Tuesday 30 August 2011

REVIEW: THE PROMISE OF HAPPINESS- Justin Cartwright


 I don't usually have strong feelings towards furniture, but I love my bookcase. I plan on buying a HUGE one when I finally settle down in a place! It lets me buy cheap novels on a whim, and save them for a rainy day. I actually acquired The Promise of Happiness when I did work experience at Bloomsbury Publishing 3 years ago, and I've only just gotten around to reading it!

One of those glorious books that is character rather than plot-led, TPOH revolves around the Judd family in the weeks leading up to the return of Juliet Judd, the eldest child, after her two year stint in an American prison. Cartwright delves into the individual lives of each of the five family members- Daphne (the mother), Charles (the father), Charlie (the son), Sophie (the youngest daughter) and Juliet- as all of them use Juliet's return to England as an excuse to re-evaluate and change their lives. The discrepancies between how the characters view themselves, and how they are viewed by their family, makes for some very funny moments; Cartwright's dry writing style lends itself to this humorous side. Daphne and Charles' relationship is a particular highlight, with both of them as dark a horse as the other. By plunging us straight into their daily lives and revealing their past little-by-little, the author ensures that we never get bored by the Judds, surprising us with revelations right until the end. The reader is as confused as the rest of the Judds as to why Juliet, a former Oxford graduate flourishing in the New York art critic scene, would commit a crime; the reasons are far more complex than the reader can imagine- which of course make for fantastic reading.

For me, this book ticks three important boxes: witty writing, intriguing secrets and believable characters. All of us have met somebody like one of the Judds- and also been in a position where we re-evaluate the role we play in our own families. Through this simple tale of a dysfunctional family coming together like 'leaves caught in a vortex of wind', Cartwright explores the bigger question of 'happiness'- namely, how much can be created, and how much has to come from within. Are the Judds satisfied by the end of the novel? I'm not even sure Cartwright knows the answer to that question- which makes the novel all the more life-like and endearing. After all, the 'promise of happiness' is something which we all seek- a lifelong search we can all relate to.


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