If like me, you’re a fan of the genre known as Tartan Noir (think Ann Cleeves’ Shetland series, Wendy H Jones’ DI Shona McKenzie books and anything by Val McDermid) you’ll be delighted to hear that Scottish author Helen Forbes has just brought out her third novel. Forbes, a lawyer, set her first two books in the Highlands and Islands feeling that these are backdrops which have been neglected in the arena of crime fiction. I read this novel, set in Inverness, on my way up to Shetland, which seemed appropriate.
From the minute I opened ‘Unravelling’, I felt confident that I was in the hands of a gifted writer.
“Her whispered last words would never leave his head. His guilt would eat away at him, turning him into a pale shadow haunted with regret, mocked by what might have been. As the crashing and the shouting came closer, the noose in one hand, his other hand steadying himself against the tree trunk, he wavered on the edge of infinity. And then he made his choice.”
I was hooked, desperate to know who this might be and what his choice would be. Following the strict rules of suspense novels, the author kept me guessing until the last page, and quite right too.
From the minute I opened ‘Unravelling’, I felt confident that I was in the hands of a gifted writer.
Our protagonist, young Kate Sharp, works in a care home where she must deal with variously confused, racist, difficult and mysterious residents. Life’s tough for our heroine. Her beloved grandmother is terminally ill and we’re told that Kate was brought up by her grandparents because of her mother’s mental illness, but there are more questions than answers.
The novel is split into three parts, the first and third narrated by Kate, the second by Ellen, her mother. Part one sets up the story and introduces the main characters. Kate was planning to go to university, but a mysterious event has sent her off-course and she’s settled for working in the care home. She is drawn to her colleague Stefan, but he’s married. The plot thickens as a body is found in the woods near the Craig, the mental faculty where Ellen spent most of Kate’s life. Then a second body is found and the plot thickens even more, like porridge made with poisoned milk.
If I sat down and wrote a novel about murder and mental illness and the scars that trauma can leave on a young life, I’d make a right hash of it. I certainly wouldn’t be able to weave in humour, as Forbes does. One minute I was smiling wryly, the next wincing as I read poignant words such as these:
“The best days were when Mum was waiting by the door, smiling. I’d run into her arms. She’d hold me so tight, and I’d know, just know, this was the day she was coming home for good. It never was.”
A new resident, Lucille Leonard, is admitted to the care home and creates havoc, fleecing bewildered residents at poker, streaking in the corridors and nicking stuff. She calls Kate, “Princess” and seems to know her. Who is the confused, angry man living in a flat with an elderly woman he calls, “Old Dear?” And when, oh when, are we going to find out more about the mysterious Dr Daniel Tarantino who has come to Inverness swearing vengeance for Ellen’s death?
Malevolence stalks Kate in the form of Jamie Ogilvie, the aforementioned angry man who turns out to have been a nurse at Craig, and Martyna, Stefan’s angry wife who thinks Kate is trying to steal her man. The shadow of inherited mental illness hangs over this young girl too, as she learns that her great-uncle had schizophrenia and that was her mother’s diagnosis too.
In the meantime, Forbes is skilfully weaving the threads of her narrative together and dropping the odd clue, as a rookie knitter drops stitches, but all the time with the utmost skill. I was led down several blind alleys in part one and part two was no exception. Teenage Ellen longs for sophisticated parents who dress fashionably and go to parties, unlike her good, dull Quaker mother and father. Disastrously, she goes to her friend Hazel’s sixteenth birthday party and drinks too much Advocaat and so the unravelling of her life begins.
Nine months later, she gives birth to Kate. We are shown a devoted and loving young mother, but one who hears voices and is followed around by a man no one else can see. Ellen tries to kill herself, stops sleeping and begins drinking heavily. At this point, I was shouting, “It’s because of what happened at the party! Please just tell someone and you’ll get the help you need, you poor girl.” But then there wouldn’t have been a novel and that’s why Helen Forbes is writing this and not me.
The scenes at the Craig are desperately sad. A harsh nurse, seriously disturbed residents and inept psychiatrists conspire to make Ellen’s situation even worse. There is a brief moment of hope when she makes friends with another young girl, Sif. Even in this dark place, there is a nice, wry sense of humour, as in this description of a concert given by the staff and residents.
The concert started with an elderly man singing in Gaelic. He had a wonderful voice. At the chorus, several patients joined in. ‘Gaelic mafia,’ Sif muttered. ‘They’re a cult. Whispering and gossiping and no one else can understand a word.’
I snorted loudly when I read this. Gaelic mafia. Brilliant!
But hang on, here’s Jamie, the nurse, with his beautiful voice and radiant smile. He sings and when he looks straight into Ellen’s eyes, she feels that she has been punched in the stomach. In the background, the faint sound of needles clicking indicates that the author may be fashioning some sheep’s clothing for this wolf. If he is a wolf. We don’t know.
Things seem to be on the up. Ellen starts art therapy, revealing that she is a gifted artist. Sif reveals the truth behind her condition which is heart-breaking. The two of them decide to join forces when they’re discharged and for a moment, I forgot that this young girl was dead and buried and dared to hope that they might find happiness one day. Of course it’s not to be and we’re reminded that Ellen and Sif are two abused children paying the price for someone else’s crime. I found this unbearably sad.
Back at Craig, here is handsome, charming, compassionate Dr Tarantino. A skilled counsellor, he helps Ellen to shine a light on what happened to her and to deal with the consequences. Is he good? Is he bad? We don’t know.
Horrible Mary MacLeod, an elderly resident who thrives on gossip and rumour, confronts Ellen just before she’s discharged. Again, had I not been on a plane at the time, I would have been yelling, “Don’t go for that final walk in the woods, Ellen! Just get the bus home, hen!” But this is tartan noir and so of course, she doesn’t. The end of part two is also unbearably sad.
Helen Forbes Facebook page & blog tour details
Part three, thank heavens, starts to put the pieces together. Kate turns detective and tracks down Hazel and her brother and finds out the truth about what happened at the party. Someone (I’m not telling you who) ties Kate up in her flat and threatens to kill her. We find out who murdered the two people in the woods.
And we hear Ellen’s last words. I can’t tell you what they were. You’ll have to read the book.
I was gripped by this novel. Kate and Ellen and Sif will stay in my head long after I’ve put, “Unravelled” up on the shelf. Funny, sad and wise, this is a great read and I would heartily recommend it.
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For more details on Helen Forbes please visit her website here and follow Helen on Twitter here.
I was given a review copy of this novel and all opinions expressed are my own.