Book Blurb
Bernie Moon has given her life to other people: her husband, her son, her friends (who are these days, mostly online). At nineteen she was full of dreams and ambitions; now almost fifty, and going through the menopause, she’s fading, fast. Heartbroken and hormonal, she often feels like she’s losing her mind.
But when a young woman is murdered in a local park, it sparks a series of childhood memories in Bernie and with them, a talent that has lain dormant most of her adult life.
She promised herself she’d never think of it again. When she was a teenager, it almost destroyed her. But now she’s older, could it be the power she’s been missing?
Could it be the chance to, finally, make them look?
My Review
A new Joanne Harris book is something I always get excited about, I have been a fan since reading Chocolat nearly twenty five years ago. Her new offering Broken Light is the story of Bernie, who at nearly fifty and facing the start of menopause is feeling invisible, lonely and doesn’t recognise herself. After a murder in her local park an old power from her childhood resurfaces, and gives her a focus for her rage,to make herself visible, the only problem is that it once nearly destroyed her life.
Broken Light is narrated by Bernie with short chapters narrated by her old school friend, turned nemesis Katie Hemsworth. From the beginning we are aware that something is wrong as Bernie’s story is told via a journal she kept that is now Exhibit B1, but what that keeps the reader guessing until the end. As a character I really identified with Bernie; I am of a similar age and facing some of the same difficulties she does. Bernie’s story takes us from her childhood with an overbearing mother, to becoming a mother herself at nineteen than also as a wife. This gives an understanding as to how Bernie has got to the place she is in now and why she feels the way she does. Joanne Harris has given her female characters in the past supernatural/magical qualities and Bernie has the ability to see inside people’s ‘houses’, there minds, their past, their thoughts, likes, dislikes and personality. She also has the ability to alter things, make people change and maybe get revenge. I loved this part of the story, how these ability gave her confidence and watching how she grew in confidence.
Joanne Harris uses Bernie’s story to highlight some of the problems that women face today, and how women are perceived (from sexism to being able to go out safely at night). She also highlights the power of female friendship, how they support each other and hold each other up. I also loved how each section was named after a track of music and with a quote from my favourite poem The Lady of Shalott by Tennyson, which also links to the theme of women and how they are seen by society. The writing and plotting is masterful as always, with characters you can connect to and a story that grips from page one until the very last page.
Broken Light is another amazing read from Joanne Harris. She really gets under the skin of her characters, making them personable and relatable and Bernie is now one of my favourite characters. I loved the idea of being able to look in peoples ‘houses’, being able to see the good and the bad and maybe changing how people think, to see and understand how others work. This is an fascinating and engaging read, that is empowering to women of all ages but especially those who are approaching menopause. Simply stunning!!
I would like to thank Francesca Pearce from Orion books for my copy of this book in return for my honest review.
