The Great Godden by Meg Rosoff

I was recently lucky enough to be selected by The Tandem Collective to take part in an Instagram Readalong of Meg Rosoff's The Great Godden. It's an impactful summer read that gave us a lot to talk about!

This is the story of one family, one dreamy summer – the summer when everything changes. In a holiday house by the sea, in a big, messy family, one teenager watches as brothers and sisters, parents and older cousins fill hot days with wine and games and planning a wedding.

Enter the Goddens – irresistible, charming, languidly sexy Kit and surly, silent Hugo. Suddenly there's a serpent in this paradise – and the consequences will be devastating.

Every year a family head to the beach for their summer holiday. The same place, the same house, the same neighbours. Food, wine, tennis, sailing, swimming. It's become a tradition, an idyll. This summer is different. Kit and Hugo Godden, sons of movie star Florence Godden, are coming to stay. Summers will never be the same again. 

From the synopsis and cover of this book I was expecting something akin to We Were Liars - a long, hot, explosive summer in The Hamptons. It was a pleasant surprise therefore to discover that this book is actually set in the UK! Whereabouts I couldn't tell you (it's certainly not Whitby if they're wearing swimsuits all summer!).

It's a relatively short read and I raced through it in a couple of days - it could easily be read in one sitting! The downside to a short read is that you aren't reading for long enough to become attached to any of the characters. You feel as if you're just getting to know them as the novel reaches its conclusion, and the climaxes fall short because you aren't invested enough to be shocked/sympathetic. This sense of detachment may be deliberate though, reflecting the stance of the narrator. An outsider itself, for the most part it watches events unfold around it, rarely partaking in the drama, waiting to be invited in. 

Which brings me on to the main talking point of the novel. Notice my use of 'it' when talking about the narrator? We never actually find out who the narrator is. We know it's one of the teenage siblings, but beyond that nothing. No name, no age, no physical description, and, most significantly perhaps, no gender. The point being that we don't need to know any of these things to follow and enjoy the story. It's a clever, and brave, move on the author's part but it's a risk that pays off! Constantly looking out for clues as to the narrator's gender makes you really pay attention, reading into every little detail, and my opinion of whether it was male or female fluctuated throughout the novel. The reader is left with a blank canvas to make their own interpretation, perhaps even to put themselves in the narrator's shoes. It's an interesting concept and a real talking point. 

The plot itself I found fairly predictable. Enter stage Kit and Hugo. One is blonde, beautiful, charming, the other standoffish and socially awkward. The light and the dark, but which is which? As the languid summer wears on tempers and tensions begin to flare, build and break, and the Godden brothers are at the centre of it all. You know something is coming, that they're all heading for destruction, but you just can't look away. Even though I knew where the story was heading, that doesn't take away from the fact that it is incredibly well written. You can picture the scenes vividly, the beautiful beach and surrounding countryside, evoking a sense of nostalgia for childhood family holidays, and the writing itself is lyrical yet straight to the point. Not a word is wasted. 

Thought-provoking, compelling and beautifully written, The Great Godden is the perfect slow-burn summer beach read.