Undercurrents

Mrs Helliwell, an old lady with the secret of a death in her soul, needs to be nursed through the long, arid summer and employs Fergal's mother, Madge, to do the job. Fergal jumps at the chance to flee to the remote farm with his mum, hoping to escape from "real life" and his guilty conscience. But as he becomes increasingly torn between his developing passion for the mysterious Alex and his affection for Mrs Helliwell, a heat wave begins to take its toll and a village, once drowned in the name of progress, gradually reappears as the reservoir that took its place subsides.

Undercurrents is a fine piece of work from a fine writer who never lets the reader off the hook, constantly firing up the intensity of an atmosphere filled with the agonizingly raw emotions of three very different people, each setting out on a search for peace of mind. --Susan Harrison


Genre: Young Adult Fiction