Book Review: BITTER ORANGE by Claire Fuller

BITTER ORANGE by Claire Fuller

3/5

Claire Fuller’s third novel, BITTER ORANGE, is psychological narrative that takes place on a dilapidated English countryside estate. Like her debut novel, OUR ENDLESS NUMBERED DAYS, her latest is an atmospheric story with a remote setting that builds a sense of claustrophobia.

Frances Jellico is on her deathbed, her disease “has eaten away more than flesh: it had taken any memory of last week as well as the names and titles I was told about an hour ago…but it is kind enough to leave the summer of 1969 intact.” If it is an act of kindness, then that summer is an important one to Frances. And it’s easy to see why: it is possibly her first experience as an individual and at the adult age of 39. The novel goes back and forth from the confines of her deathbed to the sprawling Lyntons mansion where her memories have taken root. After an American buys the estate, he hires Frances to research the architecture and surrounding gardens in order to write a report on whether there’s anything of historical and financial value. Cara and Peter, an outgoing couple in opposition to Frances’ introverted nature, are also on assignment at the Lyntons. This is where the three become fast friends and experience a feverish summer of cigarettes, wine, pasta and reckless abandon.

Frances, from the very beginning, seems to be in a troubled mental state. She lacks confidence and constantly scrutinizes herself with a highly self-conscious frame of mind. She’s uncomfortable in her own skin and it’s truly painful to read her constant self-doubts and feelings of inferiority in the presence of someone like Cara. In an way, her character now reminds me of Harriet, the overweight young girl in Shirley Jackson’s THE ROAD THROUGH THE WALL.

As someone who has never experienced being independent, youthful, carefree and in love, Frances takes very easily to Cara and Peter, who are welcoming and at ease with each other and themselves. Socially awkward Frances soon becomes enamored with the couple and spends increasing amounts of time with Cara, trying to understand her prehistory. Yet, the more we know about Cara and Peter, the less we truly understand about Frances, her past and her motivations. All we understand is that she’s looking for an escape from her life.

As the three become more settled at the Lyntons, they work less and party more. Their days are spent under the sunshine, listening to music, smoking and drinking wine. However, Frances starts to notice cracks in the perfect picture that Cara and Peter present. Cara becomes a little unhinged as the days go by and Frances starts to get enamored by Peter. As their relationship becomes more complicated, the chinks start to fall off and a tension develops as a result of the new dynamics, and Cara’s susceptibility to superstitions. The Lyntons as the setting replicates the isolation that Frances experiences mentally; her fragile state of mind is a mirror image of the mansion.

While I didn’t love this book, the most redeeming aspect is Claire Fuller’s beautiful writing style. I would read whatever she writes next, even though this novel didn’t work out well for me. I felt underwhelmed when I finished it and thought there was something missing that I couldn’t really put my finger on. Once I finished it, I felt it was a bit overwritten and a lot of it could have been compressed or edited out.

Overall, BITTER ORANGE was beautifully written, mysterious and haunting, but it also felt lacking. I’d recommend if you like books where houses are as important as the characters, or if you’re into the works of Shirley Jackson. This is also a good pick if you’re looking for a summer-themed novel that feels a bit feverish like the weather. Personally, this book wouldn’t come to mind if someone asked me for a really good book recommendation.

Thank you to both Penguin UK Books and Tin House for sending me copies. My review is honest and the opinions are entirely my own.