Synopsis
Nina has a good life, her perfect, rich husband provides everything for her and her two kids whilst her job is simply to look after the house and children. Her biggest problem is that her teenager is, well, a teenager. In the space of a few days Nina’s life falls apart and she has to find the strength to pick up the pieces.
Review
I’ve never read any Amanda Prowse before even though she’s quite well known. I guess I always categorised her as chicklit type books, or at least somewhat formulaic. I had no real reason to suppose this except for the cover art- which is something that can tell you a lot, but can also be misleading (like that particular cover for The Bell Jar). When I got the request to review it I decided to see what she really was about.
I would say that ‘The Art of Hiding’ is more of a feelings book than a chicklit. It does have that relationship element which chicklit often has, but it wasn’t about falling in love but coping without it, and about finding out about things which make you look at that love in a different way.
I didn’t especially like Nina, at least to begin with, she was very much one with her head in the sand, and later on I couldn’t quite balance that with the woman she became- and apparently the woman she was before she met her husband. I suppose we do show a different side of ourselves to different people, but this seemed to much.
Having said that I did enjoy reading the book, especially as Nina became more ‘herself’. It was hopeful, and sad, and enough happened that it kept me reading. I do think there could have been more about how Nina’s feelings changed, and how she managed to square her feelings with the man who was her husband with the man who had hidden so much from her, however I did feel that the story had a good resolution, and if you want an easy read with a bit of substance I would recommend it.
3/5
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