Why a Booktrail?
2000s: Marianne is eight years old when her mother goes missing
Pearl
What you need to know before your trail
Marianne is eight years old when her mother goes missing. Left behind with her baby brother and grieving father in a ramshackle house on the edge of a small village, she clings to the fragmented memories of her mother’s love; the smell of fresh herbs, the games they played, and the songs and stories of her childhood.
As time passes, Marianne struggles to adjust, fixated on her mother’s disappearance and the secrets she’s sure her father is keeping from her. Discovering a medieval poem called Pearl and trusting in its promise of consolation, Marianne sets out to make a visual illustration of it, a task that she returns to over and over but somehow never manages to complete.
Tormented by an unmarked gravestone in an abandoned chapel and the tidal pull of the river, her childhood home begins to crumble as the past leads her down a path of self-destruction. But can art heal Marianne? And will her own future as a mother help her find peace?
Locations
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Cheshire
The novel is set in a small Cheshire village known very well by the author. Malpas and Duckington are on the map as the author has connections with both.
Don’t forget to visit Magpie Books in Malpas – buy this book from there! Duckington and Tilston are also villages where you can sense the influence of the novel.
The sense of place is key – The narrator’s mother disappeared when she was only little and that has shaped her in more ways than one. She becomes obsessed with this and what that means to her life. Her mother loved folklore – each chapter is preceded by a traditional rhyme to incorporate that into the story. The other setting is the old farmhouse which proves to be a key link to the past and present.
BookTrail Boarding Pass: Pearl
Destination/Location: Cheshire, Malpas Author: Sian Hughes Departure: 2000s
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