
How did I get it?:
I borrowed it!
Synopsis:
Nick and her cousin, Helena, have grown up sharing sultry summer heat, sunbleached boat docks, and midnight gin parties on Martha’s Vineyard in a glorious old family estate known as Tiger House. In the days following the end of the Second World War, the world seems to offer itself up, and the two women are on the cusp of their ‘real lives’: Helena is off to Hollywood and a new marriage, while Nick is heading for a reunion with her own young husband, Hughes, about to return from the war.
Soon the gilt begins to crack. Helena’s husband is not the man he seemed to be, and Hughes has returned from the war distant, his inner light curtained over. On the brink of the 1960s, back at Tiger House, Nick and Helena–with their children, Daisy and Ed–try to recapture that sense of possibility. But when Daisy and Ed discover the victim of a brutal murder, the intrusion of violence causes everything to unravel. The members of the family spin out of their prescribed orbits, secrets come to light, and nothing about their lives will ever be the same.
Thoughts:
This is the first book in the Richard and Judy Summer Book Club selection. I was excited to read it after my sister thoroughly enjoyed it. For me, Tigers in Red Weather starts incredibly slowly and continues with quite a slow pace, but I think it’s well worth reading. I couldn’t believe that this was Liza Klaussman’s debut novel. Her writing seems incredibly established.
Tigers in Red Weather is centred around cousins Nick and Helena. There are five sections which focus on different characters and span 20 years, looking at events through the eyes of the central characters. I didn’t think any of the characters were particularly likeable. Perhaps I’m just getting more critical? I did find some of the characters incredibly intriguing though. They were written so well, they were vivid and very ‘real’. Tigers in Red Weather definitely has a dark undertone. I loved the atmosphere that built throughout the story. I think Ed is the most intriguing and disturbing character. I thought the chapter narrated by Ed was the best and the most gripping.
I’d definitely read more from Liza Klaussman. This is certainly a debut to be proud of!
Would I recommend it?:
Yes!
Reading next:
The Son- Michel Rostain