UNSETTLED GROUND - a review by Marc Forrest-Thomas

I was half way through Unsettled Ground when the shortlist for The Women’s Prize was announced and already felt that it had a completely deserved place. What a great book, unlike anything I’ve ever read, it tells the story of adult twins Jeanie and Julius, who live a fairly isolated life at home with their mother Dot. The story is mostly set in the aftermath of Dot’s death as they navigate their way in a world without her and discovering the lies and family secrets that she kept from them.
Claire Fuller’s writing is stunning and really draws you into this claustrophobic story of people who live simple lives on the fringes of society. Jeanie and Julius are such special characters and their story will stay with me for a long time.
In the months since I finished this, I've thought of it often, remembering the immersive feeling of being in the world that Claire Fuller created here. The book has quite rightly received praise and success around the world and I am still having conversations with people who are now discovering it.

Claire is appearing at ChipLitFest with Henry Ayling who will be playing some of the songs from the book. Unsettled Ground 8pm Fri 22 April Parish Rooms

Our guest blogger Marc Forrest-Thomas joins us from Solihull:

I’m Marc, a simple boy with a wide ranging love of books. Seriously, I love books of all shapes and sizes (and genres).

I’ve been reading since I was a teenager and my love of literature has only grown as I’ve gotten older. Fiction is my go to, I gravitate towards beautiful and brutal stories but I’ll generally read anything that piques my interest. I’m largely contemporary in my tastes and love anything that feels fresh and different, I’m often looking for something new and always respect a new style, even if they aren’t always necessarily to my liking. I love the escapism that reading provides me, whatever is happening in the world around me, as long as I have a book with me I can disappear into another world and enjoy the company of the characters within.

Find Marc on Instagram @bookmarc_83