Title: Seven Days of Us
My
Rating: 🌟🌟🌟1/2
Book Description (Goodreads):
It’s Christmas, and for the first time in years the entire
Birch family will be under one roof. Even Emma and Andrew’s elder daughter—who
is usually off saving the world—will be joining them at Weyfield Hall, their
aging country estate. But Olivia, a doctor, is only coming home because she has
to. Having just returned from treating an epidemic abroad, she’s been told she
must stay in quarantine for a week…and so too should her family.
For the next seven days, the Birches are locked down, cut off from the rest of humanity—and even decent Wi-Fi—and forced into each other’s orbits. Younger, unabashedly frivolous daughter Phoebe is fixated on her upcoming wedding, while Olivia deals with the culture shock of being immersed in first-world problems.
As Andrew sequesters himself in his study writing scathing restaurant reviews and remembering his glory days as a war correspondent, Emma hides a secret that will turn the whole family upside down.
In close proximity, not much can stay hidden for long, and as revelations and long-held tensions come to light, nothing is more shocking than the unexpected guest who’s about to arrive…
For the next seven days, the Birches are locked down, cut off from the rest of humanity—and even decent Wi-Fi—and forced into each other’s orbits. Younger, unabashedly frivolous daughter Phoebe is fixated on her upcoming wedding, while Olivia deals with the culture shock of being immersed in first-world problems.
As Andrew sequesters himself in his study writing scathing restaurant reviews and remembering his glory days as a war correspondent, Emma hides a secret that will turn the whole family upside down.
In close proximity, not much can stay hidden for long, and as revelations and long-held tensions come to light, nothing is more shocking than the unexpected guest who’s about to arrive…
My musings:
I love a good family drama, and seeing that it is nearing the
end of November, I thought I should take myself out of my murder & mayhem
comfort zone and join the ever-growing festive spirit that has been emerging on
Goodreads with readers joyfully delving into Christmas stories. Mind you, there
is more panic than festivity in the Birch household as they are facing a “Haag
arrest” over Christmas, a voluntary seven-day quarantine in their grand old
mansion in Norfolk after the older daughter Olivia’s return from Liberia where
she has been treating victims of the deadly Haag virus. I can just imagine the
tension of being cooped up with your nearest and dearest over a whole week,
without the possibility of escaping into the company of others or outside for even
just a little while. And it doesn’t help that each member of the Birch family
harbours a secret that has the potential to seriously interrupt their fake
bonhomie if it ever came to light. Of course, lies have a way of raising their
ugly heads like vipers in the grass at the most inopportune moments, throwing
the family into one crisis after another.
Whilst I found none of the Birches particularly endearing,
as was no doubt intended, the drama soon engulfed me and sucked me into its
fold, and I was irrevocably hooked. There are some very dysfunctional dynamics
hiding behind these musty walls, most of which could have been resolved with a
good heart-to-heart over a few glasses of egg-nogg; but let’s face it, we often
don’t state the obvious, do we? I think that most of the story’s irresistible draw
lay in my dusty memories of Christmases past, when countless dramas unfolded as
the whole extended family met – and argued out all their grievances they had
been saving up for a year.
Whilst there were a few quite predictable and sometimes
slightly stereotypical elements and the brief threat of a corny romance (oh
horror!), Seven Days of Us was a light and entertaining book about a family in
crisis that would make a perfect Christmas holiday read whilst trying to
survive your own family dramas. Written from several different POVs and
featuring all the Birch family members in short and precise chapters, I got a feel
for all the characters involved and the story moved along at a good pace. I
could see this turned into a TV series, because everyone likes a good drama at
the expense of other families, even just for the chance to thank fate that
these are not our kin (or perhaps not). I did think that there were a few
issues with character development (most characters never quite managed to move
out of their stereotype) and would have loved to see a bit more “cutting edge” conflict
and wit, but it was nonetheless entertaining and kept me turning the pages.
Summary:
Seven Days of Us is a light, entertaining and reasonably
feel-good drama about an unusual family Christmas – perfect reading whilst
being holed up in your room whilst trying to avoid your own relos at the annual
Christmas do.
Thank
you to Netgalley and Hachette Australia for the free electronic copy of this novel and
for giving me the opportunity to provide an honest review.
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