The Forgotten Letters of Esther Durrant – Kayte Nunn

“’Ex tenebris lux’, she read, running her fingers over the words. From the darkness into the light.” (Quotation page 356)

Content

When John Durrant takes his wife Esther on holiday in November 1951, she has to leave her son Teddy behind with his nanny and wonders, why they are visiting Cornwall and the rough, far away Isles of Scilly at this time of the year. At Embers Island, they meet Dr. Richard Creswell, an old friend of John, a psychiatrist with modern ideas about curing mental illnesses. But they did not come just for a visit; John leaves Esther in custody at the asylum, hoping that she might recover from her severe depression.

In spring 2018, her new research contract takes Rachel Parker, a thirty-five years old Australian research scientist, specialized on giant clams, from the South Pacific to the Scilly Isles, to study a special clam, Venus verrucosa. When she comes into a wild, raging storm, she is saved by Leah, an artist who lives at Little Embers. In an old suitcase, Rachel discovers six envelopes with touching love letters, all stamped but unsent, and with a name and address on it. She just wants to know, could she still find the recipient?

Theme and Genre

This novel, settled in the wild, beautiful nature surroundings of the Scilly Isles, is about traumas, traditional mental asylums, fate, family, but most of all it is about love.

Characters

We meet three very different women, Esther, Leah and Rachel, each one special and strong in her own way. Also the other characters are very well developed, realistic, believable and likeable.

Plot and Writing

The plot is told in two different alternating storylines, the first is about Esther’s life from November 1951 to spring 1952, the second story takes place in spring 2018. Memories that Esther shares with her granddaughter Eve, as they prepare Esther’s biography together, fill in about the years between. Impressing, vivid descriptions of the beautiful, outstanding nature complete the exciting storyline.

Conclusion

Romance, love and a gripping story, the outstanding surroundings and stunning seascapes of the Isles of Scilly, together with serious topics to think about and reflect, make this novel an interesting, impressive, uplifting, enjoyable read.