Ivy Boscawen is in mourning for the loss of her son Tim in the muddy, bloody trenches of the Great War. She can't reconcile herself to his death, take solace in his bravery or the serving of king and country, as confusion surrounds the event. At the same time, she's haunted by another tragic death which occurred years ago, before her marriage, when the grandson of local wealthy powder mill- and land- owner - Tremain - was killed in a house fire. At the time, Ivy and the boy's father, Edward, acted together to bring about justice as they saw it, but as Ivy winds her way through memories of those awful long ago events, she comes to realise she may have been manipulated herself.
This haunting, atmospheric novel revolves, as you might expect, around 'the Key in the Lock' and, more importantly, who turned it and why. Time may have moved on from the night of the dreadful fire, but, particularly since her own son's death, Ivy is drawn back, going over events time and again, trying to order and rationalise the events of that time. She isn't quite an unreliable narrator but her personal view, her attraction and sympathy for some characters, and dislike of others, inevitably twist her perception of events. As the story unfolds on two timelines, the reader sees Ivy as a young, hopeful, romantic nineteen year old and the contrasting disillusioned middle-aged woman she's grown into. How she ended up so unhappily married is another mystery to unveil.
With its brooding air of mystery and secrets, the story really pulled me in, but overall I thought it was rather sad. There are so many wasted, unfulfilled lives - not just that of young William Tremain dying in the house fire, or Tim and so many others on the battlefield, but also of everyone affected by the lies and deceit spreading out from Tremain's residence.
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