Our Endless Numbered Days by Claire Fuller

Paperback, 304 pages
Published December 31st 2015 by Fig Tree (first published February 16th 2015)
I received a copy of this book via Netgalley

Blurb

"1976: Peggy Hillcoat is eight. She spends her summer camping with her father, playing her beloved record of The Railway Children and listening to her mother's grand piano, but her pretty life is about to change.

Her survivalist father, who has been stockpiling provisions for the end which is surely coming soon, takes her from London to a cabin in a remote European forest. There he tells Peggy the rest of the world has disappeared. And so her life is reduced to a piano which makes music but no sound, a forest where all that grows is a means of survival. And a tiny wooden hut that is Everything.

Peggy is not seen again for another nine years.

1985: Peggy has returned to the family home. But what happened to her in the forest? And why has she come back now?"

My Review

This is quite a mysterious book which builds up the tension well. However, Peggy is an unreliable narrator and she left me confused at times, which I imagine was the author's intention.

There is some beautiful writing in this book with very vivid descriptions. I particularly enjoyed the scenes where Peggy learns to play the silent piano. The cover of this book is stunning as well.

This book is dark and haunting, I felt sad for Peggy's lost childhood.

Unfortunately, I read this a few months ago and I have found that it hasn't stayed with me very well. As a result, I would give this 3 out of 5.

This book is available on Amazon in Hardback, Paperback and Kindle.

About the Author

Claire Fuller trained as a sculptor before working in marketing for many years. In 2013 she completed an MA in Creative and Critical Writing at the University of Winchester, and wrote her first novel, Our Endless Numbered Days. It has been published in the UK by Fig Tree (Penguin), in the US by Tin House, in Canada by House of Anansi and in Israel and Taiwan. It will be published in a further four countries. Our Endless Numbered Days won the 2015 Desmond Elliott prize.

Claire's second novel, Swimming Lessons will be published in early 2017.