Felicity Everett is an acute chronicler of modern British life with a savage wit and relentless, foreboding plots. “The Move” places London sculptor Karen in the author’s crosshairs. Seemingly successful with a handsome, capable husband and precocious young adult son, Karen moves to an instantly recognisable postcard village, into a sublime cottage amongst the rolling hills. But Karen is fleeing her past and from the first page, a dark patina covers the wonderfully evoked countryside and Karen’s sharp, self-aware but trembly mind. Is husband Nick the loving paragon he appears to be? Is the eclectic assemblage of welcoming villagers benign or threatening? A drama rather than a thriller, “The Move” maintains a cracking pace as sharp prose unwinds past and present into possibilities for the future. Recommended for those seeking present-day tension and insights.
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