The Strange Inheritance of Leah Fern by Rita Zoey Chin

Synopsis

Born in a carnival trailer, Leah Fern begins her life as the ‘The Youngest and Very Best Fortuneteller in the World,’ taking strangers’ hands and feeling the depths of their emotions. Then abandoned at six years of age by her mother, the captivating but distant Jeannie Starr, Leah spends her childhood waiting for her return. After fifteen years as a small-town outcast, Leah finally decides to end her life on the occasion of her twenty-first birthday. But the intricate death ritual she has devised is interrupted by a surprise knock on her door. Her mysterious neighbour, the curmudgeonly and reclusive art photographer Essie East, has died and left Leah a very strange inheritance. Through a series of letters, Essie will posthumously lead Leah on a journey that, the first note promises, will reveal the story of Leah’s mother. Driven by a ferocious resurgence of hope, Leah embarks on this bizarre treasure hunt, Essie’s ashes in a jewelled urn in the passenger seat of her truck. Along her way, she visits islands, libraries, diners, and defunct ice cream parlours, meeting a charming cast of eccentric characters and immersing herself in wonders of the natural world. An enchanting novel about the transcendent powers of the imagination, the magic of the threshold between past and present, and the courage it takes to love, The Strange Inheritance of Leah Fern explores the unlikely, at times adversarial, and ultimately redemptive relationship between a young woman who has forgotten how to live and a dead woman who summons her to remember.

My Review

Over the past few years I have been lucky enough to be given the opportunity to read and review quite a few books published by Melville House, and I have honestly enjoyed everyone. I was delighted to be asked to review The Strange Inheritance of Leah Fern by Rita Zoey Chin, the title and cover alone grabbed my attention, and I loved the little gold elephants that fell from the book. This is a charming and enchanting read, with a heroine you can’t but help but fall in love with in the eponymous Leah Fern.

In Leah Fern, Rita Zoey Chin has created a central character that is relatable, amicable and a heroine you really care about. Leah has had an intersting life, being born to magician Jeannie Starr at the Blazing Calyx Carnival, before at six years old being abandoned by her mother at the home of her friend Edward Murphy. Leah’s sorrow is only assuaged by her colourful imagination, a coping mechanism, but at twenty one she decides to take her own life, no longer believing her mother will return. It is her inheritance from neighbour Essie East that finally frees her, through a series of letters that tell Essie’s story and that of Leah’s mother. The roadtrip felt like I was on the journey with Leah, travelling the length of America and into Canada, watching her confidence grow, and seeing her say yes to things she never would have before.

This is the debut novel from Rita Zoey Chin but it reads like a book from a seasoned author. She seamlessly moves from Leah’s childhood, in the carnival, and with her life with Edward Murphy, to her roadtrip of self discovery. There are also the letters from Essie, telling the story of her and her friends, all artists, who go on journey of discovery together. Her writing captures the world through Leah’s innocent eyes,the relationships between the different female characters, and Leah’s relationship with herself, and the people she meets along the way. She highlights the power of the imagination, of our relationships with nature and of the belief in otherworldliness.

The Strange Inheritance of Leah Fern is a captivating and enchanting read of love, loss and hope. Leah’s journey really touched me, being privy to her thoughts and her view of the world as she imaprts on her journey. Rita Zoey Chin’s writing is atmospheric and magical, making this such a beautiful book to read. I can’t wait to read what she writes next.

Thank you to Tom Clayton at Melville House for sending me a copy of this book in return for my honest review.