"Where's the harm in self-deceit if it makes us happy?"
Movie buff Nadine Hall has landed the perfect job as a caregiver for an archaeologist in Mougins, near Cannes, shortly before the film festival. But her blissful existence with her charge, Lilly Somerville, and her sister Viv who suffers from dementia, is soon shattered with the arrival of Lilly’s daughter, Katrina, who wants Nadine gone. Emotionally and mentally scarred following a personal tragedy, Nadine can hardly cope with the unpleasant chain of events. When she is entrusted by an antiquarian to return a package to Lilly–mistakenly placed among a collection of books she had given to him–Nadine discovers it is actually Lilly’s account of her life in German occupied Paris. The notebook, she believes, could bring her closer to the woman she idolises, and give her the upper hand on Katrina. However, Nadine’s audacious scheme backfires with grave consequences.
Professional Reviews
Reviewed By Divine Zape for Readers' Favorite
"The Memory of Loss by Dana K. Haffar blends family drama with historical elements into an intriguing, character-driven story that will have readers mesmerized. Nadine Hall has suffered a devastating loss and still blames herself for everything. Having completed her training in caregiving, she seizes the chance to start a new life by accepting an offer to become a caregiver to Lilly, far away from home in France. But the atmosphere in Lilly's home is far from anything that would make her feel comfortable and accepted. Things get complicated for her when her employer's daughter, Katrina, arrives. Kat does everything to make life hell for Nadine and to get rid of her. When Nadine discovers Lilly's journal, detailing her life in German-occupied Paris, she discovers secrets she thinks she could use to outwit Katrina. But she could be setting herself up for something worse. Interesting to find out the twist!
Dana K. Haffar's novel is a very engaging and entertaining story. I was impressed with the way the author explores emotions, thanks to the brilliant development of character. The characters display strong humanity and readers can easily connect with them. The reader wants to get to know the protagonist. The author handles the conflict expertly, exploring it at different levels -- physical, psychological, and emotional -- and it is interesting to see how it drives the plot. The Memory of Loss is well-plotted, intelligently paced, and crafted to keep the reader focused on the characters. I enjoyed how the author used Lilly's account of her life to comment on the atmosphere in France and social life in Paris during the German occupation."
Gripping mystery and historical fiction
The author relates the stories of two women: Lilly, who needs a carer as she recovers from surgery at her home in France, and young Nadine, who has finished a training in caregiving in London. Nadine is hired and choses not to disclose her own continuing recovery from trauma and tragedy.
Central to the book is Lilly's journal account of life during the German occupation of Paris in WWII. The author deftly weaves history with the palpable human experience of Lilly, Papa, sister Viv, Hortense, Henri (close friend of Papa from WWI) and Lilly's intimate friends at university, some torn from their studies by the pull of resistance to the Vichy government. A captivating love story makes this a page turner...
Nadine discovers Lilly's misplaced journal and reads it without her employers knowledge.
As Nadine's admiration for these heroic women grows, the daughter of Lilly, Kat, and her son Julien arrive for visits. Kat's bilious traits are intolerable. In Julien Nadine thinks she may have found a friend, but his predatory intentions emerge.
Kat finds a way to subvert Nadine in an effort to dislodge her from the family. Nadine, in error, believes a secret from Lilly's journal is her last defense against Kat but realizes late the harm it would do to Lilly, the elder archaeologist who she respects above anyone. The young carer shows empathy whereas Lilly, relieved by a possible return to status quo, fails to acknowledge the poisonous effect her own daughter has beyond the family.
Great Read!!!
Nadine, the young protagonist in the novel leaves her native South Africa and travels half-way around the world to care for an older woman, Lily, in the south of France . She is quickly engulfed in the dynamics of a household that make her uneasy and feels unwelcome by the woman’s daughter, Katrina. One act of indiscretion on Nadine’s part opens up a secret past that ties the storyline together.
The two main characters have experienced unspeakable tragedy in lives and times that couldn’t be more different. Apart from the kindness of the housekeeper, the younger woman and Lily have a complicity that is the only reassurance Nadine gets from being in that family and away from home. We are transported back in time to Lily’s early years and Nadine’s curiosity and fascination with her carry us through the novel.
The author’s use of backstory is brilliant as she deftly uncovers the character’s flaws and fragility, keeping us oblivious until the very end to the demons that obsess her.
