Hush, little baby

 

   Lexie Sinclair, young, singularly independent, ruled by her head but susceptible to an impulse from the heart, leaves her Devon home in the mid-1950s to work in London on the arts magazine elsewhere. Her boss is Innes Kent, suave and sophisticated art collector, at home in bohemian Soho, and it's clear from the off that an affair between the two is inevitable. As Lexie moves up in the world from office girl to respected journalist, it is her relationships which will determine not just her fate but that of others connected to her.

    The second strand of Maggie O'Farrell's The Hand That First Held Mine is set in the present day where new mother Elina is struggling to cope with her baby after a very difficult birth. Her partner Ted is keen to help but he is troubled by strange flashbacks and memories of something and someone which are not part of his 'received' childhood. The key line here is the epigraph, Matthew Arnold's "And we forget because we must".

    The two stories are obviously linked, but in what way? There are tantalising crossings of paths, but otherwise there's a large gap which must be bridged - how will that be achieved? Let's just say that it is done with finesse and skill, and all is resolved most satisfactorily.

    In addition to the central mystery of the story, both narratives are quite compelling. What is most striking, though, is the deftness of the writing - its apparent effortlessness. It's like watching a pianist's fingers flying over the keys, executing fast and intricate runs with never a wrong note. In that sense it's a 'light' book, by which I mean reading it is like travelling with the wind behind you - the author has done her job so beautifully that the reader is driven gently through the story; no puffing and panting up the inclines, just coasting downhill all the way.

    This has gone straight on my books of the year list, and I'm now keen to read all Maggie O'Farrell's other novels. Can you recommend a favourite?