Present: Mark, Gill, Nic
Mark choose this novel because it was on a friend's list of all time favourite reads. The three of us enjoyed the novel but did not rank it as a "must read".
The book is about Gwenni's loss of innocence as she comes to a more mature understanding of what she has witnessed and realises the complexities of adult relationships. Because Gwenni has all the relevant facts at hand from the beginning, we, the reader, know what has happened from the beginning and, therefore, there is no real sense of suspense and no compelling thrust to the narrative. The question is not what happened but whether and when Gwenni will realise what happened.
The setting is a small and close-knit community where everyone knows everyone else's business: to paraphrase Nain, a secret is something everyone knows but no one talks about. The characters, even many of the supporting cast, all have a back-story and their life's baggage to carry, which Gwenni doesn't always understand and the book has a strong sense of place and time which is demonstrated through the prominence of the chapel, the treatment of people with bipolar disorder and depression and the willingness of people to stay in abusive marriages.
Bibigo was a far from obvious choice as a venue for this book but it was £12 for 2 courses and they did have goldfish-shaped waffles for dessert. We enjoyed a mix of starters, mains and desserts between us as we speculated about Bethan's mental health.