Title: Equilibrium
Author: Evie Woolmore
Publisher: allonymbooks
Genre: Historical fiction /metaphysical fiction
It starts slowly. At first, I wondered what was going on and where it was going, because the author dishes out information in tantalizingly brief snippets, but the elegant writing held me, and I soon became ensnared in the mystery of what happened to a young man who went from England to south Africa during the Boer War and never returned. The method of unravelling his fate falls to a medium who, despite one bit of subterfuge in her ‘act’, seems to be genuine. As the story progresses, the mystery draws more of the cast into its web, linking them together in unexpected ways, then it builds to a powerful conclusion.
Secrets of the heart are unravelled along with the illusions of Martha and Adelia, the first woman an ex-housemaid in the house of the second. They both loved the same man, but did he love either of them in return? Martha left the house after becoming pregnant. She gave the child away and threw herself into the Thames only to be rescued by her sister. The details surrounding this event are shadowy until the end when the reason for Martha’s sister, Ephiphany’s, skill as a true voice for spirits becomes apparent.
During the course of the story, Adelia comes to see her history with her husband Rafe in a new light, as does Martha. Though painful, the revelations make both women stronger and able to move on with their lives. The parallels between the two are poignant indeed.
Essentially this is a simple story, but made rich by its psychological depth, evocative writing and the calm, apparently all-seeing, presence of the aptly-named Ephiphany.
Highly recommended for readers of literature, historical fiction and metaphysical fiction.
This book meets the standards for inclusion in the Awesome Indies list.
Description: Epiphany and Martha are sisters with a stage mediumship act in Edwardian London. When they are asked to give a private reading at the home of Lady Adelia Lyward to find out the truth about her brother’s death, Martha must face up to her past. For two years ago, her affair with Lord Rafe Lyward ended in pregnant disgrace, and her attempted suicide in the River Thames. But there is more at stake than Martha’s anonymous return, for Epiphany bears the burden of restoring the equilibrium, not just to the Lywards but to her sister and ultimately to herself.
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