he is confronted with as unappealing a cast of characters as ever you could meet. Peter and Tim appear to be the only human beings in town, and you gotta wonder about the Wendy house. Otherwise, the population is made up of dreary, self-pitying fellows and gals dragging their shawls about in the mist, up and down the shingle, and out the pier.

As for our incarcerated martyr, give me a break. Some people are just too good for their own (and anyone else's) good.

Henry's father was the most attractive character in the book. And we know what happened to him.

P.S. Three stars instead of two are for Frances Fyfield in general!

Frances Fyfield's UNDERCURRENTS is a top current mystery. I loved its story, and I enjoyed author Fyfield's writing style. This book is terrific.

Frankly, the only reason I ever finished this one is because, regrettably, it was on my mystery reading group's list. Unfortunately, the mystery never took off, and the book never excited any suspense or even interest in the characters or the outcome.

The first 80 pages were utter torture, as the book built way too slowly and indulged in long-winded prose which was "English" in the worst way: stuffy, pretentious, with self-conscious attempts at the literary. The next 120 pages "seemed" to pick up some pace, at least by comparison to the torture endured up to that point. Finally, the book relapsed into the positively coma inducing. Of course, by then the only readers who would not guess the outcome were those of us too lethargic to even try.

The character portraits were also fairly dull. According to an interview, the author believes that she has a good grasp on writing male characters. Sad to say, that is not so! Men appear to be all lethargic, impotent (physically, emtionally and relationally) or plain confused. They wind their way in and out of the plot as mere drones and bystanders in even their own lives. Henry, the male protagonist, sleep-walks through the book, another character desparately tries to score Viagra and (admittedly, one comic moment in this mess) overdoses on it. The most sympathetic and fully formed characters are a fussy middle-aged homosexual "couple" making an attempt at faux domesticity. The lesson, girls: if you want anything done, you better do it yourself involving men as little as possible.

Generally, I find mysteries to be their own reward. Even in the lesser attempts, there's typically something redeeming to be found. With this one, I'm still looking...

The characters lacked so much depth to the point that this book read like a teenage mystery novel. I could hardly stand to continue reading. The conclusion was not chilling or psychologically stunning in any way. I will only give the author credit for 1) her talent in building atmosphere or setting and 2) her vocabulary. Otherwise, I felt that I was reading the script of a highschool play rather than what was supposed to be a mature mystery novel. It really missed the mark.