Review: The Paper Palace by Miranda Cowley-Heller

Before anyone else is awake, on a perfect August morning, Elle Bishop heads out for a swim in the glorious freshwater pond below 'The Paper Palace' -- the gently decaying summer camp in the back woods of Cape Cod where her family has spent every summer for generations. As she passes the house, Elle glances through the screen porch at the uncleared table from the dinner the previous evening; empty wine glasses, candle wax on the tablecloth, echoes of laughter of family and friends. Then she dives beneath the surface of the freezing water to the shocking memory of the sudden passionate encounter she had the night before, up against the wall behind the house, as her husband and mother chatted to the guests inside.

So begins a story that unfolds over twenty-four hours and across fifty years, as decades of family legacies, love, lies, secrets, and one unspeakable incident in her childhood lead Elle to the precipice of a life-changing decision. Over the next twenty-four hours, Elle will have to decide between the world she has made with her much-loved husband, Peter, and the life she imagined would be hers with her childhood love, Jonas, if a tragic event hadn't forever changed the course of their lives.

Elle is in a quandary. Whilst happily married to the wonderful Peter with three children she has just had a passionate encounter with Jonas, her best friend since childhood who she has always loved, and who has always loved her. Over the course of the following day Elle must make a decision. To stick or twist. To risk everything or to carry on as if nothing has happened. As she deliberates we are taken back to the past, to all the events that have led up to this moment, to the shocking truths that drew Elle and Jonas apart all those years ago.

Don’t be fooled by the sultry summer cover and description of this book - this was a much darker read than I was anticipating. The present day part of the plot I enjoyed. I really liked both Jonas and Peter and didn’t know who I wanted Elle to choose, or indeed who she would actually choose. The flashback sections though, whilst integral to the story I just found depressing. It was clear that Elle has had a traumatic past but it was literally one bad thing after another and I was weary of it by the end. Also with regard to this any sensitive readers should beware. This book ought to come with a multitude of trigger warnings and a lot of it made for very uncomfortable reading. All of that said though, it has to be said that this book is beautifully written. The eponymous Paper Palace is a crumbling childhood relic, full of memory and nostalgia. Cowley-Heller has a very descriptive and evocative writing style, and I would definitely like to read more from her.

Have you read this book? I definitely feel like I’m in the minority with my mixed feelings about it so would love to know your thoughts if you have! Thanks to Viking Books for sending me a review copy of this book.