Comment: I got this book at a book fair this summer and I was quite curious about it, since it's written by the master Agatha Christie, even if under a pseudonym (that everyone knows, though). Now that I have read it, I must say it was truly incredible and I'm now even more eager to try other books she wrote under this romance author pseudonym.
In this book we have the simple story of Joan Scudamore, a middle aged woman who is returning from Baghdad after helping her daughter but who sees herself stuck in a small station near the desert while the train tracks are being cleared so travels can re start.
The story is mostly regarding Joan's thoughts about her life and what happened so far to her and those she is familiar with but with so long to just think, Joan finally makes some discoveries about herself...
I really liked this book. It's, without a doubt, one of the best I've read this year despite being short.
This is one of those stories that reads almost as a monologue of sorts, except the epilogue, which is told mostly according to the POV of Joan's husband.
The POV is not first person, though. It's third but focusing on the actions of Joan and her thoughts and not as much what others think...but, of course, Joan often thinks about situations where she wasn't the only one involved, which means we are able to read between the lines not only what others probably think and also what isn't actually said.
This said, Joan is a fascinating character. She is quite adamant on thinking about everything around her as part of the outside world and her opinions are always correct or at least more correct than other people's. This is also true for her family and those she considers not as prudent and considerate as she thinks herself.
It was quite a psychological game, to be able to see things through Joan's eyes but she is not mean or bad or negative. Joan is one of those people who just can't seem to see ahead in terms of expectations, she can't think there are other ways to think about something nor can she understand there's more to life than simple acceptance and she does act as having only tunnel vision regarding her choices and take on life.
This is a little challenged when Joan sees herself alone in a train stop somewhere and without other people to talk to, only servants who don't talk with her about serious issues and nothing to be distracted with. It's quite well done this idea that if we did have time to just think, we would discover a lot about ourselves and our opinions.
I can appreciate the idea behind using this to develop a plot and the author was really a genius about how to play out certain notions. The question is, after so much thinking and analyzing her behavior and how others act around her, which conclusions did Joan reach and how can she become a less oblivious person to her surroundings and the wants and desires of those around her and not just what would suit them in her opinion?
This is a great story, which has made an impact on me, I can still think about the outcome of Joan's self read of who she is and how that affected and affects those around her.
The story is rich in little details, little words here and there that simply convey everything at the same time. I'm looking for to read more books the author wrote under this pseudonym, for certain.
Grade: 10/10
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