Soon is novel set in New Zealand at a time around now, at the (fictional) Prime Minister’s summer house. His “friends” and family circle each other warily around the pool.
I’m liking
I enjoyed the novel’s New Zealand setting, giving me the sense of things being familiar and yet unfamiliar at the same time, and the feeling of menace and tension that Charlotte Grimshaw managed to convey without needing to describe it directly. It was also good to read something set in the present!
The characters were described beautifully but without unnecessary detail, and I found them all very believable. I found myself identifying with some of them but then I would find out more about them and think that they weren’t like me after all (I hope!).
After reading this book, I found out that Charlotte Grimshaw has written several other books and that some of the characters in this book make appearances in them. The characters did seem to be rich in detail, so I wasn’t too surprised to find out that they had lives outside this book.
“Soon” is a stand alone novel, but I am curious about the characters, so I will be looking out for Charlotte Grimshaw’s other books.
I enjoyed wondering how much the author had based on her own knowledge and feelings about our political situation and politicians!
The novel doesn’t fit clearly into a genre, so I was never sure where the story was going to go. I didn’t find it predictable at all, and for me that’s a good thing.
Things that made me go hmmmm
I like the cover, but I think it is a little bit misleading. It looks like a novel about the beautiful people and their lovely holiday by the pool, which it is, but it’s much more than that. Someone looking for a light read about the rich and famous might not find this their cup of tea.
I also wasn’t sure about the stories about Soon, (a fierce dwarf who lives under a house). I suspect that there were clues to the rest of the story in them, but they were hidden too well for me to figure them out!
The conclusion
If you like novels that are not predictable and that make you wonder about people’s ethical and moral choices, I would recommend “Soon”.
A few things about this novel reminded me of “The Slap” (the television programme – I want to read the book, but haven’t yet). If you liked it, you might well enjoy this – the characters are similar in that there is no obvious “good” one.
I would also recommend this book to people who like short stories (particularly New Zealand ones – I was reminded of Barbara Anderson) but sometimes find yourself wanting more – this book might satisfy you!
This book could also be fun for people who are keen followers of New Zealand politicians – see if you can spot the real ones in the characters! I would also say that fans of New Zealand fiction, particularly anyone who has read and enjoyed any of Charlotte Grimshaw’s other books, will enjoy this one (I’ve already started “Opportunity” and it has a similar feel).
