This is a really interesting novel with rich characters that keep you interested and intrigued the entire time you’re reading it. Beautiful figurative language threads it all together. I highly recommend.

Unsettling indeed.

I've read most of Claire Fuller's fiction, and each novel seems more powerful than its predecessors. "Unsettled Ground" is extremely uncomfortable reading, but in the best possible way. Fuller takes us far, far away from our comfort zone with Jeanie and Julius. I certainly don't know anyone who lives a life like theirs in the modern world, nor have I read many stories that depict a similar lifestyle.

Her writing and her story brought Sarah Moss to mind for me, which I've never thought before with Fuller's fiction. But here I found the same sense of disquiet and pending doom that I find in Moss's best fiction.

Fuller does a wonderful job breathing life into Jeanie and Julius (even if the same can't always be said for the minor characters). They leap off the page with their quirks and their lonely searching for a path forward. And Fuller treats them with such amazing empathy and honesty. It's great stuff: emotionally engaging and terrifically entertaining. I raced to the end of this novel, and the ending didn't disappoint. It felt like the perfect realization of everything she'd been building up to -- there's plenty of sadness of course, but also a little ray of hope for the future.

Unsettling as it was, this was entirely original fiction from Claire Fuller. And how often do you get to say that about a novel? Kudos to her.

This book! I could not put it down. It was my first novel read by Claire Fuller, but it won't be my last. Poignant passages, lyrical writing, and character development that had me extremely invested, Unsettled Ground is just that-- unsettled. It's disturbing, emotional, and also, tells a powerful story about resilience to trauma and the reassembling of identity within someone when they undergo it. Highly recommend.

Perhaps I’m biased because Claire Fuller is one of my favourite authors, but I loved this. A high note is plucked in the first few pages and the string doesn’t stop vibrating, suffusing every page with a tense, almost shrill, undercurrent of nerves, till the very last. It is the story of adult twins and the mystery that unfolds after the death of their Mother. I found it somewhat hard to read, and I think that is because there is a strong theme of home and protection, the meaning of belonging and family, and the precariousness of those things. The pandemic makes me feel as if all those things have been placed on a hill of dry sand, and that we have to keep them safe at the top. This is how I saw Jeanie, scrabbling desperately to keep everything and everyone safe, but slipping and sliding, with little to stop her descending to the bottom. Saying that Jeanie has friends and even the ones she doesn’t like that much, more extended family than friends, are willing to show her love and support, if she will only accept it. Sometimes I wanted to shake Jeanie, her stubbornness was infuriating, but also utterly believable and even understandable. She is a proud person and wonderfully well rounded character. Fuller writes such layered and interesting characters. This book should win prizes and everyone should read it. Another absolute triumph from Claire Fuller.

Far and away one of the best books I have read in a long time. Being familiar with Claire Fuller I was curious about this title and wasn’t disappointed. It is a heart rending story of opportunities lost due to the overpowering love of family. And it also speaks to the damage a family can do to its members. We are all so wired that we forget that many don’t live in today’s world.. in any event a powerful yet sad read. Well written. A book that stays with you for a long long time.

This is deliciously disturbing and extremely unputdownable reading!

You are just drawn into the pages! The incredibly well constructed characters, embellished, detailed descriptions of the nature, those lyrical folk songs brush your ears, soothe your soul and the poverty, harsh life conditions, demanding challenges the siblings endure make you enjoy your reading more at each chapter!

Julius and Jeanie are twins in their 51s, living a secluded life with their mother Dot in their own terms with less comfort, little money in their life, growing their own vegetables, selling them to an upscale deli.

Julius works at odd jobs for quick cash. Their mother saved their money in a tin box. Even though Jeanie cannot properly read and write, she’s happy to play her own music via her guitar as Julius plays the fiddle. They seem like outcasts, marginals but they’re pleased with their peaceful independence till one night their mother collapses on the floor, dying from a stroke.

They cannot imagine how their mother was the only bond hold them together and when she is gone, her entire secrets slowly reveal and turn their peaceful, estranged lives into hell!

They always think they are living rent free but they don’t. The cold and bitter Mrs. Rawson doesn’t waste any time to knock on their door and tell them their mother owes her debt for rent and if they want to continue living in the cottage they have to pay rent including the amount their mother forgot to pay because of her illness. And unfortunately the Rawsons are not only people she owed money!

The people around them act like jackals hunt their preys to take advantage of their weaknesses which makes you furious. You easily pity on twins and interestingly you easily understand their peculiar, weird natures, the different lifestyle they chose for themselves.

They don’t have enough money for turning on electricity, eating proper food, burying their mother!!! Jeannie should find a job but how ? She has no qualities: she doesn’t have proper educational skills! She cannot turn on the computer for searching for jobs! She cannot even type anything! And of course her brother has issues to find his handyman jobs.

Now twins test their boundaries and their closeness because as Jeannie wants to live her isolated and peaceful life in their cottage with their lovely dog Maude and her brother, Julius wants to socialize, connecting with outside world, dragging into his own romance story!

Such a fantastic novel about dysfunctional families, bonds, secrets, siblings, opportunist neighbors, poverty, grief, struggling life conditions.

One of the greatest reading experiences of mine which earned five big, bold, musical, lyrical, perfectly crafted stars!

Special thanks to NetGalley and Tin House for making my wish come true by providing this digital reviewer copy with me in exchange my honest opinions.

2021 Book Review 14: Unsettled Ground

Unsettled Ground is Claire Fuller’s fourth novel, the story of 51 year old twins Jeanie & Julius and the undoing of their entire world after the death of their mother Dot. Unsettled Ground will be released on March 25, 2021. I received an advance copy from @w.w.norton via @netgalley in exchange for my honest review of this work.

Fifty one year old fraternal twins Jeanie and Julius have never left home - a rundown rental cottage where they live in poverty with their widowed mother. They are grossly unprepared to provide for themselves even this same meager level of existence after Dot dies and they are evicted. The twins, particularly Jeanie, are completely unmoored both by the loss of their surroundings and a gained knowledge of who their mother truly was.

This was the first work of Claire Fuller that I’ve read, and I was struck by her captivating writing style - something about her way with words sucked me in even though the story didn’t hold my interest. I was drawn to the premise and jacket description immediately, but the story itself didn’t unfold in quite the dark & creepy way I was hoping for. I felt sad and frustrated for these characters but also frustrated by them. So much of the angst seemed easily solvable just through simple communication, it eventually felt irritating. Some side characters were interesting, and I found I’d rather read a book about them than the twins. One negative standout for me - maybe it was the foreign setting or the poverty, but I had a difficult time remembering when the book was set - present day, but it didn’t read that way. Overall, I didn’t love the story but I couldn’t stop reading, so I will seek out more work or Fuller’s going forward.

3/5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️

A really brilliant story about a family verging on the edge of despair, loss and finally redemption.
Fuller’s writing is always elegant and subtle but always humane. A lovely book.

Unsettled Ground follows the complicated lives of the Seeder family though seemingly insurmountable challenges. The book opens with the unexpected death of the matriarch, Dot. Her children, twins Julius and Jeanie, have depended on their mother for guidance and direction throughout their 51 years, and in particular after the tragic death of their father when they were only 12 years old. The inherent trust that they put into their mother falls to pieces when secrets become revealed that turn their world on its side.

As truths become revealed, both Jeanie and Julius face new challenges and new realities, while creating a new and very different life for themselves from what they knew before. Without their mother to guide their way, they find it on their own - stumbling at times - but through the challenges to hopeful new beginnings.

This book was beautiful, if dark at times. But the joy in the text was watching the characters grow and develop into their full selves. Readers are left feeling not only satisfied but hopeful.

3.5 stars
Gorgeous writing and great storytelling.
Because of all the details, it was quite engrossing. I felt like I was there.

It did drag at times because there was so much sadness. I would’ve liked to see move from the characters at the end.
It’s definitely a quiet story, but I enjoyed my read.

I was so happy to get to read Unsettled Ground by Clair Fuller. I have to say, I just didn’t find myself invested in the story. Her. writing is beautiful, but I just wanted more out of the plot and the characters. The idea of 51 year old twins still living together was so intriguing to me, but in the end it just left me feeling like I was missing something. I think many will really enjoy story.

This writing was beyond amazing!
This is a story of survival; surviving poverty, surviving the aftermath of abuse, surviving cruelty of fate and other people. I felt for these characters..... My heart actually broke for them.
Claire Fullers writing is so beautiful and real I felt like I knew these people.
This was an absolutely amazing read and one that will stay with me for some time!

I never expected to read Claire Fuller's novel from start to finish in one sitting. But the inimitable writer grabbed me and wouldn't let go until late last night. Set outside a village an hour or so away from Oxford, a family of three, Dot, the mom, and her twins, Jeanie and Julius, eke out an existence in a ramshackle cottage. The twins are 51 years old, have always stayed with their mother living an orderly life with nothing going to waste. Dot and Jeanie keep a large garden and sell what they can at a fancy grocer in the village. Julius picks up odd jobs wherever he can find them. They all play music and give joy to whoever gets to hear them.

I wouldn't say that the novel was a mystery page-turner. The characters seem like people that I have known sometime in my life. I just had to see their saga through to some resolution, dire or blessed. Claire Fuller has given them meaning, beautifully and thoughtfully, for all the people in this world who live on next to nothing and refuse what they consider charity.

Today's sorry world has turned its back on so many people who do not fit into the technological revolution or the way money is made in real estate, building tract houses wherever there is an empty meadow. This book is for them. Perhaps siblings aren't meant to live together for their entire lives, but it is what made life bearable for Jeanie and Julius. I loved this novel, a favorite of the year.



Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this ARC.

51-year-old twins Julius and Jeanie are still living with their mom Dot in a run-down cottage at the edge of an estate. While the family loves one another, they live a small life always wondering where the next dollar will come from. When Dot suddenly dies, Julius and Jeanie find their very existence to be in danger as family secrets emerge and they lose just about everything they love. I would call this novel heartbreaking but it is filled with determination, strength and in the end hope for a better future.

Claire Fuller excels at creating a sense of place. She provides such lyrical detail that it is easy for the reader to create her singular locales in the mind's eye. As a result, the characters that inhabit this world are all the more affecting. In Unsettled Ground, she tells the story of middle-aged siblings who suffer the loss of their mother and attempt to hang on to the family farm despite extreme penury and a lack of control over their fate. Jeanie and Julius are different and isolated, totally dependent on each other and the vagaries of the small town folks who exist to help, avoid or terrorize them. They exist in a world of extreme poverty yet find small joys in their limited, dilapidated world. As a result of Fuller's significant talent, the reader roots for them and finds joy as well.

Claire Fuller has the most lyrical style of writing.This story of two sisters living i. Abject property drew me in kept me turning the pages.A haunting novel that stays on your mind.#netgalley #w.w.nortonbooks

I really wanted to like this. I was in the mood for a quiet story, but this was just too quiet. The writing was nice, but not incredible enough to carry a story lacking in both plot and characterization. I just wanted to shake everyone, sit them all down in a circle, and not let anyone move until they had hashed out all of their considerable issues.

While I had issues with the novel, I will say that I found the premise unique. There aren’t that many adult sibling stories out there, and this one revolves around 51-year-old fraternal twins who have always lived with their mother. The tale opens on the death of that mother, leaving Julius and Jeanie, the aforementioned twins, alone for the first time in their lives and at a loss as to how to handle a funeral or the outstanding debts their didn’t even know about.

Julius and Jeanie are both potentially fascinating characters who, in my opinion, never lived up to that potential. While there was some growth in the end, we don’t actually witness it, and I didn’t find it believable considering the trajectory these characters were on before said growth. I found myself constantly reminded of the movie Nell, and I’m not sure that’s a compliment.

One thing I loved was that the biggest bond between these siblings was their music. That’s something my brother and I share, as well, and it’s a really special bond to have. I honestly wish it would have played a bigger role in the narrative.

While I can see why others love and will love this novel, it just didn’t work for me. If there had been a little more plot, or a little more character development, I think I could’ve at least liked it very much. But the combination of those lacks and the abrupt ending left me dissatisfied.

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC of this book. Two siblings who lived a very sheltered,poor upbringing trying to deal with rough situations and what life throws at them as adults. No story better explains how our parents can actually harm us by keeping us too close and with the "discretions" that they keep from us.Claire is such a brilliant writer and I knew I would enjoy this book, and I sure wasn't disappointed.

This is the fourth book I have read by Claire Fuller, and I consider myself to be a big fan of her writing. This book reminded my of my favorite of her books, Our Endless Numbered Days. She has a way of bringing me so deeply into the lives of the characters that I feel transported and immersed in the setting. I appreciate the way her stories are serious and at times heavy, yet at the end you are left feeling hopeful. She takes chances and I think they pay off well. Thank you very much for allowing me to read this ARC!.

I was blown away by Clare Fuller’s book BITTER ORANGE as I found the setting and characters fascinating. The writing sparkled with energy and insight. This book did not hold my attention in the same way, The premise is interesting but I found the execution to be flawed. The story itself did not pull me in and while the characters were unique, that was not enough to stir my interest and sympathy. Thank you for allowing me an early read of this book.