The Distant Hours by Kate Morton

“Sometimes, Edie, a person's feelings aren't rational. At least, they don't seem that way on the surface. You have to dig a little deeper to understand what lies at the base” 

The Distant Hours by Kate Morton is a Gothic novel. Edie Burchill is curious about the reaction from her mother when she received a long lost letter. It was set between 1939 and 1992. Edie knows nearly nothing from her mother's mysterious past. It all leads to the Milderhurst Castle, Edie feels a strange pull towards this place. When she takes a tour around the house she realises that there are many more secrets hidden by the stone walls of the castle. Secrets that fascinate her about the sister that live there and their family!

The novel by Kate Morton made me realise how much I adore the Gothic genre!

I first started reading for school and expected it to be too eerie and gory but instead  I found books that weren't at all violent -- with the exception of a short story that we had to read, Black Cat, that was completely horrible with a psychopathic alcoholic and I don't know why we had to read it-- but full of mystery, romance and a hint of fantasy! I really like the thrill of being surprised by these secrets and kept in the dark until the last second. This books was extremely good! The plot kept surprising me until the very last pages when there was a completely new revelation that no one would ever know. Although I loved this so much it annoyed me a bit that the population of the book would never know the truth not only Edie decided to be all loyal and good that she won't tell anyone but also she has the wrong impression of something that died with the siblings. This just goes to show how much I was into the book, I felt frustrated for the book characters.

I also found the idea of having the various narrators very good! In a story with so many secrets it was good  that by having the various point of views the reader manages to know every single details even when the actual character is dead or away when otherwise we wouldn't know their story! It also gave me a chance to empathise with all the characters! Usually there is one character that we are made to dislike but in this book every character was three dimensional, had their own motives and reasons and none of them were perfect neither was any of them completely bad. Just like the quote I put at the start it really got to me that I should try even harder step in other people's shoes because although someone's attitude and actions may not seem reasonable there is always a story behind. While reading the The Distant Hours Percy seemed so horrible and controlling that when I read her side I felt completely different about her. Even Juniper that seemed so wild and crazy and I didn't really understand her when there were actual parts written by her I realised that she was such a good, thoughtful person with concepts that were so deep but just haunted by ' characters'/ illness. 

This book review is quite long (sorry) and yet it seems so short for a book that was so complex and full of ideas and point of views. But I was so absorbed by the story and so full of emotions for the characters and their secrets that when I finished the book I wasn't really sure what had happened in the middle :P ! If you didn't get it by now or if - most probably - just read the start and the ending I really recommend this book and the Gothic genre, you might be surprised!