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Felicity is the twelve-year-old daughter of an amiable father who drinks too much and a critical mother who runs a bed-and-breakfast in a small British seaside town. After yet another fight with her mother, she goes to the forbidden Gull Rocks, where there's a dangerous undertow... and rescues a young man in a suit from the current.
The man, who calls himself Albert Ross, is installed (or installs himself) in their hotel, first as an invalid and then as a semi-permanent and non-paying guest. It's clear from the get-go that he's lying about at least some things and possibly everything, but why is much less clear. He's deliberately and very skillfully manipulating everyone, but his effect seems to go beyond that; people see him as they want to see him, and he functions as a catalyst for people's relationships and emotions. Whether he's a force for evil or good or simply for change is one of the many mysteries of the book.
I really loved this. It's ambiguous and mysterious in a way that's thought-provoking rather than infuriating. Felicity and the other characters are real and compelling, and it's beautifully written.
( Read more... )
The Publishers Weekly review writes, in an amazing example of statements which are factually correct but miss the larger picture by a country mile, But through their encounter with him, Felicity, Bony and readers come to a greater understanding of themselves and a new awareness of the potentially destructive power of gossip.
Mysterious Mr Ross
The man, who calls himself Albert Ross, is installed (or installs himself) in their hotel, first as an invalid and then as a semi-permanent and non-paying guest. It's clear from the get-go that he's lying about at least some things and possibly everything, but why is much less clear. He's deliberately and very skillfully manipulating everyone, but his effect seems to go beyond that; people see him as they want to see him, and he functions as a catalyst for people's relationships and emotions. Whether he's a force for evil or good or simply for change is one of the many mysteries of the book.
I really loved this. It's ambiguous and mysterious in a way that's thought-provoking rather than infuriating. Felicity and the other characters are real and compelling, and it's beautifully written.
( Read more... )
The Publishers Weekly review writes, in an amazing example of statements which are factually correct but miss the larger picture by a country mile, But through their encounter with him, Felicity, Bony and readers come to a greater understanding of themselves and a new awareness of the potentially destructive power of gossip.
Mysterious Mr Ross
