Unsettled Ground

An absolutely heartbreaking and beautifully written story of two siblings living in abject poverty after the loss of their mom.  Jeannie and Julius are adult survivors of poverty, dishonesty, loneliness, and the loss of their mother, Dot.  Such a beautifully written story.  I was sorry when it finished.

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!.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

I enjoyed Claire Fuller's work Bitter Orange, and when I saw this title was available for request, I was thrilled to be approved. The summary was intriguing and the cover was absolutely stunning. I quickly dove in. 

Jeanie and Julius' lives are thrown into turmoil when their mother suddenly dies from a stroke. They've spent their lives together under the same roof, but when funeral planning uncovers more than they bargained for, Jeanie and Julius find themselves in unfamiliar territory; and in order to move forward, they must learn the whole truth about their family. 

I sat on my review for a few days to work out my thoughts, but I really liked this book.

To start, this is a character-driven narrative examining the themes of love, complex family relationships, hope, and rebirth, and for the most part, I would go so far as to say it is primarily focused on the loss of innocence, a coming-of-age that happens unexpectedly because, well, it's not at a typical age. The twins are fifty-one and only known their lives as their mother had lain them out. In her death, however, they are forced to make impossible decisions, and in their struggle, we see genuine growth. 

Jeanie is a rare character whose arc isn't centered around finding her worth through literacy. So often we see characters solving every problem in their lives by learning to read or write, as if trying harder is the problem. Jeanie is self-aware and understands this puts her at a deficit, but she also doesn't think her conflicts will magically disappear if and when she learns to spell. Her resilience is heartbreaking and inspiring, and I especially loved the moments where she takes control of her own choices. 

The sibling relationship is complex and rich but also co-dependent to the point of toxicity at times. Their voices did not always read as fifty year olds, and I think that goes a long way toward the loss of innocence theme. Realizing the truth about our families is not relegated to a specific time frame, and this newfound knowledge can be life altering, jarring, and completely transformative. No spoilers, of course, but while there aren't many joyful moments to be found here, I found the love Jeanie and Julius had for each other to be a wonderful examination of sibling bond. There's hope here, even if it's complex and not altogether clear.

Overall, Unsettled Ground is a gritty, raw, emotional read that will stick to your bones and leave you questioning what you would do if your entire life wasn't what you were led to believe it was. For fans of tense literary fiction, strained relationships in the vein of Ethan Frome or Jeannette Walls, or anyone looking for a taut family drama. 

Big thanks to Tin House and NetGalley for providing an eARC in exchange for honest review consideration.

It feels a little subversive to call a novel that tackles the topics of poverty, disconnection, illiteracy, and trauma beautiful.  However, this novel is beautiful in the grace in which it treats its characters.  Often disadvantaged characters in novels are written in terms of what they lack:  intelligence, common sense, literacy.  These characters are realized with full humanity, compassion, and tenacity.  A truly special novel that I won't be forgetting any time soon.

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"Unsettled Ground" is an astonishing book from the first page to the very end.
You will become so immersed with these two, 51 year old twins, who somehow have been unable to break away from living with their mother. When their mom suddenly dies, the story really begins and their lives unravel.
You will not be able to stop thinking about this book and these unforgettable characters long after you finish reading this novel.