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tasmanian_bibliophile's review
4.0
‘A unique opportunity to live in a stunning, secluded location.’
Eliot Barnes, his wife Donna and their son Bradley live on a deteriorating council estate in England. Eliot who was once in a local band, is now a frustrated author unhappy with life on the council estate and concerned about his marriage. He sees an advertisement for a position on the Cloothill estate. An opportunity, Eliot thinks. He applies, he and Donna are interviewed by Clarissa and Phillip Compton. Eliot and Donna are offered positions. They accept and are provided with a house, and allocated their duties. Eliot is to be a general handyman, to care for the horses and be the gamekeeper. Oh, and other duties as directed. Donna has duties inside the main house. Bradley will attend school. Sure, the Comptons may be eccentric as well as aristocratic and, but Eliot thinks he can make it work. Donna has work to do as well, and Bradley seems to enjoy life in the countryside. So what can possibly go wrong?
Gradually, as he becomes drawn into life at Cloothill, Eliot realises that the world according to the Comptons is not the same as the world occupied by others who work or live on the estate. There are rules that Eliot and Donna are meant to observe, there will be consequences when they don’t. Tobias is the farm overseer, a crude man who is apparently very attractive to many women. His own wife he treats badly. The Comptons have an au pair, Rebecca, who is attracted to Eliot.
‘It really is this place and not us.’
Life in the country is not what Eliot expects. He finds his own compensations, as does Donna. There’s an atmosphere at Cloothill which seems to take over their lives and changes them both. Will Eliot and Donna survive here? Will their marriage survive this experience?
This novel drew me into an uncomfortable world. A world in which vague dissatisfactions became fuel (and perhaps justification) for aberrant behaviour. How much of this is due to the influence of Cloothill? How much is due to the individuals themselves?
‘I will not destroy anything I cannot create from now on.’
And the end of the novel? It was what I expected, yes, but not what I wanted. At some stage I will reread this novel. I will read it more slowly and analyse it more deeply. I’ve read five of Neil Grimmett’s novels, and while ‘The Threshing Circle’ is my favourite, there’s something about ‘The Burnt Fox’ which takes it close.
Note: My thanks to Lisa Grimmett for providing me with an electronic copy of this book for review purposes. Sadly, Neil Grimmett passed away on 28 November 2015.
Jennifer Cameron-Smith
Eliot Barnes, his wife Donna and their son Bradley live on a deteriorating council estate in England. Eliot who was once in a local band, is now a frustrated author unhappy with life on the council estate and concerned about his marriage. He sees an advertisement for a position on the Cloothill estate. An opportunity, Eliot thinks. He applies, he and Donna are interviewed by Clarissa and Phillip Compton. Eliot and Donna are offered positions. They accept and are provided with a house, and allocated their duties. Eliot is to be a general handyman, to care for the horses and be the gamekeeper. Oh, and other duties as directed. Donna has duties inside the main house. Bradley will attend school. Sure, the Comptons may be eccentric as well as aristocratic and, but Eliot thinks he can make it work. Donna has work to do as well, and Bradley seems to enjoy life in the countryside. So what can possibly go wrong?
Gradually, as he becomes drawn into life at Cloothill, Eliot realises that the world according to the Comptons is not the same as the world occupied by others who work or live on the estate. There are rules that Eliot and Donna are meant to observe, there will be consequences when they don’t. Tobias is the farm overseer, a crude man who is apparently very attractive to many women. His own wife he treats badly. The Comptons have an au pair, Rebecca, who is attracted to Eliot.
‘It really is this place and not us.’
Life in the country is not what Eliot expects. He finds his own compensations, as does Donna. There’s an atmosphere at Cloothill which seems to take over their lives and changes them both. Will Eliot and Donna survive here? Will their marriage survive this experience?
This novel drew me into an uncomfortable world. A world in which vague dissatisfactions became fuel (and perhaps justification) for aberrant behaviour. How much of this is due to the influence of Cloothill? How much is due to the individuals themselves?
‘I will not destroy anything I cannot create from now on.’
And the end of the novel? It was what I expected, yes, but not what I wanted. At some stage I will reread this novel. I will read it more slowly and analyse it more deeply. I’ve read five of Neil Grimmett’s novels, and while ‘The Threshing Circle’ is my favourite, there’s something about ‘The Burnt Fox’ which takes it close.
Note: My thanks to Lisa Grimmett for providing me with an electronic copy of this book for review purposes. Sadly, Neil Grimmett passed away on 28 November 2015.
Jennifer Cameron-Smith
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