My Five Word TL:DR Review : Went in an unexpected direction

I would start this review by saying that Alice Hoffman is one of my favourite authors and so in the interests of clarity I’m not sure how totally unbiased my thoughts and feelings always are, so maybe bear that in mind – because, for me, once again, Hoffman has produced a beautifully written and emotional story – the biggest surprise being that it took me in a completely unexpected direction.

The Invisible Hour brings to us the mother and daughter story of Ivy and Mia.  Ivy comes from money. Her parents are strict and she often balks against their rules.  A beautiful and spirited young girl, Ivy is also naive and when she falls pregnant believes that the young boy she has fallen for will whisk her away.  Yes, that doesn’t happen, but, hearing her parents make plans for her future, in which she has no say, Ivy runs away that night.  Put bluntly Ivy swaps one oppressive environment for another winding up in a cult in western Massachusetts. Led by a charismatic man the cult allows no contact with the outside world, has very strict rules and harsh punishments and forbids books.  The only light in Ivy’s life is her daughter Mia, and although ‘the children belong to the community’ Ivy finds ways to share special time with her daughter.

Mia struggles with life in the community, she wants to leave with her mother but Ivy recognises that the Leader of the cult (and her husband) will never allow them to simply walk away and Mia’s saviour becomes a love of books.  A love encouraged by the local librarian (although of course Mia has to keep this a secret).

Now, I don’t really want to give away too much more about the plot, but, I would say that Hoffman’s trademark magical realism comes into play later in the story.  I found this element to the story a real surprise, it involves time travel and a connection to a particular author that Mia feels a strong connection to.  You could say that this author saved her life and at the same time she entered his life during a difficult period and gave him inspiration.

So, my thoughts and impressions.

Well, firstly, the writing, the tone, the pacting, are all perfection.  Hoffman has a style of writing that is so evocative, she brings the place, time and people to life on the page.

I love the way Ivy and Mia are written.  Their relationship is such a winning element to the story and in fact the story then moves on to another lovely relationship.  Which links into the themes portrayed here.  Obviously family but more for me a look at women and their struggles across the years.

In terms of criticisms.  Well, the time travel part of the story felt a little rushed.  Also, I would have liked to spend more time watching Mia grow up.

Overall though, I really enjoyed The Invisible Hour.  It definitely has a feeling, for me, of the right book/right time, but, that aside, I thought this was a beautifully rendered story packed with emotion and surprises.

I received a copy through Netgalley, courtesy of the publisher, for which my thanks.  The above is my own opinion.

My rating 4 of 5 stars