I first encountered Claire Fuller with Our Endless Numbered Days, and will someone please tell me why it's taken me until now to pick up another of her works?!  Sometimes this is the problem with being a book magpie, always jumping from one new shiny distraction to another - I don't make the time to really immerse myself in any one author.  I'm realising the error of my ways now.  Along with Sarah Moss, Claire Fuller is a writer I really need to spend more time with.

This is the story of 51 year old twins Jeanie and Julius, who live with their mother Dot in a dilapidated smallholding. Jeanie, who was diagnosed with a heart condition at a young age, has lived most of her life within the boundaries of the family home, whilst Julius has remained loyal to the women after his father died.  When Dot dies suddenly, the twin find the walls of their existence pulled down by outside forces and the secrets their mother kept come creeping out of the rubble.  Their story if one of abject poverty, social isolation, and bonds being tested.  What does it mean to be an outcast, even from your own history?

This book is bleak, but it is also incredibly powerful.  My heart was with Jeanie as every punch life threw at her landed with sick precision, in awe of her as she drew on her scant resources to keep trudging forward. The helplessness and confusion she feels on discovering, time after time, that there is further to fall than rock bottom just broke my heart. But she is not the only fully realised character in this story - Fuller has a real talent for crafting whole people with her words, even if they're only on the pages for a short while.  

Much like with Our Endless Numbered Days, this story built and built, the height of the drama and tension had me sitting bolt upright. That is what makes this book so powerful, there is a story that pulls you through so that you aren't simply left floundering in the bleakness.  And there is humour here too, both in the shape of the characters but also from Jeanie's observations of them.

Not necessarily an easy read, but a very rewarding one.

I make no secret of the fact that I’m a huge Claire Fuller fan, and Unsettled Ground gave me no reason at all to think otherwise - it’s a beautiful book. 
The characters Jeanie and Julius are vulnerable people who just need someone to guide them when their mother dies, even though they are fiercely independent. This is a family that has always lived on the edge of their community - both their actual geographical location and socially. They live hand to mouth, and when Doris their mother dies, the twins have to go without food at times, when it transpires that Doris has left them with no money and debts. The cost of her funeral is the least of their problems (and they overcome that problem reasonably easily anyway). 
There is a feeling that the twins are trapped by circumstance and by each other. Jeanie has never recovered from a childhood illness and is illiterate, and Julius is not only expected to look after her, but is trapped in their local area because he has severe travel sickness linked to their fathers terrible death. Their one comfort is their joint love of folk music (I wish I could have actually listened to these songs - I shall have to google them, and I hope they really exist!).
Claire Fullers use of language makes the everyday seem more lifelike in her books. I read most, if not all, of this with my heart in my mouth. How could I not? Jeanie and Julius are people who are shunned by society, taken advantage of and treated terribly. I feel I can’t leave this quite like this though: there are the good people, the ones that help. 
I don’t want to spoil the story, so I’ll stop here, but what I will say is that this is another gorgeously written novel by Claire Fuller, and you should most definitely read it! 
Many thanks to the publisher for providing me with an e-copy of this book through NetGalley to read and review.

Not much happens in this book. But it's still a good read.

Two 52 year old twins live with their mother in an old and dilapidated cottage. Their father was killed in an accident and the local farmer blamed by the family for his death.

Then their mother dies suddenly and they are left alone. They end up thrown out of the cottage because of debt, and things go from bad to worse. Secrets are gradually uncovered, which throws light on the secret life that their mother lived.

A very readable book with a satisfying conclusion.

This soulful read rips the plaster off a facade of contentment and emotional security to reveal a festering truth concealed too long.    

Events corral fifty-one year old twins, Jeanie and Julius Seeder, into the clutches of uncertainty, leaving their familiar, safe little unit marooned and conflicted. As fast as they rid themselves of one problem another presents itself, making each new day a greater challenge than the last.

In environments where doubt and hostility bloom no one can predict who will wither or grow.  When applied to the Seeders the potential outcome is especially affecting; as adult siblings who have never left home their ordeals are magnified tenfold. Particularly for Jeanie who endeavours, despite living with the shadow of a childhood heart condition and having to rely on others to read her letters as she is unable to do so herself. 

Those on the outside of their humble, run-down cottage occasionally intervene to offer their ‘well-intentioned’ assistance, or to simply take advantage. But no one could have truly anticipated the ways an unexpected tragedy would alter the course of their lives, forever.

Unsettled Ground has its fair share of heart-wringing hardship and endearingly awkward moments. It’s also consolingly hopeful, in a kind of ‘it’s never too late’ way – although not as you may be expecting.

Claire Fuller is an outstanding writer and that will never change.  The set up of this novel was less intriguing than her other books but I did care about the characters. Maybe that's why I often found it a bleak and upsetting read, but of course that could be due to what's happening in real life right now.  That doesn't change my view that this is another excellent novel from this author.

There is something very familiar about  Jeanie and Julius.  So much so that I think most rural villages and towns in the UK have people a bit like them although they are a dying breed now. Often from farming stock.  People who are happy with the old ways, living a bucolic existence and managing the smallholding they live on with their elderly mother. And then the mother dies and their world is turned upside-down.  What many of the real- life people have that in this book Jeanie and Julius don’t is property.  Their parents were tenant farmers so they have no legal claim to the land they farm or the decaying cottage they call home.  There is talk of an agreement, formed after their fathers death, which they were told meant they should be able to live in the cottage rent free but like all verbal agreements, it isn’t worth the paper it’s written on.   But in many ways, this is the old country way but it leaves them vulnerable to exploitation. 

I was drawn into the story almost straight away and found it hard to put it down much of the time and  read the second half of the book in one sitting.   It did feel a little dark and depressing at times but the ending was satisfyingly bittersweet. 

Music plays a large part in this book.   Before the mother’s death, the three of them would spend their evenings playing music instead of watching tv or reading books so it had become a common bond between the siblings but also a source of grief.  The piano which lived in the cottage for the whole of their lives becomes almost a symbol of the decay of their previous life as pianos are not easy pieces to move. 

This is a book about grief and poverty and how close many of us could be to homelessness.  It is also a book about resilience and how to carry on in the face of adversity.   There is also a core theme that we don’t really know our family as well as we think, especially our parents but I don’t want to spoil some of the lovely twists at the end. 

Scheduled for publication on the 18th March 21 and the link below will become active then.

I thought there would be more to it. It’s a book that doesn’t give much at all. It’s just ok in every way. I don’t really know what else I can say about it really.

*Many thanks to Claire Fuller, Penguin Genral UK, and NetGalley for arc in exchange for my honest review.*
A poignant story of 51-year-old twins, Jeanie and Julis who have to come to terms with the reality after their mother's death. Both have lived in a relative isolation with Dot for over thirty years in a delapidating cottage not far from Oxford since their father's sudden death. Jeanie has difficulty relating to people, Julius make a living doing odd jobs. The twins depend on each other, living in poverty and sharing the love for music. The day when their mother dies is the moment when they begin to uncover the truth behind some events that changed their lives. 
A novel that kept me invested in and feel for both main characters.

Claire Fuller has had a large number of plaudits, and reviews I've read of this book suggests 'Unsettled Ground' is going to be met with similar critical acclaim.  

This is the story of Jeanie and Julius, 51 year old twins who at the beginning of the novel lose their mother Dot as a result of a stroke. Both of them have remained cloistered in a rented farmers cottage, but Dot's death leads them to have to interact with the world, and to deal with both their lack of finances and their mother's secrets. 

Whilst I can understand the positive feedback this book has received, I have to admit I found it a bit of a chore to read. It might be because of lockdown, and the fact that there are enough sad/complex stories surrounding us, that we don't need it in our fiction. However, whilst the depiction of Dot's death at the beginning of the novel was brilliant and held great promise, the tone of this didn't remain and the characters and story didn't get under my skin, so it became more difficult to keep reading. I am sure though, that this book will do very well and will be enjoyed by many.

Claire Fuller is one of our best writers and consistently produced thoughtful, gripping and taut novels which explore profound issues. This is no exception.

I'm afraid I didn't care for this. I read it at totally the wrong time as there was a lot in the novel which upset me and   there was just too much depressing thoughts from the novel for me. The writing is perfect though and the author is a definate go-to author for me. This book was  a character driven plot and there was a lot of inward looking at families and family secrets which many will enjoy.

Unsettled ground tells the story of Jeanie and Julius. 51 year old twins who have grown up with their mother after their father was murdered when they were 12.  The story starts with their mother Dot dying. Jeanie and Julius have to learn to navigate the world without her. They quickly realise that their life wasn’t quite what they thought it was and Dot kept lots of things from them.  They have to find a way to survive as best they can. 
I loved this story and finished it in 2 days.  Couldn’t put it down!  The story unfolds in intriguing ways. I found myself rooting for Jeanie but also utterly frustrated by her.  
I have enjoyed all Clare Fuller’s previous novels and this one didn’t disappoint

Claire Fuller has written a novel that is both charming and sinister in equal measure. 
When Dot dies her children, fifty one year old twins Jeanie and Julius, who still live at home, find that nothing is quite as it seems and soon find they are facing homelessness and poverty.
Jeanie can not read or write as she was kept off school for long periods of time and has always worked on the farm with her mother, and is ill equipped to face the modern world. The twins fragility and hopeless situation makes this a desperately sad novel at times but there is some respite thanks to the help they receive from neighbours and friends.
I thoroughly enjoyed this beautifully written eloquent novel.

Stunning but bleak. Simply beautifully written with an essential perspective on poverty, family, and loneliness.

@currentlyreading__
Book 5 of 2021

Thank you to @writerclairefuller, @netgalley and @PenguinUKBooks for the advance copy in exchange for my honest and unbiased opinions. 

I read "Bitter Orange" a couple of years ago and loved Claire Fuller's evocative writing so was thrilled to get hold of an ARC of "Unsettled Ground". It was a great book with such an unusual premise of twins, Julius and Jeanie still living with their mother at the the age of 51. Their mother's death in the first few pages of the novel brings about the unravelling of their lives, where Julius and Jeanie struggle to survive emotionally and financially. Dot's secrets emerge slowly as Jeanie discovers the extent of her mother's deception. Jeanie was such a memorable character: very much protected from the world due to a heart condition, never having had a boyfriend nor being able to read or write, she truly has been hampered by her mother's influence:

‘Think of your heart like an egg. You know what happens if you drop an egg?'

Fuller writes beautifully evocative scenes and my favourites were of the garden with the hairy gooseberries and Jeanie digging for early potatoes. The garden is a sanctuary in a very uncertain world for Jeanie. A definite recommendation for this one.

This isn't a premise that I am usually excited by. But I picked it up anyway because Claire Fuller is an incredible writer and I had high hopes of enjoying her words. I wasn't disappointed. Fuller has once again proved how beautifully she writes and how she pays attention to measured sentences and fine details in scenes.

The story follows fifty one year old twins Jeanie and Julius who live with their mother, Dot. Their rented cottage isolates them from the world, a world steeped in rural poverty. They grow veg in the garden and sell them and Julius does small jobs around the village to sustain them financially. But when Dot meets with a sudden death, their livelihood and arrangement is brought to a standstill. 

I was thoroughly invested in the characters. I felt worried knowing there are two middle aged adults out there with nothing to their name except three pounds in a stocking. I was anxious, screaming in my head "how did this happen, what will they do?" Fuller approaches their trials with patience and compassion. The twins worry about a decent burial, Jeanie wonders how she can secure a job to help them both, they meet other people outside their isolated life — like Dot's friend Bridget , the person Julius has hooked up a few times with — and they are unsure how to accommodate them in their lives. The twins have their own limitations. Julius can't travel in a closed vehicle, Jeanie can't read. The book is sad but more than sadness, Fuller makes the reader go deep into the thoughts of Jeanie and Julius, making us worry whether they will manage the bare minimum. There are heartfelt scenes — like deciding whether a wake is needed, Jeanie using a public lavatory and wondering if her hair smells because she has no shampoo, the make-shift toilet arrangements. The book also evokes a familiar sense of earth and the domestic space, two aspects that are repeatedly revisited in the novel. I enjoyed this book

After loving ‘Bitter Orange’ by the same author I was lucky to receive an advance reading copy of ‘Unsettled Ground’ thanks to netgalley.
After the fast pace of ‘Tell Me Why’ by Ruth O’Neill, that I finished the day before, this initially felt cripplingly slow. However the sense of place and the characters are so strongly drawn that it wasn’t long before I was fully immersed into Jeanie and Julius’ world. It couldn’t be more different to ‘Bitter Orange’! The twin’s home is simple and basic and their lives far from glamorous. 
After their mother’s death the choices the twins make will have you pulling your hair out but it is an important reminder that we are not all born into the same circumstances and that the nature of our birth and upbringing has different consequences. 
This is a story that has made me think about my place and privilege and how lucky I am to be able to enjoy stories like these from a place of warmth and safety.

I loved Swimming Lessons, Bitter Orange, and Our Endless Numbered Days, so I was very excited to get my hands on this book. And I have to say that I wasn't disappointed!
Jeanie and Julius are twins. At the ripe old age of 51, they still live with mother Dot. Until that is, the day that Jeanie finds her mother dead. Obviously they have been sheltered all their lives and the loss of their mother is more than the pain of losing a loved one as they are soon to find as they start to try and fend for themselves. Starting with their rented cottage which they have made their own over the many years they have lived there. With the veggie patch and chickens in the garden this might just give them the means to survive but then that too is threatened and they find themselves fighting against everything just to survive.
Oh my days. I so felt for the twins, Jeanie especially, as I got to know them. My heart went out to them as I learned more and more about what was happening to them and about them. Both in the present and the past as Dot's secrets started to come to light. I lost track of the number of times my heart was in my mouth as they were victimised and persecuted. All for just being who they are. Tragic in places and so very emotional. But also with the underlying feeling of hope being just around the corner. But what form it takes...?
But the story isn't everything for this book. The way the story is delivered really brings it and the characters to life. And in this, the author really excels. Her language is powerful, the descriptions really do make you believe you are there as a spectator, witnessing first hand in the now, instead of being a distant observer after the fact.
Oh and there are some funny bits in the book too which prevent it from getting too dark. I was quite thankful for these as it could have got a bit too dark and dismal.
All in all, another winner from an author firmly on my watch list. Really looking forward to seeing what she has in store for next time. My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

A Mesmerising, intense tale of siblings who don’t quite fit, who have been shielded and protected all their 51 years by their mother in their primitive cottage with little money to spare. Then Dot dies very suddenly and Jeanie and Julian have to find their way in a confusing world which becomes increasingly threatening.  We follow Jeanie as she unearths secrets and lies, is uprooted and humiliated but discovers a strength that was always there but needed help to grow. Fuller weaves a story that is totally believable though extraordinary and will stay in the mind.

Unsettled Ground is a difficult, dark, disturbing read.  But it is utterly compelling in its brilliance.  The story is shockingly, scarily real. The characters so boldly rounded they assume tangible form. And the prose, ah the prose: so expressive, so lyrical, it is a true feast of words. 

Twins Julius and Jeannie are 51 years-old and live in an isolated, ramshackle cottage with their widowed mum, Dot. Neither has ever married, and the three eke out a hand-to-mouth existence from their small market garden. When Dot dies unexpectedly, the twins find themselves cast adrift in a hostile world where long-hidden family truths are waiting to blindside them still further. 

This story of Julius and Jeannie’s heartbreaking attempts to fend for themselves — heck, to survive — in the face of seemingly insurmountable obstacles touched me to my core. Despite their age, the twins are childlike, naïve. They have neither the intellect nor social skills to navigate the new reality thrust upon them. And they are victims; of their mother’s lies, of unscrupulous neighbors, and of society itself. 

Fuller’s skill in eliciting empathy for her characters is incomparable. I cared passionately for Julius, whose simple yearning for love and affection, as a distraction from the awful events surrounding him, made him all the more relatable and convincing. And I felt — oh so keenly — all of Jeannies’s grief, disbelief, fear and desperation. But, I also marveled at her warrior spirit and cheered the stubborn kernel of pride that pushed her on. 

The hopelessness and helplessness of Unsettled Ground is at times almost suffocating. As disquieting as this is, however, It is ultimately a story of resilience, hope and determination. Yes, the awfulness is truly awful. There are passages so distressing as to make you physically cringe.    But — and this is the true genius of the book —  Fuller’s ability to conjure light from the darkness is quite simply breathtaking.