The Marble Collector by Cecelia AhernMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
A forgotten childhood. A discovered life.
What if you only had one day to find out who you really were?
When Sabrina Boggs stumbles upon a mysterious collection of her father’s possessions, she discovers a truth where she never knew there was a lie. The familiar man she grew up with is suddenly a stranger to her.
An unexpected break in her monotonous daily routine leaves her just one day to unlock the secrets of the man she thought she knew. A day that unearths memories, stories and people she never knew existed. A day that changes her and those around her forever.
The Marble Collector is a thought-provoking novel about how the most ordinary decisions we make can have the most extraordinary consequences for how we live our lives. And how sometimes it’s only by shining on a light on someone else, that you can truly understand yourself.
This book I felt was very different from her other books, it is told by two people, Fergus and Sabrina. To begin with you don't really know the connection between the two characters but it doesn't take too long to work it out. Right from the beginning I got the feeling that Fergus was from the past, this was confirmed the further I got into the novel, however this shifts in the novel as there are times that Fergus is in the present and we follow his life today. Sabrina is Fergus's daughter, which we find out early on in the book. Unfortunately Fergus recently had a stroke and is now living in a home. Sabrina makes sure she regularly visits him, one day she receives a call from the home about a package that has been delivered for her father. Sabrina is amazed to discover these are marbles, and on closer inspection some are missing.
This story is about discovery, not only of the marbles but of who the family are and the secrets they keep. Throughout the novel some secrets are revealed to the reader and we can build up a picture of the characters and their stories. I enjoyed reading both character's stories and although I could not find a connection to them, thought it was well written and covers a unique story line. There are many characters that the reader comes into contact in this book and I feel they have all been written well. Some of the characters I would have liked to know a little more about, however we begin to learn more about these characters through the point of view of Fergus and Sabrina.
This story brings up questions about how well do we really know someone, even our family. We only know what they want to tell us. To discover secrets it then can have a devastating effect on those who love us, who may feel like their life has been a lie. This really come out of Ahern's book for me and I thought the emotions Sabrina felt were realistic.
I have read many of Ahern's books and unfortunately this is not one of my favourites, however I think if you enjoy a historical element in stories, you will like this. To me it just didn't have the magical charm I have grown to love with Ahern's novels.
I would like to thank the publisher for sending this in exchange for an honest review.
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