The Mill House

I have never read anything by Susan Lewis but will be looking out for other books by her. The Mill House is the story of a marriage in severe crisis. On the face of it, Julia and Josh have a marriage made in heaven. Everything in their lives seems, initially, to be perfect. They are rich, beautiful, have darling children, a fabulous house and boat, and are completely besotted with each other and have a terrific sex life. However, there is a worm in eden and it is eating away at Julia.

Julia's father, whom she adored and who adored her, vanished from her life when she was 15 without explanation. Despite trying to get information from her mother, unsuccessfully, Julia has been unable to understand what happened. This has eaten away at her and she is now moving into serious depression as a result.

I don't want to give spoilers so I will only repeat what is on the cover blurb: 2 phone calls turn life inside out and upside down for Julia and Josh. As a result, their lives completely change course and Julia must deal with death, depression, dislocation and complete humiliation. She makes some bad moves and suffers for them but then so does Josh. You wonder until nearly the last page if they will ever be able to be together again.

Susan Lewis writes with great insight into the fabric of a marriage in trouble. She creates well rounded characters who act out believeable scenarios. There is much pain in this book. It clearly demonstrates that marriage is a matter, sometimes, of hard work and perservance. There are some difficult issues covered: illness, death, betrayal, family breakdown, incest, paedophilia.

I enjoyed reading this very much and found it to be a real page turner. Well written, full of insight, painful at times but ultimately uplifting. Recommended for a great read.

If you like soap operas you will like this over the top book. Child abandonment, infidelity, back stabbing friends are all part of this story. I enjoyed it for exactly what it is. It is long, convoluted and fun.

:)