The Distant Hours

I made a goal this year to read fifty-four books. I'm not sure I'm going to make it there, but I'm close, and if I get to fifty, I'll feel good about it. And this? This is number forty-nine. Forty-nine was goooooood! Loved it.

The Distant Hours by Kate Morton

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Alright, so here goes. Edie Burchill finds herself at Milderhurst Castle unraveling the mystery of the Sisters Blythe and her mother's childhood after her mother receives a long lost letter fifty years after she was sheltered at Milderhurst during World War II. So that's enough of a summary...on with the fun!

I would probably give the ending of the book a four. BUT...it was so good in the middle, and I love books that are good in the middle. You know what I mean? When books are good in the middle, that means the author knows what she is doing to keep the pace of the plot going. Kate Morton means business when she tells a story, and I'm telling you what - she really knows how to keep you hanging on for the next piece of the mystery. In fact, I was up until three in the morning finishing it, so I'm giving it a five. It's my favorite to stay up late reading a book that I cannot put down...one of the real pleasures in life. So it deserves five stars even if I had a few issues with the ending.

Much like The Forgotten Garden, Morton takes the reader through two time periods, weaving the story of the younger Blythe sisters and their mysterious castle into the present story of Edie and her mother's mysterious childhood. The story includes typical Gothic elements: death by fire, ghostly visitors, characters driven mad through loss, overbearing/abusive parental figures, and mystery mystery mystery. This is what kept me up late reading it. When I picked it back up last night, I was only going to read a chapter or two, but I started in at a crucial moment...and then it got a little creepy, and oh how I LOVED that! It was two in the morning, and I was looking around a little and burrowing under the covers. Just a little spookiness is always a bonus. Anyway, by the time I got to the spookiness, I had to keep reading. I really wanted to know what was coming next.

Another reason I sort of adore it? It's vaguely reminiscent of several great novels, including Jane Eyre, Wuthering Heights, The Woman in White...you get the idea. It also reminded me of Atonement, although I admit that I've only seen the movie. In any case, I enjoy the way Morton is able to call up memories of past great novels without pillaging and plundering (read...plagiarizing) them and then calling it her own.

And I cannot say enough about her voice. It's just beautiful the way she can describe a moment, a thought, a sight, a sound. I would love to sit down with her and pick her brain and find out just how it is that she can write the way she does. Even if you are not into her stories, you cannot deny that she has a way with prose. Her writing is truly nothing short of impeccable.

So my issues came at the end. I loved the way the story started, and I've already told you that the middle was amazing. But the ending is a little too...I don't know? In parts it's very neat and clean, almost too neat and clean for my taste. And at times it was too twisting...too much "surprise...bet you didn't see that coming." Of the two, I would prefer less of the "surprise...gotcha!" moments. It feels kitchy, and in my humble opinion, as skilled a writer as Morton is, she really doesn't need to resort to gimmicky endings. She already has her reader.

But how can I complain about such a great story? I cannot...I say read it!


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