Sunday 3 November 2019

Here To Stay by Mark Edwards

Mark Edwards has an amazing way of sucking me into his novels so quickly that I’ve devoured half of it in one evening. I became so invested in Elliot’s life, that I almost need therapy afterwards! 

Elliot is a self-made man, with a business promoting science within schools and a house he has worked on till it’s perfect. He loves his neat, well-ordered, existence. It’s just him and his cat Charlie, and he is friends with Amira his business partner and George his next door neighbour. Gemma comes into this quiet existence like a whirlwind and although Elliot doesn’t know much about her, he does know he loves her. They get married only eight weeks after meeting and although friends worry they have rushed into it, they are happy. Soon after, Gemma’s parents come back into her life. They have been living in France with Gemma’s sister Chloe and seem to be leaving in a hurry. Gemma says it will only be a couple of weeks till they find their own place. Elliot lets them stay, but they arrive with Chloe seemingly in a fever and immediately start treating the place as if it is their own. Lizzy is allergic to Charlie and Elliot suspects she has been locking the cat flap to stop him coming in. Jeff is loud and messy, leaving dishes everywhere and having the TV on too loud. But Elliot has been alone for a long time since the death of his parents so he does find it hard to share space and it’s only for two weeks isn’t it? 



Even though I’d expected some of what transpired, the book still kept me gripped. I hated Lizzy and Jeff with a passion that could only come from someone who’s lived alone for six years and now shares a bathroom with four people. It becomes claustrophobic as every ones of Elliot’s senses are invaded; the noise is intolerable, the smell of Lizzy smoking out of the window, the piles of mess everywhere and his constant worry about the welfare of his cat. I felt the panic and his feeling that his haven is being invaded and will never seem the same for him again. I suspected Gemma, her brother Stuart and even Chloe who seems stuck on her sickbed in a catatonic state. It’s clear from very early on that the mystery of why the family are here hinges on Chloe’s testimony, but so far she can’t or won’t speak. 



Disturbed by the feeling of having someone in his house he’s still not met, Elliot tries to talk to Chloe. He is so worried about her physical state he asks his neighbour George if he would pop round and check on her. George is a retired GP and he manages to pop round at just the right moment to see Chloe. Unfortunately, they are discovered and while Jeff shouts and wakes the rest of the house, Elliot notices that Chloe whispers something to George. Elliot is still unsure about exactly what is wrong in the family and wonders if he’s jumping at shadows, but there are tiny clues. Why does Gemma have scars across her stomach that she never talks about but touches every time she’s nervous? Why does no one talk about their life in France and why did Chloe’s parents follow her out there? One evening the four of them go out for a meal and Gemma chokes slightly, but cowers as her father gets up to help her. Little does Elliot know that when they return, he will make a discovery that changes everything. 

There were moments of this book when I found myself livid about Gemma’s parents. Every time Elliot thinks of something that will get rid of them I felt so relieved, then so frustrated when he realises it won’t work. It’s as if what Gemma says is true - in her parent’s world everything is upside down and the normal rules don’t apply. They are like whirlwinds and everything that gets sucked in is destroyed. I won’t write more for fear of ruining all the twists and turns to come. This is a book where you have to know the ending and you’ll keep reading till 3am to find out. I believed in the characters, even when their behaviour was completely unbelievable. Be prepared to shake with rage as these cuckoos carry out their awful plan and Elliot desperately tries to find a way out. 

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