Book Beginnings (1)

Gilion at Rose City Reader hosts Book Beginnings on Fridays

I keep meaning to join in with this and this week I have finally managed it! I've got a few books on the go at the moment so I've just picked one out to mention here. 

The idea, as stated on the host's blog, is 'to share the first sentence (or so) of the book you are reading, along with your initial thoughts about the sentence, impressions of the book, or anything else the opener inspires.' There's a hash tag #BookBeginnings for twitter etc too, and a master linky list on the host's blog.

My Book Beginning

'It is the smallest details that come to her: the damp grass underfoot threaded with buttercups, the air humming with insects, the snap of her nightdress catching in the breeze. As she wanders out of the cottage and down towards the mirrored surface of the lake, her senses are heightened.'

This is the start of the short prologue to the novel, and instantly had me wondering and asking, who is this woman, where is she now and where is she headed to? The mention of the cottage and the lake makes me think this may be a countryside location and I can already begin to picture the scene and imagine the sounds just from this brief description. 

I'm enjoying this mysterious story so far, and will share my thoughts in a review once I've finished reading it.

Published by Orion

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Here's the story synopsis from goodreads:

On a sultry summer’s day in 1980, five friends stumble upon an abandoned lakeside cottage hidden deep in the English countryside. For Kat and her friends, it offers an escape; a chance to drop out for a while, with lazy summer days by the lake and intimate winter evenings around the fire. But as the seasons change, tensions begin to rise and when an unexpected visitor appears at their door, nothing will be the same again.

Three decades later, Lila arrives at the same remote cottage. With her marriage in crisis, she finds solace in renovating the tumbledown house. Little by little she wonders about the previous inhabitants. How did they manage in such isolation? Why did they leave in such a hurry, with their belongings still strewn about? Most disturbing of all, why can't she shake the feeling that someone might be watching her?

The Shadow Year is a story of secrets, tragedy, lies and betrayal. It’s a tale that explores the light and dark of human relationships and the potential the past has to not only touch our present, but also to alter our future.